Products and services for the Northeast often originate at the regional office of the NOAA Coastal Services Center. To learn more about the following activities, e-mail northeast-region@csc.noaa.gov.
Regional Projects
Coastal Services Magazine
This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring the Northeast region include
- Northeast Region Takes Different Approaches to Similar Issues – January/February 2000
- Talking about a Revolution: The Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative – March/April 2004
- Research Using Two Heads Better than One in the Gulf of Maine – September/October 2004
- Getting GoMOOS into Shallow Water in the Gulf of Maine – May/June 2005
- Dam Removal: Creating a Monitoring Guide for Removing Barriers in the Gulf of Maine – July/August 2008
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/
Needs Assessment of the New England Coastal Resource Management Community: Management of Ecosystems and Natural Hazards
This document focuses on needs in the Northeast region associated with ecosystem-based management, resilience to coastal hazards, and data and information access and usability. The assessment both confirms priority regional needs of the coastal resource management community and identifies new, emerging challenges. The Center is developing recommendations on how to better tailor services to meet these needs and outlining the services and expertise available from other NOAA programs.
www.csc.noaa.gov/bins/regions/FINAL NE Needs Assessment.pdf
Regional Coastal Water Quality
Coastal water quality and nonpoint source pollution are high-priority watershed issues for coastal communities. A needs assessment in the Northeast region was conducted to determine how state coastal water quality data and protocols can be better coordinated, displayed, and used for management decision-making. Regional staff members are using the results to identify local partners that can benefit from the training programs and tools sponsored by the Center.
Regional Ocean Governance Support
Regional ocean governance is a strategy for managing ocean and coastal resources in a more holistic, ecosystem-based manner. The process operates across local, state, and federal jurisdictional boundaries and is coordinated by regional ocean governing bodies. The governing bodies provide the framework, mechanisms, and incentives that state and federal agencies need to coordinate management efforts. The Center supports three regional ocean governing bodies: the Northeast Regional Ocean Council, the Gulf of Mexico Alliance, and the West Coast Governor’s Agreement on Ocean Health.
Connecticut
Coastal Elevation Mapping
The Center works with state and local officials to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets. The Center worked with the private sector to acquire new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data for coastal management applications such as the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, erosion, and habitat mapping. The Center also worked with state and federal partners to share costs and find multiple uses for coastal lidar and IfSAR data sets.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/
Coastal Inundation Visualizations
Inundation from tropical storms (nor’easters) poses a significant threat to coastal regions in the Northeast. High-resolution visualization tools designed to help identify areas at risk of flooding are being developed for pilot locations in Scituate, Massachusetts, and Saco, Maine. The NOAA North Atlantic Regional Team has partnered with the National Weather Service to create a series of inundation layers using a GIS, as well as Google Internet applications, to illustrate potential flood inundation for real-time, forecast, hindcast, and scenario-based water levels.
Coastal Management Fellowship
The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on two-year projects proposed by the state. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Office of Long Island Sound Programs has hosted five fellows:
- 1996 to 1998: To conduct research to identify effective restoration strategies for brackish and tidal freshwater marshes.
- 1999 to 2001: To develop a decision tool for dredge material management in Long Island Sound.
- 2002 to 2004: To develop a comprehensive GIS database of shoreline property ownership classification that helped the state organize, analyze, and share information related to public access to coastal environments.
- 2005 to 2007: To develop techniques to assess the visual impact of proposed development on scenic resources and landscape qualities of Connecticut’s coast.
