SARP: Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership

Rivers and streams of the Southeastern US are home to a globally significant array of fish, mussels, crayfish, and other life. The natural seasonal and inter-annual variations of water levels are critical to maintenance of these rich aquatic ecosystems. As a consequence of the widespread impacts of increased uses of surface water and climate changes in the region, the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP), a recognized partner of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, identified implementation of protective instream flow policies as a priority strategy in the Southeast Aquatic Habitat Plan. SARP developed the Southern Instream Flow Network (SIFN) to address the impacts of flow alterations in the region’s aquatic ecosystems.  SIFN leverages policy, technical experience, and scientific resources among partners based in 15 states (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MO, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV.)

The SIFN goal is to help develop and improve protective instream flow policies by providing science-based resources and opening lines of communication.

The key objectives in support of SIFN's goal:

• Provide scientific resources by accessing and sharing regional, national and global expertise through a website, regional workshops, WebExs, and participation in national instream flow conferences.
• Implement the Southern Instream Flow Research Agenda to advance the scientific basis for developing instream flow policy.
• Facilitate regional and local communication among water management professionals to build support and expand awareness of the value of protective instream flow policy.
• Enable effective communication with stakeholders, policy makers, and the general public through messaging tools on the role and value of instream flows to maintain the aquatic wealth of the southeast region.

Future work, described in SIFN's research agenda, guides regional institutions and funding sources towards priority instream flow research needs. By clarifying how the flow ecology of southern rivers responds to flow alterations, the outcomes of the Research Agenda will provide a scientific basis for including instream flow strategies in water policy and management.

Funding for SIFN is provided by the Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and the Department of the Interior, and the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC).

To learn about SIFN's accomplishments and Instream Flow in the Southeast, click on the links below or contact SIFN coordinators, Scott Robinson (scottr@southeastaquatics.net), Marilyn Barrett-O'Leary (marilyno@southeastaquatics.net) or technical advisor Mary Davis (mary@southeastaquatics.net).

SARP And SALCC Partner To Address Aquatic Conservation Needs

SARP is partnering with the South Atlantic Landscape Conservation Cooperative (SALCC) to develop science-based instream flow information for water resource managers and policy makers in the south Atlantic region (this includes parts of Virgina, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida).  The main objective of this project is to follow the Southern Instream Flow Research Agenda to:

• develop baseline information on instream flow and ecological responses to hydrologic alteration in rivers and  streams across the SALCC region and
• prepare a long-term SALCC instream flow research plan. 

SIFN received USFWS funding to accomplish these objectives and provide the tools for the SALCC to address hydrologic issues related to fish and wildlife conservation.  According to Mary Davis, SIFN Technical Advisor, "The products of this project will inform water resource managers and policy makers about (environmental) flow requirements of streams, rivers, and estuaries of the SALCC region."  It will also identify and compile critical information related to environmental flows, and identify information gaps that must be addressed for state and federal resource agencies to develop appropriate, scientifically credible environmental flow requirements that protect fish and wildlife habitat.  Further, the results of this project will include assessments of some of the likely impacts of climate change to the region's aquatic resources. 

To develop the SALCC Instream Flow Research Plan, SIFN is hosting a January 2012 workshop to continue developing the flow-ecology relationships and further prioritize instream flow research needs in the SALCC region. 

Please use the following links for information about state instream flow protection, points of contact, and SIFN updates for a particular state:

• Alabama 
• Arkansas -  Information added 12/14/11
• Florida
• Georgia
• Kentucky
• Louisiana
• Mississippi
• Missouri
• North Carolina
• Oklahoma
• South Carolina
• Tennessee
• Texas -   Information added 12/14/11
• Virginia
• West Virginia

SIFN Documents and Other Resources:

The Southern Instream Flow Network (SIFN) serves as a clearinghouse for science and policy information related to regional instream flow protection. SIFN documents include a primer on state instream flow protection programs and policy, tools, (read more and access documents)