30 Years of Environmental Impact Studies:

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Climate Change Coastal Land Use Regulation Why
it Matters Sea level and cost increases
Michael Ludwig NOAA/Fisheries November 19, 2004
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Buy a marsh, own a marsh
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The Public Trust Doctrine
Avoidable Environmental Impacts
In the U.S., tidelands, tidewaters and the plant
and animal life living within them, are accorded
special treatment under State and Federal law.
For the most part these lands, waters and
wildlife are owned by the public, but held in
trust by the state for the benefit of the
public. This is the Public Doctrine and it
establishes the right of the public to use and
enjoy these special resources. It allows, also,
for the opportunity for adjacent property
owners to wharf out to obtain reasonable
access to a waterway provided that the proposed
structure will not interfere with navigation,
fishing and recreation, or result in damage to
waters, wetlands and water quality (the Public
Trust). The publics TRUST RIGHTS take precedence
over riparian rights.
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Development applications are Intimidating !
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THE WATER PLANET

• Surface is 70 water
• N. Hemisphere 60
• S. Hemisphere 80
• Average depth 3700 m
• Most fisheries Coastal
• Sea Level is rising

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Some Facts

• Sea level has risen 6 to 8 inches in 100 yrs
• Precipitation in NE increased by about 10
• Increase is concentrated in Sept - Nov
• Storms with over 2 inches of rain occur annually
• Waterways are prone to flash flooding

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Connecticuts shoreline
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DPW Headaches
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State of the Sound?

• Good
• Needs Attention
• Domestic NOT Industrial Waste
• Cumulative Impacts

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Tidal Septic Systems and Shellfish Harvesting
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Hypoxia and Anoxia Breaking the Cycle

• Nutrients to LIS
• Plankton using nutrients
• Plankton using oxygen
• Bacteria eating Plankton

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The cost of manipulating a coastal zone
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Project Mitigation

• No Net Loss
• In-kind In-place
• Resource keyed
• Needed

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Aquaculture / Farming

• Americans eat 16 lbs of seafood/year
• Natural stocks are stressed
• 1/4 of seafood in market is farmed
• CT has 100 miles2

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Summary

• Communicate
• Gather facts
• Identify issues concerns
• Not ALL activities are evil

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Permissions

• This document is provided for the personal use of
  the viewer.
• Individuals seeking to incorporate this material
  in whole or in part in other publications or
  presentations are requested to obtain permission
  from Mr. Ludwig. Michael.Ludwig_at_NOAA.GOV