Center Survey Targets Island Needs
Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, Guam, Hawaii, American Samoa—these islands make up what NOAA refers to as the Islands region. Many of the issues faced by the Islands are similar to those faced by mainland resource management programs, yet the linguistic, cultural, geographic, and physical characteristics offer some unique challenges.
NOAA is increasing its efforts to assist the Islands. One of the first actions is preparatory in nature, as NOAA works to fully assess the region's special needs. A recent survey undertaken by the NOAA Coastal Services Center will play a big role in this initiative.
The Coastal Resource Management Survey questioned the coastal resource managers of the nation regarding their natural resource management issues, and their technological capabilities and needs. Information from the Island respondents was tallied to create a subset of the large survey report. The Islands report can be seen on the Web at http://www.csc.noaa.gov/survey. Analysis regarding the entire survey can be found at this site in the near future.
Coastal Services Wins National Award
Coastal Services won a top honor in the 1999 National Association of Government Communicators Blue Pencil Awards Competition. The cover article of the January/February 1999 edition, entitled "Gambling with the Environment," won first place in the articles category.
This issue along with other past editions of Coastal Services can be viewed on the Center's Web site at http://www.csc.noaa.gov/newsletter. Coastal Services is a trade publication for the coastal resource managers of the nation. Subscription information is obtainable from this Web site.
Coastal Program Funding Opportunities
There are many missed opportunities when it comes to funding for special coastal resource management programs. These missed opportunities usually occur because managers often are unaware of alternative funding resources.
The Center's newest Web site, "Funding Opportunities for Coastal Managers," can help. The Web site has information about the Center's own special grants program, as well as information about funds available from other organizations.
The Web site address is http://www.csc.noaa.gov/text/grant.html. If you have a grant opportunity you would like included on the site, please contact the project manager, Jan Kucklick, at Jan.Kucklick@noaa.gov.
Your Guide to the Center
The NOAA Coastal Services Center provides a wide variety of services and products to the coastal resource managers of America. The Center's annual report profiles these products and services, and contains background information about the organization, budget numbers, contact information for staff, and summaries of ongoing projects.
To receive this free publication, call (843) 740-1272 or e-mail Donna McCaskill.
