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For Coastal Zone Managers
Education and Outreach
Below, examples pertaining to public education and outreach follow Surfrider
Foundation's findings and recommendations in this area.
FINDING: Very
little information is designed to inform the public about the health
of our beaches. In many cases a wealth of technical and scientific data
exists for specific beach sites around the nation as "gray literature"
in academic journals or studies that line the bookshelves of coastal
zone management offices. This information may help professionals make
policy decisions. However, it is often not made available to the public
or it is not written in a way that is easily understood by the average
citizen. This lack of public education is alarming. It leaves the public
without an adequate understanding about how government policies and decisions
affect beach health and severely limits their ability to ensure that
public interests are considered equitably in the decision-making process.
RECOMMENDATION: Increase public awareness. For all interests to be equally
represented it is essential that the decision-making process be fully
participatory. Educating the public about the economic and cultural values
of coastal and ocean resources, the complexity of these resource-related
issues, and the intricacies of the decision-making process will help
to make this happen. States have a vital role to play in giving public
education the attention it deserves. One thing they can do is to develop
user-friendly information. States can also make this information more
accessible by using advances in technology that make it easier to share.
Program Examples - Web Sites
FLORIDA
MICHIGAN
NORTH CAROLINA
TEXAS
WASHINGTON
These are good examples of how the internet can help to address education
and outreach needs. However, not everybody has web access and it is not
the only means of providing education and outreach. What follow are some
examples of more hands-on grass roots efforts needed to compliment the
use of information technology.
Program Examples - Alternative Techniques
CALIFORNIA
A great feature on the California Coastal Commission (CCC)
website is their public education page.
http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/pendx.html
This site provides links to a range of CCC education/outreach activities
including their Save our Seas Children's Poster Art Contest and their
Coastal License Plate Program. Check out http://www.coastal.ca.gov/publiced/poster/mmi/winners.html
to see this year's winning posters.
CONNECTICUT
Project WET (Water Education
for Teachers) is an international, interdisciplinary, water science and
education program for formal and non-formal educators of K-12 students.
The goal of the Project WET program is to facilitate and promote the
awareness, appreciation, knowledge, and stewardship of water resources
through the development and dissemination of classroom ready teaching
aids and the establishment of state and internationally sponsored Project
WET programs.
There is also NEMO (Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials) program,
part of the Connecticut Sea Grant’s Clean Waters program.
FLORIDA
Florida’s
publications include:
MASSACHUSETTS
According to the 2001 MCZM Assessment, Public Education and Outreach CZM partnered with the Department of Environmental Management and local teachers to develop the Classroom to Coast (CTC) curriculum guidelines. CTC is a coastal access education program that brings together science, social studies, and the arts in an exploration of coastal access issues. The goal is to encourage students, teachers and parents to acquaint themselves with the coastal environment and become stewards for Massachusetts' coastal access points. Since 1998, North Shore students have explored community values and beliefs surrounding issues such as waterfront development, wildlife management, pet waste on beaches, recreational impacts, and endangered species. For each project, students have developed stewardship plans and projects to provide information to decision makers in their communities.
Massachusetts has an ocean education program which includes an ocean education guide that assists K-12 educators in teaching about ocean resources. In addition, the program has a research aspect.
http://www.mass.gov/czm/oceanmanagement/education/guide/index.htm
Massachusetts’ Sea Grant has held workshops on shoreline management discussing local and national issues on coastal erosion. Contact Jim O’Connell at joconnell@whoi.edu or by calling (508) 289-2993 for more information.
Woods Hole Sea Grant has several educational resources for the general public:
http://www.whoi.edu/science/seagrant/education/citizen.html
The shoreline in Chatham, Massachusetts is monitored by Jim O'Connell, a coastal geologist for Woods Hole Sea Grant and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension, and volunteers from the local town. The technique known as Emery Rod profiling is used here to take a series of measurements along a slice of beach. The beach profiles collected by residents like Harris and Olmsted can be useful tools to help communities manage their beaches for the future.
http://www.whoi.edu/science/seagrant/education/coastwise/profiling.html
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute’s (WHOI) Sea Grant Program and Cape Cod Cooperative Extension have released the DVD, Coastal Landforms, Coastal Processes and Erosion Control on Cape Cod & Southern Plymouth, Massachusetts, which features visits to 11 sites including beaches, dunes, barrier beaches, coastal banks, and salt marshes. Experts discuss the interactive coastal processes that created and allow for the continued existence of these important resources and examine a variety of coastal erosion control alternatives. In addition, the DVD presents regulatory issues associated with living along the shore and in coastal floodplains of the Commonwealth. To get a free copy, contact WHOI’s Sheri DeRosa at sderosa@whoi.edu.