- 2007 to 2009: To develop a coastal hazard plan for Connecticut.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html
Coastal Services Magazine
This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in Connecticut include
- Connecticut Managers Tag Drivers to Help Preserve the Sound – May/June 2000
- Educating Local Land Use Decision Makers to Improve Water Quality in Connecticut – January/February 2001
- Successful Connecticut Flag Program Cut Short by Nature – March/April 2001
- Connecticut’s Dedication to Wetland Restoration – March/April 2003
- Storm Water Management Putting Real Life to the Test in Connecticut – January/February 2004
- Using GIS to Improve the Big Picture in Connecticut – September/October 2005
- Website Helps Build Planning Capacity of Connecticut Communities – September/October 2007
- Endangered Species: How State Laws are Aiding Connecticut and Massachusetts – March/April 2008
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/
Land Cover Mapping
Nothing provides a big-picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to also provide a means of detecting change or trends.
www.csc.noaa.gov/landcover/
Legislative Atlas
This Web-based legislative mapping tool provides coastal resource managers with easy access to coastal legislative data and information. In 2008 the Legislative Atlas team added additional legislative information for the three regions represented in the atlas—Hawaii, West Coast, and the Gulf of Maine. This added information included both federal and state regulations. The legislative query tool is also being redesigned according to user input.
www.csc.noaa.gov/legislativeatlas/
Training
The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. Recent courses delivered to programs in Connecticut include
Maine
Coastal Elevation Mapping
The Center works with state and local officials to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets. The Center worked with the private sector to acquire new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data for coastal management applications such as the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, erosion, and habitat mapping. The Center also worked with state and federal partners to share costs and find multiple uses for coastal lidar and IfSAR data sets.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/
Coastal Inundation Visualizations
Inundation from tropical storms (nor’easters) poses a significant threat to coastal regions in the Northeast. High-resolution visualization tools designed to help identify areas at risk of flooding are being developed for pilot locations in Scituate, Massachusetts, and Saco, Maine. The NOAA North Atlantic Regional Team has partnered with the National Weather Service to create a series of inundation layers utilizing a GIS, as well as Google Internet applications, to illustrate potential flood inundation for real-time, forecast, hindcast, and scenario-based water levels.
Coastal Management Fellowship
The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on two-year projects proposed by the state. Coastal management agencies in Maine have hosted four fellows:
- 1997 to 1999: To design and implement a functional assessment methodology to improve coastal marine habitat protection.
- 2001 to 2003: To develop beach nourishment policy recommendations for the state and create a hazard mitigation plan.
- 2004 to 2006: To identify opportunities to institutionalize new approaches for management of Maine’s embayments that were feasible, cost-effective, and supported by stakeholders.
- 2008 to 2010: To apply an ecosystem-based management framework to Maine’s coastal waters.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html
Coastal Services Magazine
This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in Maine include
- Providing GIS Services to Conserve Lands in Maine - Jan/Feb 2009
- Are We Paving Over Paradise? Maine’s Efforts at Directing Development – March/April 2001
- Talking about a Revolution: The Gulf of Maine Mapping Initiative – March/April 2004
- Research Using Two Heads Better than One in the Gulf of Maine – September/October 2004
- Getting GoMOOS into Shallow Water in the Gulf of Maine – May/June 2005
- Conserving Working Waterfronts in Maine – September/October 2006
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/
Community-Based Habitat Restoration
NOAA’s community-based restoration program helps groups restore marine and estuarine habitat by providing funds and technical expertise. NOAA Fisheries leads the program. The Center has co-funded several projects, including the Drakes Island Marsh project in the Gulf of Maine region.
www.csc.noaa.gov/ea/habitat.html
Habitat Priority Planner
This GIS-based tool developed by the Center is for conservation and habitat restoration planners and practitioners to test different alternatives for setting management priorities within a watershed, county, or small region. The tool can be used to evaluate and compare the effects of future land use, conservation scenarios, or proposed restoration projects on habitat quality. Training and updated outreach materials are being developed and pilot application products are planned for Maine and two other states.
www.csc.noaa.gov/hpp/
Land Cover Mapping
Nothing provides a big-picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to also provide a means of detecting change or trends
www.csc.noaa.gov/landcover/
Legislative Atlas
This Web-based legislative mapping tool provides coastal resource managers with easy access to coastal legislative data and information. In 2008 the Legislative Atlas team added additional legislative information for the three regions represented in the atlas—Hawaii, West Coast, and the Gulf of Maine. This added information included both federal and state regulations. The legislative query tool is also being redesigned according to user input.
