How are you talking to your constituents and stakeholders about climate change? More importantly, are you listening?
With the highest rate of sea level rise on the Atlantic coast, Virginia coastal resource managers had reason to push their message to protect wetlands. But as we reveal in the cover story for this edition, they didn’t start gaining traction on their adaptation goals until they began addressing what was of primary concern to local residents, managers, and planners.
As you will read, Virginia managers make it clear that the message about climate change matters.
Also in this edition, you will find articles about how a band of about 30 volunteers is making a significant difference to Texas red tide monitoring efforts, and how the work of Michigan managers is helping waterfront communities become more sustainable and economically vibrant.
Our writers also look at the new Georgia Coastal Hazard Portal, which provides all the information that local planners and managers need to prepare for the next big storm.
At the root of all these coastal management issues are people. After all, the red tide data the volunteers are collecting in Texas are used to issue warnings to citizens and to document the effects on resources and fisheries to determine the impacts on people.
Coastal officials rightly depend on the biological and physical sciences to help them make the best decisions. A newer kid on the block, however, is gaining traction: the social sciences.
More and more NOAA constituents are tapping into the Coastal Services Center for their introduction to social science products and services.
For instance, our recent Social Coast Forum (www.csc.noaa.gov/socialcoastforum), the first conference focused on bringing together social science and coastal applications, attracted hundreds of participants.
Even more are going to the Social Coast website (www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast/socialcoast) to get coastal economic and demographic data and to learn about basic but important economic principles through our humorous economic video series.
Doing a better job of incorporating the human element into the decision-making process is probably one of the most important things we can do for the future of our coasts. I’m proud that the Center—and NOAA—are helping to lead the way.
-- Jeff Payne, Acting Director
