| "We weren't just taking every Web site we found on a Google search." | |
| Lisa Weiss, Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve |
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Coastal resource managers in New Jersey have at their fingertips regional-specific background information, case studies, and resources, such as model ordinances and places to go for local training on a variety of their most pressing management issues. All this information and more have been compiled into a single, easy-to-navigate Web site by staff members at the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR).
"More or less what we tried to do," says Lisa Weiss, watershed coordinator for the Jacques Cousteau NERR, "was take all the information that was out there and narrow it down to the top-notch information from around the country and the information that was specific to New Jersey and bring it all together in one cohesive place."
The result is the Coastal Resources Toolkit, which is "one stop shopping" for elected officials, members of local land use boards, and municipal or county government representatives who make frequent decisions about how New Jersey's coastal lands are used, Weiss says.
Topics covered include urban sprawl, wastewater management, stormwater management, severe storms, conservation easements and land trusts, and public access. Under each topic are links to background information, a case study featuring a New Jersey municipality, and a "toolkit" of on-line resources, model ordinances, and potential providers.
The idea for the Web site, Weiss says, came from the needs assessment and market analysis the NERR completed when starting its Coastal Training Program. The Coastal Training Program is an initiative by the national reserve system to offer science-based education and training to coastal decision makers.
What the Jacques Cousteau NERR discovered after completing its needs assessment and market analysis, says Weiss, was a "disconnect" between what decision makers said they needed and the myriad of resources being offered by organizations in the state.
Not wanting to duplicate efforts, Weiss and other reserve staff members decided to "form a portal" to bring together the people that offer programs with the people who want them.
Combing through and selecting the information took Weiss about two to three months per topic. The information was compiled from state and reserve resources, as well as Internet searches.
"We weren't just taking every Web site we found on a Google search," Weiss notes. "We really quality-checked all the Web sites and picked the ones that were most relevant for New Jersey."
The Coastal Resources Toolkit has been on-line for about a year and is evaluated by an on-line survey and Internet statistics that track the number of visitors. Information is often added or changed, and volunteers check the Internet links to make sure they are current.
"It's ever evolving," says Weiss. "It's really meant to be a dynamic tool that's continually changing to meet the user's needs."
To view the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve's Coastal Resources Toolkit, point your browser to www.jcnerr.org/coastal_training/. For more information, you may contact Lisa Weiss at (609) 812-0649, or weiss@imcs.rutgers.edu.