www.csc.noaa.gov/legislativeatlas/
Maine Coast Protection Initiative
Over 70 organizations are working together to preserve the unique character of Maine’s coast. As a core partner in the Maine Coast Protection Initiative (MCPI), the Center supported the strategic conservation planning process, provided funding, and provided technical support to increase the geospatial capacity of the local land trusts. The Center also played a key role in establishing GIS resource centers designed to equip land trusts with the tools and training needed to better address coastal conservation challenges.
www.csc.noaa.gov/conservation/mcpi.html
Training
The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. Recent courses delivered to programs in Maine include
Massachusetts
Coastal Elevation Mapping
The Center works with state and local officials to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets. The Center worked with the private sector to acquire new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data for coastal management applications such as the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, erosion, and habitat mapping. The Center also worked with state and federal partners to share costs and find multiple uses for coastal lidar and IfSAR data sets.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/
Coastal Inundation Visualizations
Inundation from tropical storms (nor’easters) poses a significant threat to coastal regions in the Northeast. High-resolution visualization tools designed to help identify areas at risk of flooding are being developed for pilot locations in Scituate, Massachusetts, and Saco, Maine. The NOAA North Atlantic Regional Team has partnered with the National Weather Service to create a series of inundation layers utilizing a GIS, as well as Google Internet applications, to illustrate potential flood inundation for real-time, forecast, hindcast, and scenario-based water levels.
Coastal Management Fellowship
The NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship matches postgraduate students with state coastal zone programs to work on two-year projects proposed by the state. The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management has hosted six fellows:
- 1996 to 1998: To perform an analysis of the effectiveness of coastal habitat restoration programs in the Gulf of Maine.
- 1998 to 2000: To develop an adaptive special area management plan for the Parker River/Essex Bay area on the north shore of Boston.
- 2000 to 2002: To create a personal watercraft impact assessment manual, Personal Watercraft (PWC) Management Guide: a Comprehensive Reference Handbook, that could be used as a reference for anyone involved in PWC management.
- 2002 to 2004: To create a marine habitat strategic plan and connect coastal managers with marine habitat data.
- 2006 to 2008: To develop and implement planning, policy, regulatory, and technical assistance tools to improve coastal floodplain management.
- 2008 to 2010: To lead a project striving to make storm-resilient communities a reality in Massachusetts.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cms/fellows.html
Coastal Services Magazine
This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in Massachusetts include
- Aquaculture: Reaping the Benefits in Massachusetts – September/October 2001
- Massachusetts Helps Boaters Put a Sock in It – November/December 2002
- The Invisible Enemy: Reducing Nitrogen in Massachusetts’ Atmosphere – July/August 2003
- Liquefied Natural Gas: Rising Demand Heats Up Coastal Management Role – November/December 2004
- Massachusetts Puts Beachcombing in the Bag – July/August 2005
- Construction in Coastal Floodplains? The Possible Reverberations from a Massachusetts Court Ruling – January/February 2006
- Planning for Open Space in Massachusetts – March/April 2006
- Offshore Wind Energy: Texas and Massachusetts Rush to Be First – May/June 2007
- Endangered Species: How State Laws are Aiding Connecticut and Massachusetts – March/April 2008
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/
Coastal Zone Conference
Coastal Zone 09, to be held July 2009 in Boston, Massachusetts, will be the 16th installment of the biennial conference. Since 2000, the Center has served as the conference executive secretariat, coordinating the conference logistics, technical program, federal sponsors, and local planning. Input and participation from the local and national coastal resource management community help in shaping overall conference themes and issue areas.
www.csc.noaa.gov/cz/
Land Cover Mapping
Nothing provides a big-picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to also provide a means of detecting change or trends.
