Contacts:                                  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 
Dan Dewell, NOAA                           10/5/98
Lillian Moolenaar, Virgin Islands  

Coastal and marine researchers, scientists, and resource managers from the southern United States and Caribbean region will gather for a conference in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, October 13-16 to share their expertise and discuss a wide range of resource management topics--from natural hazards reduction to coral reef protection to research capabilities.

This is the first regional conference on coastal zone management issues to be held in the Virgin Islands. The conference is co-sponsored by the Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Program and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and has been organized, in part, in conjunction with the worldwide celebration of the United Nation's 1998 Year of the Ocean--designed to highlight the importance of the Earth's oceans.

"The coastlines of the southern United States and islands in the Caribbean provide much natural beauty, and are economically productive, yet they are some of the world's most vulnerable coastal areas," said Dr. Nancy Foster, assistant administrator of NOAA's National Ocean Service. "The area is also environmentally and culturally important, but as we've just seen, the region is subject to natural hazards such as erosion and hurricanes, plus human pressures from burgeoning tourism, fishing, and coastal development," she said. "The conference will help to raise awareness of the significance of coastal and ocean resources, spotlight coastal zone management program resources, identify program successes and obstacles, and determine technical assistance needs for future progress."

NOAA is responsible for helping U.S. states and territories manage and protect coastal and marine areas under the Coastal Zone Management Act. The agency implements coastal management programs through partnerships with state and local governments, other federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and universities.

The Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Program has been a part of the national network of NOAA's federally approved coastal programs since 1979. With a combined coastline of 175 miles, consisting of the main islands of St. Thomas, St. Croix, St. John, and Water Island, the Virgin Islands' program seeks to harmonize cultural, economic and environmental resources.

NOAA's National Ocean Service, Office of Ocean and Resource Management, southern and Caribbean region includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Texas, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The region borders the Gulf of Mexico coast and the Atlantic Ocean and contains shoreline of approximately 29,952 miles, with a coastal population that exceeds 24 million.

The conference will be held at the Renaissance Grand Beach Resort in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands.