The Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is a part of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA). Our mission is to balance the impacts of human activity with the protection of coastal and marine resources. As a networked program, CZM was specifically established to work with other state agencies, federal agencies, local governments, academic institutions, nonprofit groups, and the general public to promote sound management of the Massachusetts coast. CZM is funded primarily through the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
CZM Spotlights

		Ocean Management On May 28, Governor Deval Patrick signed the Oceans Act of 2008, legislation that requires Massachusetts to develop a first-in-the-nation comprehensive plan to manage development in state waters. Plan development is underway, see the EEA Massachusetts Ocean Plan website for details. For more on CZM's ocean management efforts, see the Massachusetts Ocean Management Initiative website, which includes the Massachusetts Ocean Management Task Force's Waves of Change report, the Massachusetts Ocean Education Guide, links to ocean management resources, and technical reports.
		StormSmart Coasts To help people working in coastal communities address challenges arising from storms, floods, sea level rise, and climate change, StormSmart Coasts provides a menu of options for successful coastal floodplain management. The StormSmart Coasts website includes regulatory tools, case studies, planning strategies, and other technical assistance materials. CZM's StormSmart Coasts program implements the Coastal Hazards Commission recommendation to establish a storm-resilient communities program to provide case studies for effective coastal smart growth planning and implementation. This national model helps translate often overwhelming technical materials into user-friendly information for local planning efforts.
		Massachusetts Ocean Resource Information System MORIS, the Massachusetts Ocean Resource Information System, is an online mapping tool created by CZM and the Massachusetts Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS). MORIS can be used to search and display spatial data pertaining to the Massachusetts coastal zone. Users can interactively view various data layers (e.g., tide gauge stations, marine protected areas, access points, eelgrass beds, etc.) over a backdrop of aerial photographs, political boundaries, natural resources, human uses, bathymetry, or other data. Users can quickly create and share maps and download the actual data for use in a Geographic Information System (GIS). While designed for coastal management professionals, MORIS can be used by anyone interested in these data and maps.
		The Aquatic Habitat Restoration Task Force Convened in August 2007, the Task Force has issued its report, which contains a series of recommendations to ensure the Commonwealth's position as a national leader for aquatic habitat restoration in the decades ahead. For a copy of the report and a fact sheet that highlights the work of the Task Force and summarizes the recommendations, see the Aquatic Habitat Restoration Task Force web page.
		No Discharge Areas Boat sewage can be harmful to water quality and public health. No Discharge Areas (NDAs) are designated bodies of water where the discharge of all boat sewage is prohibited. To support Governor Patrick’s goal of ultimately making all Commonwealth coastal waters NDAs, CZM is working with communities to apply for no discharge status, and is supporting efforts to increase boat pumpout facilities to make proper sewage disposal more convenient for boaters. See CZM's Massachusetts Pumpout Facilities web page for more information.