Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management
NOAA's Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management is
responsible for administering the Coastal Zone Management Act and
a leader on the Nation's coastal, estuarine and ocean management issues.
Living on the Edge: America's Coastal Campaign
National Coastweek is an opportunity to celebrate our coastal
resources. Every autumn events are held around the country to celebrate the
vibrancy of our coastal communities and beauty of our coastal resources.
From clean-ups to nature walks to boating events, National Coastweek
provides an ocean of opportunity to join other coastal enthusiasts to
explore life on the edge.
NOAA Coastal Services Center
The mission of the NOAA Coastal Services Center is to support the
environmental, social, and economic well being of the coast by linking
people, information, and technology.
EPA: Oceans, Coasts, and Estuaries
The Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf Coasts of the United States form in essence
the coastal boundaries of our country. Thousands of miles of coastline
provide recreation, fisheries, and commerce and transportation corridors.
Coastal environments are strongly influenced by upstream sources of
pollution and freshwater inflow, and are subject to an ever-growing coastal
population. EPA protects these resouces through a watershed approach and its
regulatory and cooperative management programs.
States
Coastal States Organization
Since 1970, the (CSO) has represented the
Governors of the U.S. coastal states, territories, and commonwealths as an
advocate for improved management of the nation's coasts, oceans, and Great
Lakes.
California Coastal Commission
The California Coastal Commission's primary mission is to plan for and
regulate land and water uses in the coastal zone consistent with the
policies of the Coastal Act. Find out more about what we do.
International
Coastal Zone Management Centre
NetCoast is produced by the Coastal Zone Management Centre
(CZM-Centre). The CZM-Centre is an international Centre. The Coastal Zone
Management Centre provides a platform for
cooperation and transfer of information on the sustainable management of
coastal resources. The centre has been set up in responce to the call by
1992 UN conference on Environment an Development (UNCED) for the exchange of
know-how and technology to enhance implementation of integrated Coastal Zone
Management Programmes by coastal nations around the world.
Environmental Organizations
Coast Alliance
The Coast Alliance is a non-profit organization, formed in 1979 by a number
of groups and individuals concerned about the effects of unprecedented
development pressure and pollution on the coasts. The Coast Alliance works
with more than 500 state, local, and national
organizations dedicated to preserving our ocean and coasts. These concerned
activists work to protect all four of the nation's coasts: the Atlantic,
Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. The Coast Alliance provides
outreach and technical support to these groups.
Atlantic Coast Watch
A free newsletter and news clipping service
for activists, citizens, scientists, educators and advocates in the region
between Nova Scotia and the eastern Caribbean.
Beaches
Federal Government
Living on the Edge: America's Coastal Campaign
Communities can employ a variety of tools to promote stewardship of local
beaches, ranging from pollution prevention, clean up, and education to land
acquisition and comprehensive beach management. Citizen involvement is key
to maintaining living beach ecosystems that provide habitat and recreation.
Communities can organize beach clean-ups to promote stewardship and healthy
beaches.
Citizen beach monitoring groups can provide essential data on the
status of local beaches. Local groups across the country are monitoring
everything from shoreline change and water quality to turtle nesting and
biodiversity. Many communities are establishing projects to plant native
dune vegetation, rebuild dunes, and restore shorelines. Some communities are
truly protecting their beaches by purchasing property or the rights to
develop on beachfront property.
EPA: Beaches
Take some time to visit EPA's new beaches website to help you plan a trip to the beach, learn about beach conditions, and
see what EPA is doing to clean and protect our Nation's beaches.
Beach Certification
National Healthy Beaches Campaign
A project led by Dr. Stephen P. Leatherman under Florida International
University's Laboratory for Coastal
Research, the NHBC is dedicated to creating a balance between the
recreational use of America's beaches and maintaining the environmental
quality and safety of this prized resource.
Beaches across the nation are
evaluated based on 35 environmental and service-based criteria. If the beach
passes, it is posted on the NHBC website as a Recognized Healthy Beach.
Recognized Healthy Beaches can join the campaign and become Certified
Healthy Beaches if they agree to file monthly monitoring reports and pay a
minimal membership fee. The beaches on the list have met the NHBC's
stringent criteria based on water quality, public services, safety and
litter control, and are managed with a proactive environmental stance.
Environmental Organizations
Natural Resources Defense Council: Water Quality at U.S. Beaches
How to find out whether state and local authorities test for beach
pollution, and what they do if they find it.
To find out if an ocean, bay or Great Lakes beach is monitored
regularly, start with NRDC's Testing the Waters 2002, which details
beachwater monitoring practices, standards and testing methods in 34 states
and territories, and also reports on whether local authorities notify the
public when beachwater pollution is discovered.
NRDC's website includes a
list of "beach bums" and "beach buddies," as well
as maps with ratings of more than 2,400 beaches, based on how often water is
tested and whether a beach will be closed or an advisory issued if tests
find pollution that exceeds local standards. Though the report and the maps
are based on data reported for last year, knowing the monitoring history of
a beach can give you a good idea of the current testing practices.
Surfrider Foundation State of the Beach report
The Surfrider Foundation State of the Beach report is our annual update on
the health of our nation's beaches. It is intended to empower concerned
citizens and coastal managers by giving them the information needed to take
action. Surfrider's State of the Beach report applies that critical
"surfer's eye" to the conditions of our nation's beaches. For four years we
have been collecting information in the areas of beach access, surf zone
water quality, beach erosion, beach nourishment, shoreline structures, and
surfing areas to get an understanding of the condition of our nation's
beaches. For 21 coastal states and territories we looked at the availability
of public information on these "beach health indicators" and also evaluated
the status of the indicators.
Oceana Earth 911
Beach goers can now find out online whether their favorite ocean beach is
clean enough for swimming or closed because of water pollution. Two
environmental groups,
Oceana and Earth 911, have teamed up to provide health advisory, beach
closure and ocean pollution
information on their websites.
