With so much of our national focus on the Gulf of Mexico as a result of the Deepwater Horizon/BP oil spill, many coastal resource managers are taking the time to look at their own vulnerabilities and preparations for a technological disaster.
To assist with these efforts, we asked coastal managers in Oregon and Alaska who have dealt with serious oil spills what lessons they learned that could help other states prepare. It turns out that there is much that managers can do now to not only be prepared in the event that a disaster does happen, but also to help keep a spill from occurring in the first place.
Another article in this edition of Coastal Services looks at how officials in Punta Gorda, Florida, embraced the opportunity to work with coastal resource managers to develop a climate change adaptation plan. Their plan—and the method for developing it—are providing a case study for other coastal communities.
We also look at how Maryland coastal resource managers have expanded an existing statewide “green infrastructure” program to incorporate what they are calling “blue infrastructure,” or aquatic priorities in the nearshore coastal zone, such as submerged aquatic vegetation, oyster reefs, tidal wetlands, fish spawning and nursery areas, and shoreline buffers.
This new blue infrastructure information is helping the state target lands for protection and restoration, and will help with coastal and ocean planning efforts such as finding the best location for renewable energy projects, locating sand resources needed for beach replenishment, and helping local communities identify areas vulnerable to sea level rise and erosion.
The NOAA Coastal Services Center is providing spatial analysis advice and assistance to the Coastal Services Center fellow working in Maryland to develop additional criteria that the state will use with blue and green infrastructure data to direct its coastal land conservation activities. The work will help Maryland achieve its climate change adaptation objectives.
We hope that you find the articles in this edition of Coastal Services interesting and informative.
-- Margaret A. Davidson
