Coastal Services Center

While a few say it is "business as usual," many in the coastal resource management community did not escape being impacted in some way by the attacks on New York and Washington. And while coastal managers make it clear that they are not emergency providers and would never play a primary role in responding to a terrorist attack, many note they have facilitation skills, data and technology, environmental and hazards knowledge, and regulatory oversight that might be useful in homeland and port security.

"I feel very strongly that the coastal community has a responsibility to participate in homeland security," says Mike De Luca, manager of the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve at Mullica River-Great Bay in New Jersey. "Technology is emerging as helpful here. Information, databases, and data layers that coastal managers possess could be helpful in structuring homeland defense and security. I see a very strong role that the coastal management community can play in this arena."

Not everyone, however, is as certain. "I don't know what role we might have," says Stuart Stevens, administrator of the Georgia Coastal Management Program. "We do have an enormous amount of information, but I don't know that it would be useful for emergency managers. No one has asked us that question."

Others feel that security is an important item on the national agenda, but that coastal managers should not put it on their own. "I think the notion that we should in the long run be spending less time concerned about the environment and more time grappling with the threat of terrorism is something we can't afford as a society," says Peter Douglas, executive director of the California Coastal Commission.

The majority of those interviewed for this article saw areas where coastal managers could possibly contribute to homeland security efforts without shifting their program focus. Many, however, expressed concerns about following through with those ideas, ranging from homeland security's absence in existing mandates to uncertainty about the needs of the emergency management community.

"What our role should be must be evaluated in a comprehensive way," notes Rick DeVoe, executive director of the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium. "I don't think it would be inappropriate for agencies such as NOAA [National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration], Sea Grant, coastal zone management, and others to augment their mission or mandate to include homeland security, but I really think it's got to be well thought out and well planned."

Areas where managers note they may be able to contribute to homeland security efforts include ensuring that their staff and agencies are prepared for a potential disaster and creating plans for issuing emergency permits should the need arise; facilitating the integration of information and programs at the state and local level; incorporating security measures into the design, planning, and siting of ports and harbors, and other coastal development; applying existing and potential research, technology, and expertise about the coastline, ocean, and natural catastrophes; and with much of the U.S. Coast Guard's attention diverted to homeland security, having states take more of a role in that agency's environmental activities, such as responding to small oil spills.

Coastal Risks

Coastal management data and skills may be an important addition to homeland security efforts because the coastal region of our country is thought to be at great risk of becoming a terrorist target. "Today I am 100 percent convinced that among [potential] targets, ports and waterways are the most valuable and most vulnerable," says Adm. James M. Loy, commandant of the Coast Guard, in an interview published in The Retired Officer Magazine.

Loy says it is the value of the coastal region that has him so convinced. "Our ports are responsible for up to $870 billion of our gross domestic product each year. Ninety-five percent of U.S. trade moves through our ports and waterways. Besides that we have 95,000 miles of coastline, a 3.5-million-square-mile exclusive economic zone with oil wells, ocean minerals, [and] the bounty of the seas."

A myriad of potential coastal terrorist targets include bridges, natural gas pipelines, dams, passenger-laden cruise ships, and the 68 nuclear power plants located along navigable U.S. waterways. Ports are considered a particular threat because 17 million containers come into this country every year, and less than two percent of those are inspected. Oil tankers, liquefied petroleum gas carriers, and chemical and hazardous material carriers are feared for their potential use as weapons, much as jetliners were turned into bombs on September 11.

Peter Hoar, manager of the Grand Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Mississippi, notes that a Chevron facility abuts their estuary. "If someone wanted to damage Chevron, the logical approach would be through the reserve. That definitely creates some coastal management issues that we do need to be hedging for."

"In the coastal region, land and water are inseparable," observes Chris Brooks, deputy commissioner for the South Carolina Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management. "Anything that happens on the land here will be in the water very quickly." Physical forces such as currents, tides, winds, and waves would also rapidly distribute debris or hazardous material along coastlines.

Emergency Exits

While the threat to our nation's coastline is significant, the attacks in New York on September 11 also demonstrated its importance. "Many people found their way out of the city by some route across the water," says Laura Bartovics, outreach coordinator for New York Sea Grant.

Bartovics and thousands of others escaped the destruction of the World Trade Center by walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. "A flotilla of vessels of every description came to the rescue of hundreds to thousands of people who were trapped in lower Manhattan," remembers Tom Wakeman, general manager of Waterways Development for the New York Port Commerce Department. "We learned that our waterways are an emergency exit."

George Stafford, director of the Division of Coastal Resources for the New York Department of State, says the importance of the waterways has only increased since the attacks due to impacts on infrastructure. Ferry service into Manhattan has nearly doubled since September 10, from an average of 36,000 to 64,500 weekday commuters, and for the first time in nearly 40 years, the City of New York began operating a new ferry.

