Overview

The nation's water and coastal resources provide vital economic and ecological services. As the chief executive officer of states, Governors play an important role in determining the future of the water resources that are entrusted to their care.

Focus of Center Activities

Ocean and Coastal Resources
From the Arctic, Pacific, and Atlantic Oceans to the Great Lakes and Gulf of Mexico, Americans have enjoyed and prospered from an abundance of ocean and coastal resources, activities, and opportunities. The nation has more than 95,000 miles of coastline. While this coastline accounts for only 13 percent of the country's total land area, it contains over 50 percent of the nation's population and most of the largest cities. The coast also includes over 200 seaports, and serves as the foundational resource for many sectors of the economy. The coastal zone also provides nursery grounds and habitat for fisheries and for thousands of species of plants and animals.

In 1972, Congress formally forged a state-federal partnership with the passage of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). The CZMA requires states to draft comprehensive management plans for the water and terrestrial resources located in its coastal zone. Based on years of experience in managing the CZMA program and other coastal programs, coastal states have developed a unique expertise for dealing with coastal zone management issues. This expertise is increasingly important as pressures on the nation's finite coastal resources continue to increase.

Wetlands
Wetlands in their natural state serve important ecological and socioeconomic functions that are either costly or impossible to replace. They mitigate flooding, maintain water quality by filtering out sediments and pollutants, and provide habitat for wildlife. In fact, wetlands host 31 percent of our nation's plant species and one-half of North American bird species nest or feed in wetlands.

Over the course of the nation's history, a large percentage of the wetlands resources have been filled, destroyed, or otherwise rendered incapable of performing these functions. There is a crucial need for improved protection of wetlands.

States are meeting this challenge by implementing both regulatory and non-regulatory programs to protect wetlands and mitigate for their loss. For additional information on state programs and best practices, access the WETLANDS webpage.

Recent Workshops
On September 3-4, 2003, NGA's Center for Best Practices hosted a workshop "Waves of Change: Examining the Role of States in Emerging Ocean Policy" in Washington, DC. This two day meeting gathered more than 80 state officials, NOAA and U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy staff members to discuss coastal and ocean policy and the much anticipated report from the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy due to be released late 2003.

The NGA Center for Best Practices sponsored a workshop on isolated wetlands in Madison, WI on October 21-22, 2002. The purpose of the workshop was to explore regulatory and non-regulatory policy options states can implement to protect isolated wetlands. The workshop also provided a forum for Governors' staff and senior state environment officials to exchange best practices and learn about changes recent Supreme Court decisions have made in wetlands management. Access the WETLANDS webpage to view the agenda and presentations.

Related Links:

• U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy
• Joint Ocean Commission Initiative 
• The Pew Charitable Trusts – Protecting Ocean Life
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
• NOAA Coastal Services Center 
• NOAA Office of Sustainable Fisheries
• NAS Non-indigenous Aquatic Species 
• NAS Ocean Studies Board 
• National Marine Protected Areas Center
• USDA invasive aquatic species databases

   

• State, Tribal, and Local Initiatives
• U.S. EPA - Trends and Status on Wetlands
• U.S. EPA - Wetlands Program
  

• Coastal States Organization
  

• Association of State Floodplain Managers
• Association of State Wetland Managers

Other Resources

• Environmental Law Institute – Ocean Program 
• Marine Conservation Biology Institute (MCBI) 
• The Ocean Conservancy 
• WWF – Marine Conservation