On this page:

• NEP Communities Design Local Solutions for Restoring Habitat
• Examples of NEP Habitat Plans

NEP Communities Design Local Solutions for Restoring Habitat

Crew of five, installing filled rope "sausage" for shore protection along boundary between mudflats and estuarine grasses.At the 28 National Estuary Program (NEP) Study Areas around the country, local stakeholders work together to identify and prioritize the problems in their estuaries. Each NEP develops a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that contains specific actions that address the whole range of environmental problems facing the estuary, including habitat loss and degradation.

These wide-ranging actions include:

• efforts to acquire or preserve open space;
• development of conservation easements for riparian buffer areas;
• restoration or creation of habitats through revegetation programs;
• efforts to improve water quality through upgrades in wastewater treatment plants, and stormwater and septic systems
• monitoring and mapping of critical areas; and
• public outreach and education activities.

All of these efforts are carried out through partnerships between federal, state and local agencies with assistance from private and nonprofit sectors and citizens.

For highlights of specific NEP efforts, please see the National Estuary Program: Habitat Protection and Restoration booklet:

• Both the online (low-resolution) and print (high-resolution) versions of the Habitat Protection and Restoration booklet are available.
• To order free copies of this publication, simply call 800-490-9198 and request the EPA document number provided.

Top of Page

Examples of NEP Habitat Plans

Visit Habitat Restoration Prioritization Framework Exit to view an NEP Habitat Restoration Strategy from the Lower Columbia River Estuary Partnership.

View The Land Conservation Plan for New Hampshire's Coastal Watersheds to see an example of an NEP land conservation plan from the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership.

Peconic Estuary Program Habitat Restoration Plan - November 2009

View the Long Island Sound Habitat Restoration Initiative (PDF)(138 pp, 1.8 MB, About PDF) Exit to see an example of an NEP habitat restoration manual from the Long Island Sound Study.

Target Ecosystem Characteristics (TECs) for the Hudson Raritan Estuary: Technical Guidance for Developing a Comprehensive Ecosystem Restoration Plan (2007) (PDF)(112 pp, 1.7 MB, About PDF) Exit. TECs are an important component of the overall habitat restoration planning effort in the harbor.

Plan to Protect, Restore, and Enhance Living Resources by Improving Water Quality and Protecting and Enhancing Habitat in the Delaware Inland Bays Watershed (PDF)(43 pp, 13.9 MB, About PDF) Exit

Top of Page