But Wakeman notes that on September 11 there wasn't adequate docking space for vessels involved in evacuation efforts, or in the days immediately after the disaster when boats brought in necessary supplies and debris removal began. He says the hardship was greatest when "dozens of boats and their captains took a real risk to get people out because they had to approach the façade of the seawall. People were jumping over handrails to get on vessels."

Once the need was realized, Stafford says the Division of Coastal Resources staff immediately began processing emergency permits for dredging and float docks.

Wakeman suggests that in the future, coastal managers need to make security one of the criteria considered in waterfront projects and harbor front redevelopment.

"We're not going to be able to think about coastal improvements in the same way we have in the past," he says. "Coastal managers are now tasked with the job of adding security and safety to their list of considerations when they're looking at coastal plans."

Port Security

Security is almost certain to be an issue for coastal managers involved in the planning of ports, or development around port facilities. As a result of the terrorist attacks, U.S. legislation has been proposed to increase security at ports around the country, and there may be environmental implications for many of the proposed measures.

For instance, Wakeman explains that in order for ports to inspect more than the current two percent of containers, more land will be needed for off-loading, screening, and storage. Ports have not been planning on that expansion, he says. "Right now, we need every acre we can find just to handle the expansion that is happening as a result of the global marketplace. This is going to mean a big change for our industry."

"Coastal managers should respond to these changes by being proactive," says Tony MacDonald, executive director of the Coastal States Organization. "They need to take the initiative to understand better what the security demands are, and put them in the context of port planning."

MacDonald adds, "There are ways to support the infrastructure investment, but also enhance the environment. There is no reason to think that this investment has to be at the expense of the environment."

Public Use

In addition to increased security for ports, new restricted areas have been created in many parts of the country around military installations, bridges, nuclear power plants, and other vulnerable locations. Many managers note that these areas are putting new pressure on recreational and commercial uses of the coastline.

Catherine Cunningham, chief of the Michigan Coastal Management Program, says that in her state the Coast Guard has filed permit applications for structures to block boats from accessing security zones. "Some of these have included wetland areas, fishing areas, and public trust waters."

Jeff Busch, executive director for the Ohio Lake Erie Commission and a reservist for the Coast Guard who has been called to active duty, notes that 24 security zones have been put into place in the Great Lakes region alone. "In some areas, good fishing grounds or recreational areas are now off limits to the public."

"This is now a reality. In terms of security, it has to be done," says Peter Douglas, whose California program has approved federal consistency reviews of restricted areas around military installations in San Diego and Long Beach.

"We still have to make the coast available and useful to people," says MacDonald. "The issue of access is going to be a challenge. Coastal managers need to anticipate this and work out what is going to be the delicate balance of maintaining a commitment to coastal access and the public, and to security needs. It's to everyone's advantage to think about these issues in advance."

A potential silver lining to the restricted areas, notes Nancy Daschbach, manager of the Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary in American Samoa, is that they become "de facto reserves" and may provide some habitat protection.

Another result of heightened maritime security is a shift in the Coast Guard's priorities. Busch explains that homeland security is now one of the Coast Guard's primary missions—equivalent with search and rescue. This means that unless the service's budget grows, fewer resources will be available for traditional duties, such as the enforcement of fisheries rules and environmental protection. In some areas, this is resulting in states having to take more of a role in these activities.

Stan Norman, oil spill prevention section manager for the Washington Department of Ecology, says their workload has been directly impacted by this shift in the Coast Guard's focus. "The Coast Guard has asked the states with strong pollution response programs to respond to virtually all spills that are 1,000 gallons or less. The state [of Washington] is now playing the leading government role in responding to small oil spills."

Technology and Information

Much of the role that coastal managers see themselves playing in homeland security involves providing information and technology skills.

"I think information is where we do have something to offer," says Rick DeVoe. "Basically, what we have is baseline information. We know where things are, the activities and development that's occurring where, and we know to some degree how the natural systems work. Having that kind of baseline information on hand may be very useful for other agencies that have a more direct role in homeland security" as they conduct damage and risk assessments.

Coastal managers with experience in planning for and responding to natural disasters may be able to contribute to these terrorist-related assessments, suggests Bob Goodwin, coastal resource specialist with the Washington Sea Grant Program.

"There is a strong movement toward considering multiple hazards when doing a vulnerability assessment and hazard mitigation plan," Goodwin says. "Terrorism may now be one of the hazards for which we must mitigate and plan. If you mitigate for one hazard, you may find that you mitigate for others at the same time."

Baseline information on natural systems gathered using ocean-observing technology could play a "critical role" in planning for and responding to coastal terrorist threats, offers Mike De Luca.

