Beach renourishment may be one of the most challenging and controversial issues that coastal resource managers must address. There are strident disagreements among scientists, environmentalists, homeowners, members of the general public, and others on the advisability and process of pumping sand onto a beach.
The cover story for this edition of Coastal Services looks at the experience of one Long Island community and the lessons learned there by coastal managers. The Village of West Hampton Dunes case study shows the difficulty and importance of achieving cooperation and communication among the different government entities and all other interested parties in dealing with the contentious issue of coastal erosion.
Another topic that is examined in this edition of Coastal Services is derelict fishing gear. The problem is so severe in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands that a large multiagency collaborative effort has been undertaken to collect lost gear, track its sources, communicate with the public about the issue, and search for solutions.
The key to both issues, managers say, is ensuring that everyone works together.
Other articles in this edition cover a program in Washington State that is empowering rural communities to address wastewater problems using lower-cost solutions, and a compendium of educational activities on exotic species created by Great Lakes Sea Grant programs. You also can read what was learned at the recent Shoreline Change Conference that featured 65 of the nation's top shoreline mapping professionals from state and federal agencies, academia, and the private sector.
One way that you can share information about your successful programs and projects is to send information to the Coastal Services editor. Another is to submit an abstract to the Coastal Zone 03 conference, which is being held July 13 to 17, 2003, in Baltimore, Maryland. The deadline for abstract submissions is September 16, 2002.
To share success stories about projects involving geographic information systems (GIS) or other spatial technology, submit an abstract to the Coastal GeoTools '03 conference by July 19. The conference is being held January 6 through 9, 2003, in Charleston, South Carolina.
-- Margaret A. Davidson