Here is a link to a Massachusetts CZM fact sheet on shoreline change.
OREGON
Check out the Citizen's Guide to the Oregon Coastal Management Program:
http://www.oregon.gov/LCD/docs/publications/citzngid.pdf and also these additional education resources:
http://www.oregon.gov/LCD/relatedlinks.shtml#Education
Additional important websites are:
http://www.oregongeology.com/sub/earthquakes/Coastal/CoastalHazardsMain.htm
http://www.oregon.gov/LCD/HAZ/index.shtml
http://www.oregongeology.com/sub/pub%26data/NewPubList.pdf
The Oregon Coastal Management Program partnered with Oregon Sea Grant to create Living on the Edge, Building and Buying Property on the Oregon Coast. The 25-minute DVD is intended to influence the behavior of prospective coastal property buyers and builders by giving them a "reality check" on the unique risks that come with developing along the ocean shore, and explaining the steps that should be taken to avoid problems. More information on the DVD can be found at http://seagrant.oregonstate.edu/sgpubs or by contacting Steve Williams at (971) 239-9467 or Steve.Williams@state.or.us.
PUERTO RICO
Puerto Rico Coastal Management Program (PRCMP) is to be commended for its leadership role in community education and outreach activities. In addition to activities geared toward the general public such as annual workshops, the Summer Camp program, and the Coastweek Program, PRCMP has taken on the important challenge of educating coastal decision-makers, land managers, educators, and students. PRCMP is very active in promoting the functions and objectives of the coastal program and promoting the Island's coastal resources. Some highlights include:
Talks were given to elementary, junior, and high school students from the San Juan, Mayaguez, and Humacao Regions on coastal zone resources and endangered species. A total of 1,200 students attended these presentations.
Science Fair/Environmental Coastal Workshops. Winners of science fair projects receive invitations from environmental educators to participate in a week of field activities such as reforestation of natural vegetation in significant commonwealth lands, field trips, and workshops at Natural Reserves. They received participation certificates, T-shirts, caps, pencils, environmental information, and posters.
Environmental Education Workshops. Held at the Natural Reserve of Isla Caja de Muertos, the Natural Reserve of Humacao, and Guanica Forest Natural Reserve, these workshops covered such topics as natural resource protection, natural reserves designation, and coral reefs. They included technical and educational personnel, DNER Rangers, and infrastructure agencies. Field trips were offered to surrounding coastal areas, thus enabling participants to work on projects such as plan identification and interpretive map design.
A coral reef workshop was held in JBNERR to prepare an educational program to be included in the Puerto Rico Coral Reef Plan. Participants included the environmental education staff of DNER, the Puerto Rico Department of Education, the Sea Grant Program, the University of Puerto Rico, and the Coralation and Reefkeeper organizations.
PRCMP participates in meetings, events, and exhibitions to promote the work of the program by showing exhibits of different components of the coastal forests, marshes, natural reserves, cumulative impacts, coral reefs, wetlands, and Special Planning Areas.
Brochures outlining the program implementation and work in the Natural Reserves are targeted toward coastal municipalities of Puerto Rico and key government officials. These are distributed during activities, events, and exhibitions. PRCMP also produces an informative newsletter on goals and objectives and the activities of the program throughout the year. (From the 2001 Puerto Rico Section 312 Evaluation)
SOUTH CAROLINA
To build public awareness about beachfront erosion problems, a 90-minute film has been produced on beach and hazard management issues. The South Carolina Coastal Council has used mass media to communicate and respond to heightened awareness of SCCC events.
TEXAS
The Dune Protection and Improvement Manual describes simple, low-cost methods that public and private property owners can use to preserve, repair, and enhance sand dunes. It summarizes laws and regulations that may apply to dune improvement projects. The manual also includes sources of further information and technical help.
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