The Columbia River Basin is one of the nations largest watersheds and extends mainly through four Western states and into Canada. Activities such as power generation and agricultural practices have impaired water quality in some areas, so that human health is at risk and certain species, such as salmon, are threatened or extinct. Chapter 1 reports on the actions related to restoration efforts in the Basin. The San Francisco Bay Delta watershed -- which drains a vast area of California from the Sierra Nevada Mountains to the Pacific Ocean -- supplies drinking water for 25 million people and provides irrigation for about half the nations fruit and vegetable production. Decades of development and agriculture have led to large reductions in water quality and supply, natural flood protection, and habitats across the watersheds three major regions: the Bay, the Delta, and the upper watershed. As described in chapter 2, federal entities have been working with nonfederal entities for decades to protect and restore the watershed. The Long Island Sound, an estuary bordered by Connecticut and New York, provides numerous economic and recreational benefits. However, development and pollution have resulted in environmental impacts, such as the degradation of water quality. Chapter 3 focuses on the Study to restore and protect the Sound. Puget Sound is the nations second-largest estuary and serves as an important economic engine in Washington State, supporting millions of people, major industries, and a wide variety of species. However, according to the CCMP, human use and development have degraded water quality and habitats and harmed critical species such as salmon. Chapter 4 reviews the efforts to restore Puget Sound.

The Thames Estuary is the gateway into London that had to be defended against seaborne invasion. Through proximity to the Continent, these waters were a likely passageway for those intent upon seaborne raids or invasion, necessitating the need for a powerful naval force to be on hand when threatened. The first fortifications date back to Roman times. To support the British navy in these waters, four of the nation’s royal dockyards – Chatham, Deptford, Sheerness and Woolwich – were clustered along the Thames Estuary or close by on the Medway from the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries for the commissioning, refitting and repair of warships. As well as being of importance for the defence of the country, the Thames Estuary fulfilled another role: that of underpinning naval activities designed to support British tactical and strategic operations in more distant parts of the world. Close to the mouth of the Thames, and near the point of confluence with the Medway, was the Nore, a key naval anchorage where newly commissioned warship assembled, taking on crews and receiving final instructions before joining the active seagoing fleet. In the twentieth century, additional defences against attack by submarine or from the air were established, and gunpowder factories sited along the estuary. This book will be of interest to all those who would like to know more about the remarkable military history of the Thames Estuary over the last 2,000 years.

The Geologic Resources Inventory (GRI) is one of 12 inventories funded by the National Park Service (NPS) Inventory and Monitoring Program. The GRI, administered by the Geologic Resources Division of the Natural Resource Program Center, is designed to provide and enhance baseline information available to park managers. The author's goal of detailing the GRI is to increase understanding of the geologic processes at work in parks and to provide sound geologic information for use in park decision making. Sound park stewardship requires an understanding of the natural resources and their role in the ecosystem.

The Long Island Studies (LIS) Program of the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has noticed the habitat changes indicative of sea-level rise in many coastal wetlands. In 2005, DEP provided funds to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to conduct a trends analysis of selected salt marshes along the southwestern coast of the state to document habitat changes.

Through a wide range of demographic, economic, social, and environmental data, A Louisiana Coastal Atlas shows cartographically how the inherent resilience of coastal communities manifests itself over time. By illustrating the adaptability of residents to their environment and economy, this resource shows how historical processes can inform planners to more effectively respond to and recover form future ecological events.

This report details the results of the 22nd year of the western snowy plover (Charadriusalexandrinus nivosus) monitoring program within Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California (PRNS). The goal of the 2011 monitoring effort was to determine abundance, distribution, and breeding success of snowy plovers nesting on federal lands within PRNS. The report provides an overview of the 2011 snowy plover monitoring program on federal lands and summarizes the results of the data collected during the field season.

This annual report details the status of key stream channel characteristics and riparian attributes obtained from the first season of monitoring in the John Day River within the Sheep Rock unit of John Day Fossil Beds National Monument (JODA). This report is intended as a release of basic data sets and data summaries. Care has been taken to assure accuracy of raw data values, but thorough analysis and interpretation of the data has not been completed. More extensive analysis and discussion of stream channel characteristics and riparian will occur as part of the trend analysis, which will be available after 3 years of monitoring data become available.

This annual report details the status of key indicators of water quality obtained from the first season of monitoring in Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve (CRMO), 2010.

This annual report details the status of key indicators of water quality obtained from the first season of monitoring in City of Rocks National Reserve (CIRO) and Castle Rock's State Park (CRSP) 2009. Note that several of the appendices in this report are primarily intended for UCBN internal reference.

This annual report details the status of key indicators of water quality obtained from the first season of monitoring in Big Hole National Battlefield (BIHO), 2009.