Coastal Services Center

If you subscribe to Coastal Services, you may have recently received the first issue of Coastal Connections, a new publication of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center. This bimonthly newsletter complements Coastal Services magazine in content and will be mailed between magazine editions.

While Coastal Services focuses on the issues facing today's coastal resource managers and how states have approached those issues, Coastal Connections looks more closely at the tools and resources managers can use to get the job done.

Each issue of this free newsletter focuses on a tool, information resource, or methodology that may help coastal managers more easily handle common challenges. The first issue, for instance, features information on how to create an effective Web site. It includes articles on

• building Web pages, using the success of the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management's site as an example
• maintaining a Web site once it is on-line
• finding graphics to enhance a site
• using Build-A-PIVOT, a Center tool that helps managers create Web pages that engage the public

Each issue of the newsletter also includes a profile of a coastal management professional, as well as news and notes from the coastal management community.

The February/March 2003 issue features Laurie Rounds, program manager of the new Indiana Lake Michigan Coastal Program, and describes an upcoming program managers' conference, a new report on the state of the oceans, and notable comings and goings in various coastal agencies and organizations.

Ideas for Upcoming Issues

Topics for upcoming issues are in the works as well. Expect future issues to focus on tools and subjects such as

• needs assessments
• geographic information systems and remote sensing
• metadata
• nonpoint source pollution
• risk and vulnerability assessments
• smart growth

Contributing to the Newsletter

If there is a topic on which you'd like Coastal Connections to focus, we'd love to hear from you. The newsletter relies on input from the coastal management community to ensure it is providing the information most useful for handling everyday issues and responsibilities.

We encourage you to send us your questions and suggestions for the newsletter, as well as updates on what's happening in your organization, such as new laws and policies in your area, major meetings or conferences, or new projects and programs. Please see our contact information below.

How to Subscribe

If you want to stay informed about the latest tools, techniques, people, and events in coastal management, subscribe today! To subscribe via e-mail, send your name, organization's name, and mailing address to CoastalConnections@noaa.gov. Or, if you have already received an issue of Coastal Connections, complete and return the subscription postcard to add your name to the mailing list.

We hope to hear from you soon!