New York, NY, November 19, 2014 - Here at nyseagrant.org, we cover a wealth of the research, extension and education news related to projects that our program funds in both New York's Great Lakes and the marine waters - including The Hudson, St. Lawrence and Niagara Rivers, Lakes Ontario, Erie and Champlain, Long Island Sound, inland bays, New York Harbor and the Atlantic Ocean. But there is a wealth of important work being done by each of the 33 Sea Grant programs around the U.S., each of them protecting and preserving America's coastlines and water resources.

If you are interested in learning more about what each of the respective Sea Grant programs has accomplished towards that goal, the latest Sea Grant report, The State of Sea Grant 2014: Impacts, Challenges, Opportunities, is available online for review (pdf).

Submitted to Congress every two years by the National Sea Grant Advisory Board (NSGAB), the report features detailed information about each program's education, research, and outreach achievements, as well as short- and long-term goals for future action.

In the last two years, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s National Sea Grant College Programs across the country have created or sustained over 17,500 jobs and 6,500 businesses, trained 1,050 coastal communities on hazard resiliency, supported nearly 1,670 undergraduate and graduate students to develop a diverse, highly qualified workforce.

Included in this update on the National Sea Grant College Program over the last two years are impacts made in the four focus areas of Sea Grant's parent federal organization, NOAA. These focus areas are: (1) Hazard Resilience in Coastal Communities, (2) Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, (3) Safe and Sustainable Seafood Supply and (4) Sustainable Coastal Development. Also featured is a section of recommendations from the last report, which was published in 2012, and Sea Grant's response to those suggestions. To continue progress made toward addressing the challenges and opportunities of our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes, the NSGAB offered additional recommendations to be addressed over the next two years.

One considerable contribution made by Sea Grant in the last two year came after Sandy hit, which is detailed over several pages in the report. "With 140 deaths and over $62 billion in damages, Hurricane Sandy shook the very foundation of the coastal communities in affected areas," said NSGAB Chair Rollie Schmitten. "Sea Grant programs in seven states responded quickly with coordinated information for community and individual preparedness. Since the storm, the Sea Grant network has been engaged in the assessment and recovery effort along the East Coast. Sea Grant is also helping local communities develop long-term solutions for climate change adaptation."

Efforts in the tri-state area related to Sandy are detailed via NYSG's Hurricane Education Resources, www.nyseagrant.org/hurricane; Superstorm Sandy news archives, www.nyseagrant.org/superstormsandy; and NOAA's Coastal Storm Awareness Program, www.nyseagrant.org/csap. This last effort is a multi-year partnership with Sea Grant programs in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut that is intended to raise awareness of how severe weather is communicated to and within communities. Below are updates on several of the 10 funded projects, several of which are administered by each of the three Sea Grant programs.

For more in-depth information about the work that Sea Grant does to protect America's waterways, check out the National Sea Grant College Program's clickable U.S. map with all of our program locations.

Congress established the National Sea Grant College Program in 1966 to bring practical scientific information from the nation’s universities to coastal businesses, citizens and all levels of government in order to capture the economic and social benefits of the nation’s oceans, coasts and Great Lakes in a sustainable way.


More Info:

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, is one of 33 university-based programs under the National Sea Grant College Program (NSGCP) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The NSGCP engages this network of the nation’s top universities in conducting scientific research, education, training and extension projects designed to foster science-based decisions about the use and conservation of our aquatic resources. Through its statewide network of integrated services, NYSG has been promoting coastal vitality, environmental sustainability, and citizen awareness about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources since 1971.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube links. NYSG also offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/coastlines for NY Coastlines, its flagship publication, which merged with our e-newsletter, Currents, in 2014 - is published several times a year.