Resource managers of coastal systems have widely accepted the need to move towards meaningful ecosystem-based management. Therefore, future management to promote ecosystem integrity will require coordinated monitoring of multidimensional biological, physiochemical, and socioeconomic elements for a comprehensive assessment of coastal systems. Healthy nearshore coastal waters should have the capacity to sustainably deliver a range of socio-ecological benefits to both people and wildlife now and in the future. Using nine biophysically meaningful coastal regions along the Northern Gulf of Mexico, we developed the Coastal Health Index (CHI). The CHI is a comprehensive 10-dimensional framework representing measurable outcomes of ecosystem health using a weighted linear combination of scores for each of the model variables. These ten variables mirror a global Ocean Health Index: food provisioning (fisheries and mariculture), artisanal fishing opportunity, natural products, carbon storage, coastal protection, tourism and recreation, coastal livelihoods and economies, sense of place (iconic species and lasting special places), clean waters, and biodiversity (habitats and species). Stakeholders (individuals who live in, work in, or visit the coastal Gulf of Mexico) were solicited to provide weightings on perceived levels of importance for each variable in the model. We received 2,265 surveys in which 1,815 provided enough information to include in analysis. According to the survey participants, the model variables that were the most important to consider when determining coastal health were clean water (36%) and diverse habitats and animals (33%), while the variables determined to be the least important was tourism (40%), carbon storage (18%), and non-food natural products (17%). Using stakeholder input gives flexibility to the CHI design, and its applicability to diverse user groups, each focused on variables of primary concern to their mission. Variable scores vary greatly by region and some variables with sufficient data show declining health trends. Being able to identify regions of particular concern for certain metrics of ecosystem health and to visualize trends of shifting health scores will help resource managers more effectively allocate conservation resources.

Galveston Bay Foundation’s (GBF’s) Water Monitoring program trains and equips citizen scientists to collect and understand essential water quality data from Galveston Bay. Through regular sampling, these volunteers create a unique portrait of water quality throughout Galveston Bay’s nearshore environment. This cost-effective, results-driven approach to research has lead to an outcome-focused monitoring program that leverages citizen groups, university and research institutions, municipal officials, and businesses to investigate and respond to findings. To achieve these outcomes, GBF uses these data and associated findings to equip local stakeholders with the information needed to address the many challenges facing Galveston Bay.

This presentation will demonstrate the process necessary to create an effective citizen science monitoring team that ultimately results in program success. It will particularly focus on the process of shifting from an input/output-focused monitoring program to an outcome-focused program and the partnerships necessary to achieve impactful outcomes. This includes identifying desired outcomes and decisions, associated decision-makers, and the creation and distribution of outreach materials to properly communicate the appropriate data and results with each targeted decision maker.

Case studies and specific examples will highlight GBF’s success in using the information collected by the Water Monitoring Team to empower citizens and decision makers through targeted messaging and community-based marketing campaigns. These include mobilizing volunteers to collect some of the earliest post-Harvey water quality data within Galveston Bay, educating local recreators on potential water quality issues, and engaging with local municipal officials to address water quality concerns within their jurisdiction. This presentation will conclude with tools, suggestions, challenges and lessons learned throughout this process, as well as future plans to ensure GBF’s water monitoring team continues to improve water quality in Galveston Bay through data management, analysis, education, and outreach.

I was trained in marine biology, marine sciences, coastal ecology, and wetland ecology, on the Gulf Coast. My career began in the mid-1980s, briefly, in academic research. Next, I worked briefly for the State of Texas on the Bays & Estuaries Program, and on Instream Flows, which was distinguished mainly by a lack of work. This was followed with my 28 year career at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, working mostly in coastal Texas and Louisiana. During my career, I experienced a number of notable situations which offer opportunities to consider such things as: ethics in coastal environmental management, the importance of coastal scientific training and experience in coastal environmental management, “burrowing in” in coastal environmental management, the corrosive influence of politics in coastal environmental management, ethics in academic research, the importance of science in coastal management, science denial, the importance of scientific peer review, corporate and agency scientific ethics, regulatory capture, data quality assurance, and employee harassment in coastal environmental management. I retired in 2016.

