Defending
Wetlands:
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In 2004, we
updated the GRN's Guide to Protecting Wetlands in the Gulf of Mexico.
The Guide has received significant attention from both the media
and the public interest community. Throughout 2003 and 2004, the Guide
was provided to citizens and served as the basis for numerous wetland
trainings.
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In the Fall of
2000, the GRN and its partners successfully mounted a public education and
outreach campaign resulting in the submission of hundreds of comments in
opposition to the Corps’ proposed Yazoo Pumps
Project – opposition unprecedented
in the 20 year history of the project.
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In January 2000,
the City of Jackson, Alabama withdrew its proposal to construct a port facility
along the TombigbeeRiver. The port was the main justification for
the
Corps’ planned construction of a canal that would have destroyed 189 acres of wetlands.
GRN staff commented on both the draft and final environmental impact
statements for the Spur
CanalDestruction
by Design Report. The U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service and Alabama
activists have credited the GRN’s
efforts as a significant contributor to the city’s decision to withdraw this
project proposal.
Improving Water Quality:
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During the
comment periods for both the 2002 and 2004 Section 303(d) Lists of Impaired
Waters in Lousiana and Mississippi,
the GRN successfully led an effort to get polluted waters the clean-up that
they deserve. As a result of our work with other concerned citizens and groups,
Louisiana
revised its list to include approximately 90 of the waters we targeted. Mississippi also
listened to our requests and agreed not to delist 7 waters of concern.
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In the fall of
2001, GRN staff initiated a citizen water quality-monitoring program,
conducting outreach to community and GRN member groups in Louisiana and
providing them with monitoring
equipment and training. We also
completed a report card on the citizen water monitoring programs of the
Gulf States to put public pressure on the state of Louisiana to
implement a
statewide citizen water-monitoring program.
Protecting
Sustainable Fisheries:
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In 2003-2004, the
GRN took a leadership role on a federal review panel for the Essential Fish
Habitat Environmental Impact Statement, which will analyze the impacts of
environmentally destructive actions on essential habitat for Gulf fish species.
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In the Spring of 2001, the GRN, in conjunction with our member groups, won
establishment of the Dry Tortugas Ecological Reserve in the Florida
Keys.
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In the Summer of
2001, the GRN, in conjunction with our member groups successfully stopped
implementation of faulty fishery management regulations proposed by the Gulf of
Mexico Fishery Management Council to implement key habitat protection,
bycatch reduction and sustainable catch level provisions of the Sustainable
Fisheries Act of 1996.
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In 1999, the
GRN, in conjunction with our member groups, won establishment of two marine
protected areas to help protect declining numbers of male gag groupers in
the Gulf of Mexico.
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