NOAA's Nearshore Conservation Program and Calculator - What is New

Poor nearshore habitat conditions are a key factor limiting survival of threatened juvenile Puget Sound Chinook salmon. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) has recently implemented regulatory approaches to avoid, minimize, and offset further losses of critical nearshore habitat while at the same time supporting development and re-development of infrastructure. Several recently completed Endangered Species Act consultations on over 50 Corps regulatory proposed actions in Puget Sound's nearshore required avoidance, minimization, and compensation for all unavoidable long-term project-related impacts. In these consultations, NMFS used a Habitat Equivalency Analysis-based tool, the 'Nearshore Conservation Calculator', to consistently and empirically determine certain impacts and benefits of individual projects to nearshore habitats. In 2020, a nearshore team (NMFS and USFWS) developed the 'Nearshore Conservation Calculator', a user-friendly interface for two underlying models that allows convenient quantification of certain habitat impacts and benefits for a wide range of development and redevelopment actions. Two recent jeopardy batch Biological Opinions and associated Reasonable and Prudent Alternatives have used the 'Nearshore Conservation Calculator' and required Puget Sound projects to offset impacts such that the projects do not cause a net loss of long-term habitat function. Impact/benefit quantification currently covers several actions including the construction and removal of overwater structures, shoreline armoring, boat ramps, and jetties. The nearshore team employs adaptive learning and continuous process improvement to address new project types and refine model calculations as new science is developed. Recent and ongoing updates include improvements in the assessment of shoreline armoring, addition of evaluation methods for preservation, targeted evaluation of best available science: science sprints, and policy refinements summarized in the User Guide. In this presentation, we provide an update on the status of Endangered Species Act consultations in the Puget Sound nearshore, refinements and additions to the 'Nearshore Conservation Calculator', and updates of the User Guide.