Environmental

New Website Tracks Coastal, Ocean Investments and Successes by State


Washington, D.C.–(ENEWSPF)–March 7, 2011.  NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) has launched a new interactive web page that shows the scope of coastal program investments and successes in NOAA’s 34 partner states and territories.

Using the latest GIS/web technology, OCRM in Your State lets users click on a state to see current federal funding and state matching funds for coastal programs administered by OCRM. It also has thumbnail descriptions of results from those investments in every state and territory and links to more information about each state’s coastal programs.

OCRM in Your State will be updated to report new funding and success stories. A future phase of the page is planned to let users click on regions and Congressional districts for funding and success stories. The website is online.

Carefully managing coastal resources has become increasingly important as impacts of climate change and human use threaten coastal communities and habitat. More than 53 percent of the nation’s population lives in coastal counties, and that number is growing. Coastal areas also generate billions of dollars annually in jobs and revenue, including over half to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product.

NOAA leads the nation’s efforts to manage and conserve ocean and coastal resources. OCRM plays a major role by providing funding, technical assistance and a national perspective to state and territory coastal management programs established under the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). OCRM oversees three programs established under the CZMA: 1) the National Coastal Zone Management Program, a voluntary partnership between NOAA and U.S. coastal and Great Lakes states and territories; 2) the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), a system of 28 research reserves established for long-term research, education, and stewardship; and 3) the Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Program (CELCP), which provides matching grant funds to state and local governments to purchase coastal lands for preservation.

In addition to housing programs established under CZMA, OCRM also administers the Coral Reef Conservation Program, which partners with states and territories to protect coral reefs; and the National System of Marine Protected Areas, a system of marine protected areas that advances the conservation and sustainable use of the nation’s vital natural and cultural marine resources. Information related to these programs will also be made available on the OCRM in Your State website.

NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources. Visit us on Facebook.

Source: noaa.gov


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