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Situation:
The region’s patchwork landscape, combined with the lack of regional government, create a situation where local officials are the primary determinant of land use, with huge implications for watershed management in rural and agricultural watersheds.
Approach:
The region’s NEMO programs leverage considerable research expertise, including nationally recognized experts on topics as diverse as remote sensing, alternative septic systems, low impact development techniques and riparian nutrient dynamics. NEMO programs assist local volunteer policy makers to protect their water resources through research-based Extension on a wide range of watershed management topics and the use of geospatial tools (such as impervious cover estimates and nutrient loading models) that can assess, track and visualize land use patterns and their impacts. NEMO programs promote BMPs related to land use planning and site development. NEMO programs in CT, RI, NH, ME, VT, NY and NJ are members of the National NEMO Network, a 406-funded National Facilitation Project housed at UConn.
Stakeholders:
Local land use officials, commissioners and professionals, landscape architects, engineers, town staff, land trusts, chambers of commerce, developers and contractors.
Sampling of Programs in the Region:
NEMO Programs combine geo-spatial technologies, educational programs, demonstrations, and hands-on training to allow local decision makers and citizens to obtain the most up-to-date information for informed decision-making and watershed management to improve and protect water quality throughout the region.
In this NESCI NEMO presentation, there is a brief description highlighting accomplishments and tangible changes in
this focus area in 2007.
Protecting Water Resources and Managing Stormwater: A Birdseye View for New Hampshire Communities is Natural Resources Outreach Coalition's latest collaboration with the UNH Stormwater Center. This free guide encourages communities to think beyond BMPs when managing stormwater for water resource protection. This document will be adapted to other states in the region.
The University of Connecticut houses the National NEMO Network, a NIFA National Facilitation Project. This project provides coordination, training, and communication services to new and existing NEMO projects that are led by Land Grant Universities. Through these national efforts, watershed processes are better understood in local communities. The NEMO Network released the National Low Impact Development (LID) Atlas, an online tool which highlights alternative stormwater management systems put in place throughout the country. The RI, CT, and VT NEMO programs have all contributed projects to the Atlas - with localized versions of the CT LID Inventory and the RI Atlas. UNH has developed a New England LID Atlas.
CT NEMO program developed tools that analyze impervious cover as an indicator of watershed health. Ten additional educational modules were integrated into the program’s original pilot project, Linking Land Use and Water Quality. The project’s workshops continue to be a NEMO programmatic mainstay.Catalyzed by NEMO educational programs and information, towns throughout CT have changed their land use plans, regulations, policies and procedures in order to protect water quality. The CT State Nonpoint Source Plan, Coastal Nonpoint Source Plan, and new Stormwater Quality Manual incorporate NEMO principles. The Sustainable Landscape Demonstration Project features water-friendly design elements that NEMO recommends, including pervious parking stalls, rain gardens, an engineered grass "green" parking lot, and bioretention areas.
The Maine NEMO program has developed a lakes educational module and other educational programs based on the original NEMO model. UMaine NEMO program, with assistance from UMaine Cooperative Extension, held a workshop in 2002 in Camden, which led to the development of a comprehensive zoning plan for the town. The plan incorporates language for the protection of water quality and is being reviewed at the state level.
The New Hampshire Natural Resources Outreach Coalition (NROC), UNH's Extension-led NEMO program has facilitated various community–based natural resource protection initiatives, such as the creation of a water quality monitoring program, an outreach campaign, “Growing Greener” and a land conservation committee. With coaching and support from NROC, one NH community raised $200,000 for conservation purposes.
VICES (Virgin Islands Cooperative Extension Service) has initiated a Smart Growth project, in partnership with the V.I. Coastal Zone Management Program to be linked to the National NEMO project. This project is researching smart growth initiatives and practices to adopt or adapt them for use in initiating a Virgin Islands NEMO-type program and producing education and outreach materials to promote smart growth and low-impact development practices.
The URI NEMO program developed the MANAGE (Method for Assessment, Nutrient-loading, and Geographic Evaluation of watersheds) model . By applying a simplified hydrologic / nutrient loading model to specific soils and land use types in study areas. URI NEMO program provides community-customized outreach programs to help rural communities and land trusts identify and evaluate pollution risks related to land use and onsite wastewater disposal. Based on such assessments, several RI communities adopted town wastewater management ordinances requiring septic system inspection, repair and upgrading to protect local groundwater supplies and coastal waters.
Key NEMO programs in New England include:
CT NEMO (UConn)
Lake Champlain Sea Grant NEMO (UVM)
Maine NEMO
NH Natural Resources Outreach Coalition (UNH)
UMass Mill River Watershed Project
URI NEMO
NY Sea Grant NEMO (New York)
The URI Watershed Hydrology Lab, UConn NEMO and Arizona State University are collaborating on a new project that will gain more insight into sources and sinks of nitrate and translate these results into a geospatial model to be tested extensively and distributed via the National NEMO Network.
Cross-cutting work with other focus areas
The NEMO programs will work with the Watershed Assessment focus area to explore opportunties and methods to improve the use of watershed assesssment data by local land use decision makers. NEMO will work with both the Watershed Assessment and Sustainable Landscaping focus areas to restore watershed and water quality via rain gardens and shoreline buffers.
