NYSG’s Spring 2010 New York Coastlines is available as a pdf, both in its full print version (see sidebar at right) and as individual articles. For individual articles and back issues of New York Coastlines, click here.

From the Director

Welcome to New York Sea Grant’s (NYSG’s) first New York Coastlines issue of 2010, the first of our new shorter, but more frequent and timely issues! While the search for a new Associate Director for Extension continues, Chuck O’Neill recently replaced Bob Kent as our Interim Associate Director. Chuck has been with NYSG since 1981 and is best known for his leadership on invasive species issues in the Great Lakes and elsewhere. I want to thank Bob Kent for his efforts on behalf of NYSG during the past year, and wish him well as he returns to his regular extension duties on a half-time basis. Bob has also been leading the planning for the upcoming meeting of northeast Sea Grant programs in the scenic Hudson Valley in May, hosted by NYSG.

We are currently reviewing research pre-proposals from our latest call for proposals. This call for proposals is focused on two areas of research from our new Strategic Plan that are currently receiving only limited research support: sustainable coastal development and coastal hazard resilience. We hope that this call for proposals will help broaden both our research portfolio and the community of researchers supported by NYSG.

This issue of New York Coastlines focuses on harbors, from New York Harbor in New York City to small harbors upstate. New York Harbor and other exposed coastal areas such as Long Island’s south shore are threatened by the storm surge from nor’easters and other storms. The lead article features some of our research and extension efforts to predict storm surges as well as to disseminate timely information in a form useable by emergency managers. A shorter article covers the Great Lakes Small Harbors Initiative to secure Federal support for these important upstate economic engines. Articles on Lake Erie research and a new Hudson River publication round out the issue.