Coastal Services Center

The coastal states in the Northeast region could almost be broken into two, and some would argue three distinct areas. But the differences in this region, managers say, often are reflected more in management approaches and multistate partnerships than in resource issues.

"The issues we all are facing I think are similar," says George Stafford, director of the New York Division of Coastal Resources. "I think the differences come in how we are approaching the issues, and the support we may all have in accomplishing our goals."

The Northeast region includes the 10 states between Virginia and Maine. Maine has the biggest coastline, with 5,200 miles, and New Hampshire has the smallest, with 131 miles. New York has the most coastal population with 15,026,340, and New Hampshire has the least with 350,078. States in the Mid-Atlantic have formed natural partnerships, as have states in New England and along the Gulf of Maine.

"We're all dealing with growth management issues; it's just the pace and scale that is different," notes David Keeley, state planner responsible for all natural resource and environmental programs at Maine's State Planning Office.

To help address coastal issues, two sites were federally designated in the 90s: Mullica River National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) in New Jersey, which received federal approval in 1997, and Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary in Massachusetts, which was designated in 1992. The St. Lawrence River Basin NERR is proposed for New York.

Other coastal agencies in the region include Chesapeake Bay NERR in Virginia; Chesapeake Bay NERR in Maryland; Delaware NERR; Hudson River NERR in New York; Narragansett Bay NERR in Rhode Island; Waquoit Bay NERR in Massachusetts; Great Bay NERR in New Hampshire; and Wells NERR in Maine. Coastal zone management and Sea Grant programs are established in all the states.

Looking Back

There are numerous successes in this region that managers note, including development of aquaculture; implementing watershed management; changing the way land-use decisions are made; species recovery and establishing fisheries habitats; involving citizens in monitoring and management programs; bringing together local, state, and federal agencies to develop special area plans; protecting public access; and addressing water quality and nonpoint source pollution. But the majority of managers agree that without the success of public education programs in the region, these issues would have been even more of a challenge.

"We're now seeing the results of 10 years of work," says Christine Gault, manager of Waquoit Bay NERR. "I would say there is a significant increase in awareness of the connection between land use and its impact on coastal waters."

Gault says many of Waquoit Bay's education efforts focus on nitrogen loading and its impacts on the ecosystem. "We've held conferences, radio shows, developed computer models, classes, curriculum, made presentations, created demonstration projects—everything we can think of. We can evaluate their success by the amount of citizen activity and concern, and the number of towns that are voting to support research and planning efforts."

One of the programs in Connecticut that is helping to "dramatically increase awareness of coastal issues" is the implementation of a specialty license plate, says Charlie Evans, director of the Office of Long Island Sound Programs. "We have 100,000 cars driving around the state that have Preserve the Sound license plates. They serve as a constant reminder of our message and the needs of Long Island Sound."

Other examples of successful education programs in the region range from Stellwagen Bank's collaborative revision of whale watching guidelines, to Virginia's creation of a pilot ecotourism guide-training curriculum (see related article in September/October 1999 Coastal Services), to the hands-on Discovery Cruises conducted by the University of New Hampshire Sea Grant College program, to Mullica River NERR's use of a state-of-the-art undersea observatory to educate teachers.

"Citizens are expressing a greater desire to become involved in doing things that help the marine environment," notes Brian Doyle, associate director of the University of New Hampshire Sea Grant College program. "I see this as a trend that's going on all around the country."

Restoring, protecting, and mitigating habitat were other areas where managers say they have experienced significant success.

"With habitat restoration, I think we're particularly pleased with the progress that has been made both in terms of actual restoration, and experimenting with new technologies and new approaches," Stafford says. "In New York, we're doing everything from growing native vegetation to completing major wetlands restoration projects to returning underused baseball fields to duck habitat." (See related article in the September/October 1999 Coastal Services.)

Evans notes that Connecticut has restored more than 1,500 acres of tidal wetlands, and the department has a whole section dedicated to wetlands restoration. A restoration example Keeley pointed to is a 10-year effort that resulted in the recent removal of a major operating hydroelectric dam. He notes, "We can make a difference if we dedicate ourselves and pursue it. It just takes time."

Predicting the Future

Many of the areas where managers say they have achieved success appear again on their lists of issues they expect to be facing in the coming decade.

"The issues are not changing," Keeley says. "We will be working on nonpoint source pollution forever. It will just show up in different forms. Our approach is now much more sophisticated, and we are better able to measure the environment and know what to look for. We will be able to count coup and acknowledge our significant accomplishments, but the issues will likely stay the same."

Some of the other issues managers face in the Northeast include working to create sustainable development and managing sprawl; public access; erosion and sediment loading; impacts of human use on resources, such as fishing activities, use of personal watercraft, and harassment of marine mammals; habitat degradation; water quality; dredging; population growth; aquaculture; conflicts between resource users; ocean resource management; waterfront and port development; and watershed management.

"I think the key to effective management is good communication between the science, education, and management communities. Without it, our coastal resources will suffer," says Mike De Luca, manager of the Mullica River NERR. "If there is one thing I would impress upon my colleagues, it's to ensure frequent communication in terms of setting priorities. Communication is the key to our future success."