One such system is the Long Term Environmental Observatory-15 Meters (LEO-15). Linked to the Rutgers Marine Field Station, LEO-15 provides a real-time connection between the undersea world off the central coast of New Jersey and the Internet. De Luca notes that the system's information has already been used by the U.S. Navy to determine conditions for ship deployment.

He suggests the system's ability to monitor changes in water quality could help detect the placement of hazardous materials in coastal waters, and that such systems have the potential to track vessels in ports or to identify underwater anomalies.

Josie Quintrell, director of Policy and Planning for the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS), says the power of ocean observing is that "we're building a continual database. If something happens, we can provide real-time data, as well as a continual database to look back at. It's a lot like having a video camera at a gas station."

Regular monitoring that many coastal managers are conducting throughout the coastal zone also could "have utility with respect to terrorist issues," notes De Luca. For instance, he says, information on physical dynamics could be used by emergency managers for determining such things as where debris or chemicals might drift.

To make this information really valuable, De Luca says, the coastal management community needs to develop a system for exchanging monitoring information. "It would be very useful to have more of a holistic view of monitoring efforts on a regional basis," he says. "We'd be able to identify where the information gaps are and let everyone know the full range of capabilities that exist, which would help us develop a more proactive approach to using these systems for better management of the coastal environment, as well as homeland defense capabilities."

Other coastal management technologies noted for their potential use in homeland security are a variety of geographic information systems (GIS).

One such example is the Florida Marine Spill Analysis System (MSAS), a powerful GIS-based application that has proven to be an effective tool in helping prioritize oil spill response and cleanup efforts, says Henry Norris, program administrator for the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission of the Florida Marine Research Institute. "Our system is becoming more valuable as risks are increasing. Tools like ours can be very useful for homeland defense."

Roger Greene, manager of the Narragansett Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in Rhode Island, says an oil spill GIS they are developing that will enable emergency managers to quickly identify resources in the path of a spill might have the same application in the event of an "intentional spill" of oil or hazardous chemicals.

A new GIS that is being developed to register vessels in Florida may also be useful to homeland security, notes Michael Spranger, assistant director of the Florida Sea Grant Extension Program. When the system is complete, enforcement officers "could plug in a number and find out the owner, registration information, history—just like you're able to do with an automobile," he says.

Getting People Talking

"Coastal management programs vary state to state," notes Tony MacDonald, "but what they all have in common is the responsibility for the integration of various activities impacting the coastal zone."

Integrating information and programs and bringing crosscutting issues to the table is a role that the majority of coastal managers interviewed say they could play in supporting homeland security.

"It may be that coastal managers can be a convener of a multi-party agency discussion of coastal security," says Bob Goodwin. "Coastal zone managers ought to be at the table, because they speak for the broadest of constituencies on the coast. They speak for all marine users and the public."

He adds, "Perhaps freedom of navigation and free access to public beaches is something that people should be talking about and making sure is on the table in long-term strategic thinking about the security of our coasts."

Preparing for Disaster

An area that New York officials urge coastal managers to be talking about with their programs and states is being prepared for a potential disaster.

"Disaster can strike where you are at any moment," says Harvey Simon, GIS coordinator for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region II, whose office is only blocks away from ground zero. "You need to think about how you work with other groups, and how you would keep yourself going if your own office was destroyed."

This preparation, Simon advises, should include locating a backup office location, and a plan for replacing telecommunications. Plans should include determining how critical functions, such as writing emergency permits, would be accomplished, as well as complete telephone and e-mail contact lists for staff and close associates. All data should be backed up in a way that can be restored quickly to a new machine, and a copy of all backed up data should be kept in a separate building.

"Florida learned an awful lot from Hurricane Andrew," notes Ken Haddad, director of the Florida Marine Research Institute. "Everybody should at least be prepared to know what they won't have if a major center goes down."

A Nation Changed

Coastal managers say they have not, and will not, change their programmatic focus away from environmental activities to homeland security. Many, however, are considering where their expertise, data, technology, and oversight may be of value to a nation whose priorities were unalterably shifted by the events of September 11.

"I do think coastal managers have a strong role to play in potential disasters, be they from a terrorist attack or natural causes or accidents," says Mike De Luca. "The attacks on September 11 have woken us up, and we need to recognize that there are coastal targets out there. We need to identify those and take proactive steps to enhance security so that if something does occur, we are in the best position possible to respond in a timely manner to protect lives."

He adds, "Our lives have changed. Everyone is in the position to help, including the coastal management community."

For Coast Guard information about restricted areas, point your browser to www.navcen.uscg.gov/pubs/. For more information on creating a disaster response plan, go to www.fema.gov. For more information on LEO-15, type in http://www.whoi.edu/science/AOPE/dept/OSL/LEO/. For more information on GoMOOS, log on to www.gomoos.org.