We determined the number of permits for oil and gas activities in 14 coastal Louisiana parishes from 1900 to 2017, compared them to land loss on this coast, and estimated their restoration potential. A total of 76,247 oil and gas recovery wells were permitted, of which 35,163 (46%) were on land (as of 2010) and 27,483 of which are officially abandoned. There is a direct spatial and temporal relationship between these permits and land loss, attributable to the above and belowground changes in hydrology resulting from the dredged material levees placed parallel to the canal (spoil banks). These hydrologic restrictions in wetlands cause various direct and indirect compromises to plants and soils resulting in wetland collapse. Although oil and gas recovery beneath southern Louisiana wetlands has dramatically declined since its peak in the early 1960s, it has left behind spoil banks with a total length sufficient to cross coastal Louisiana 79 times from east to west. Dragging down the remaining material in the spoil bank back into the canal is a successful restoration technique which is rarely practiced in Louisiana, but could be a dramatically cost-effective and proven long-term strategy if political will prevails. The absence of a State or Federal backfilling program is a huge missed opportunity to 1) conduct cost-effective restoration at a relatively low cost, and, 2) conduct systematic restoration monitoring and hypothesis testing that advances knowledge and improves the efficacy of future attempts. The price of backfilling all canals is about $335 million dollars, or 0.67% of the State’s Master Plan for restoration and a pittance of the economic value gained from extracting the oil and gas beneath over 100 years.

We evaluated potential sources of water quality variation, including a wastewater treatment plant outfall, river system, and adjacent shoreline sites, in Portersville Bay, AL, an area important for shellfish aquaculture. We measured fecal coliforms (fc), nutrients, and stable isotope (δ15N, δ13C) ratios as indicators of water quality at potential source sites and near shellfish farms under different temperature and rainfall conditions. Fc concentrations across all sites ranged from <5 to 5250 CFU/100 mL, with the highest fc concentrations in the river system (West Fowl River) and the lowest concentrations at the wastewater treatment plant outfall. Within the river system, downstream sites had higher fc concentrations regardless of environmental conditions, suggesting a persistent source of pollution at these locations. In contrast, upstream sites had increased fc concentrations during wet periods, suggesting these sites are fed by runoff and may be a pulse source to the river following rainfall events. δ13C values were lower at river sites, consistent with freshwater influence. δ15N and nutrient levels suggest residential areas in the river may be a source of unprocessed sewage to the system. Similar data collected at nearby bird roosting and cattle grazing sites showed comparable values but rapid decrease with distance (dilution) from these sources. These data indicate that the West Fowl River system is a potential source of contamination to Fowl River Bay where shellfish farms are located downstream, and specific locations in the river may be hotspots for fecal pollution. Overall, microbial and nutrient sources to the system were sufficiently different to provide endpoints for future source-tracing studies that include information on dilution and mixing. These data contribute to our identification and understanding of potential sources of water quality variation, which can inform modeling, further sampling, and enforcement efforts to improve the local water quality for recreation and aquaculture.

The Galveston Bay Watershed is home to more than 10 million residents, with almost five million living in the Houston metropolitan region alone. These residents comprise a diverse population and represent an eclectic mix of cultures, ethnicities, and socioeconomic groups. Stakeholders must ensure that the messaging used to reach these communities, delivered with the ultimate goal of empowering local residents to protect their natural resources, is as unique as the communities themselves. What are the most effective ways to communicate best practices to such diverse audiences? Through a series of surveys and interactive presentations, six categories were identified by Galveston Bay Foundation as health topics of interest to the public in the fall of 2014: water quality, pollution events & sources, wildlife, habitat, human health risks, and coastal change. Scientists from the Houston Advanced Research Center then analyzed data and trends for 22 indicators. What has emerged is a compelling story about Galveston Bay, its challenges, opportunities, and greatest needs. Each indicator features easy-to-understand grades, similar to those you would find in a school report card. This easy to digest format is then distributed through marketing, presentations, and various community outreach events in the Houston-Galveston Area. This project is essential to preserving, protecting, and enhancing the valuable resources of Galveston Bay for generations to come. Due to this, it is important to assess the barriers and benefits of representative communities to ensure the conservation of Galveston Bay for future generations. Prior to implementing a successful community-based behavior change campaign, one must select which behaviors to focus on, identify the barriers and incentives to these behaviors within a given community, and strategize how to reduce barriers to the behaviors to be promoted while simultaneously increasing the behavior’s perceived benefits. This overview will explore how this project has been used to foster sustainable behavior change and what will change in order to cultivate a lasting conservation ethic.