The Foundation and the Central Coast Regional Water Quality
Control Board coauthored the Governor of California's Nomination
of Morro Bay to the USEPA National Estuary Program. The Foundation,
working in partnership with the Regional Water Quality Control
Board, receives federal funding for support of the Morro Bay
National Estuary Program(MBNEP). The Morro Bay Program was the
first in the nation to receive the majority of its USEPA funding
through a private non-profit foundation. The Program is entering
the implementation phase of its Comprehensive Conservation Management
Plan for the Morro Bay Estuary. The implementation phase will
shift the focus of the MBNEP from developing plans for "what
to do" to actually doing things to restore, enhance, and
protect the bay. In addition to its role as primary grant recipient,
the Foundation is represented on the MBNEP's Policy Committee
and Watershed Committee, and also provides technical assistance
to the program.
The Foundation has entered into a partnership with the Nature
Conservancy and the Central Coast Natural History Association
to produce a long range plan for the Irish Hills and the Coastal
plain that extends from the southern boundary of Montana de Oro
State Park to Port San Luis Obispo.
In 1997, an agreement between the United States Department
of Justice, the California State Attorney's Office, the State
Water Resources, Control Board, the Central Coast Regional Water
Quality Control Board, the USEPA, and the Federal Court resulted
in the Foundation receiving $3,660,000 dollars for the purpose
of restoring, conserving, and enhancing the Morro Bay Estuary.
As of this date (April 2000) the principal balance in this fund
is approximately $4,400,000. The Foundation works with the Policy
Committee of the Morro Bay National Estuary Program and the Central
Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board to apply these funds
in the most effective ways.
The Foundation provides technical and scientific assistance
to the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board in
this program originated to coordinate existing water and habitat
monitoring and establish monitoring efforts for the Central Coast
of California from Santa Barbara County in the South to Santa
Cruz County in the north.
Friends of the Estuary
at Morro Bay Volunteer Monitoring Program
The Friends of the Estuary at Morro Bay have established
a volunteer monitoring program for the Morro Bay Estuary and
watershed. Beginning in fiscal year 2000 this program will recieve
funding through a USEPA Clean Water Act 319(h) grant.
The Foundation will be providing data management and analysis
support and web development support to the Center for Marine
Conservation and the Coastal Watershed Council in their program
to coordinate and enhance volunteer monitoring projects on the
Central Coast of California.
For a number of years the Foundation has worked with the
Regional Water Quality Control Board in support of this USEPA
sponsored 10 year program focused on monitoring the effectiveness
of best management practices on agricultural land. Foundation
efforts have focused on data management and statistical analysis.
The program involves both a highly focused study of two paired
watersheds and an array of ambient monitoring sites. While the
program still has several years to go before completion, significant
findings have already been produced in the areas of bacterial
contamination and sediment transport. The seventh annual Non-Point
Source Monitoring Workshop will be held here in Morro Bay in
September of 1999. Several hundred scientists and experts in
various fields will attend.
The Foundation has been working with the California Department
of Fish and Game Marine Pollution Studies Laboratories at Moss
Landing and at Granite Canyon in the development of a new
web site for the Laboratories. The Foundation intends to continue
this work with a focus on web development support, data management
support, and analytic software development support.
Working with the Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control
Board the Foundation has devleoped prototype software tools for
analyzing benthic invertebrate community assemblages as a measure
of water and habitat quality. The efforts will continue and hopefully
contribute to a suite of software tools that implement the statewide
California Rapid Bioassessment Protocol.