www.csc.noaa.gov/landcover/
Legislative Atlas
This Web-based legislative mapping tool provides coastal resource managers with easy access to coastal legislative data and information. In 2008 the Legislative Atlas team added additional legislative information for the three regions represented in the atlas—Hawaii, West Coast, and the Gulf of Maine. This added information included both federal and state regulations. The legislative query tool is also being redesigned according to user input.
www.csc.noaa.gov/legislativeatlas/
Training
The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. Recent courses delivered to programs in Massachusetts include
New Hampshire
Coastal Elevation Mapping
The Center works with state and local officials to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets. The Center worked with the private sector to acquire new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data for coastal management applications such as the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, erosion, and habitat mapping. The Center also worked with state and federal partners to share costs and find multiple uses for coastal lidar and IfSAR data sets.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/
Coastal Services Magazine
This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in New Hampshire include
- New Hampshire Drivers Tune In to Great Bay Radio – May/June 2000
- Population Boom Brings Volunteers to New Hampshire – May/June 2001
- Finding the Culture in New Hampshire’s Natural Resources – March/April 2005
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/
Land Cover Mapping
Nothing provides a big-picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to also provide a means of detecting change or trends.
www.csc.noaa.gov/landcover/
Legislative Atlas
This Web-based legislative mapping tool provides coastal resource managers with easy access to coastal legislative data and information. In 2008 the Legislative Atlas team added additional legislative information for the three regions represented in the atlas—Hawaii, West Coast, and the Gulf of Maine. This added information included both federal and state regulations. The legislative query tool is also being redesigned according to user input.
www.csc.noaa.gov/legislativeatlas/
Training
The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. Recent courses delivered to programs in New Hampshire include
- Coastal Inundation Mapping
- Introduction to ArcGIS
- Planning for Meaningful Evaluation
- Project Design and Evaluation
- Public Issues and Conflict Management
- Remote Sensing for Spatial Analysts
www.csc.noaa.gov/bins/resources/training.html
Rhode Island
Coastal Elevation Mapping
The Center works with state and local officials to collect and distribute high-resolution topographic and bathymetric data sets. The Center worked with the private sector to acquire new light detection and ranging (lidar) and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (IfSAR) data for coastal management applications such as the analysis of storm surge and storm inundation, erosion, and habitat mapping. The Center also worked with state and federal partners to share costs and find multiple uses for coastal lidar and IfSAR data sets.
www.csc.noaa.gov/crs/tcm/
Coastal Services Magazine
This bimonthly trade publication focuses on efforts by local, state, and nonprofit organizations to address coastal issues. Recent articles featuring programs in Rhode Island include
- Takings: Determining the Impact of a U.S. Supreme Court Decision – January/February 2002
- Planning For No Adverse Impacts on the Coast – January/February 2006
- The Rising Tide: How Rhode Island Is Addressing Sea Level Rise – May/June 2008
www.csc.noaa.gov/magazine/
Land Cover Mapping
Nothing provides a big picture view of land cover status better than these maps, which are developed using remote sensing technology. The Center has baseline land cover data for most of the coastal zone. The goal is to update the imagery every five years to also provide a means of detecting change or trends.
www.csc.noaa.gov/landcover/
Legislative Atlas
This Web-based legislative mapping tool provides coastal resource managers with easy access to coastal legislative data and information. In 2008 the Legislative Atlas team added additional legislative information for the three regions represented in the atlas—Hawaii, West Coast, and the Gulf of Maine. This added information included both federal and state regulations. The legislative query tool is also being redesigned according to user input.
www.csc.noaa.gov/legislativeatlas/
Training
The Center provides training to the coastal resource managers of the nation in three focus areas: geospatial technology, coastal management, and building process skills. Training can take place at the Center’s training facility for some courses but most often is taken to coastal managers in the field. Recent courses delivered to programs in Rhode Island include
