By KATIE MOSHER

Michael Voiland, executive director of North Carolina Sea Grant, will chair the 21-member Waterfront Access Study Committee authorized by the N.C. General Assembly.

Recommended by the joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture, the new committee will “study the degree of loss and potential loss of diversity of uses along the coastal shoreline of North Carolina and how these losses impact access to the public trust waters of the state.” Other committee members will be:

• Senate cochair of the Joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture or the cochair’s designee;
• House cochair of the joint Legislative Commission on Seafood and Aquaculture or the cochair’s designee;
• chair of the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission or the chair’s designee;
• chair of the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission orthe chair’s designee;
• chair of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission orthe chair’s designee;
• director of the N.C. Division of Marine Fisheries or the director’s designee;
•  director of the N.C. Division of Coastal Management or the director’s designee;
• president of the North Carolina Recreation and Parks Association or the president’s designee [the individual who serves in this position must also be a director of a public parks and recreation agency located in a coastal region as described in G.S. 143B-289.54(b)];
• a representative of a local government located in the Northeast Coastal Region, as described by G.S. 143B-289.54(b), appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;
• a representative of a local government located in the Central Coastal Region, as described by G.S. 143B-289.54(b), appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
• a representative of a local government located in the Southeast Coastal Region, as described by G.S. 143B-289.54(b), appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;
• an economist appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
• a representative of the residential building industry who builds in a coastal region as described in G.S. 143B-289.54(b), appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;
• a realtor licensed under Chapter 93A of the General Statutes, appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
• an individual involved in economic development in a coastal region as described in G.S. 143B-289.54(b), appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;
• a representative of the marine trades industry appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
• a representative of the commercial fishing industry appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate;
• a representative of the recreational fishing industry appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives;
• a social scientist appointed by the president pro tempore of the Senate; and
• a representative of the environmental community appointed by the speaker of the House of Representatives.

Voiland expects the committee to hold its first meeting this fall, once necessary appointments are made. Check for updates at http://ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/.

The study committee will have administrative and professional support from Sea Grant, and the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning, and Policy Center.

The committee’s tasks include:

• gathering information about local land-use management and zoning, current shoreline development trends, and local tax rates, including tax assessment trends for shoreline properties;
• collecting research and information from North Carolina and other states and jurisdictions regarding incentive-based techniques and management tools used to preserve waterfront diversity; and
• assessing the applicability of such tools and techniques to the coastal shorelines of North Carolina.

A draft report will be shared in three public hearings along the coast. The panel’s final report is due to the legislature by April 5, 2007.

This article was published in the Autumn 2006 issue of Coastwatch.

For contact information and reprint requests, visit ncseagrant.ncsu.edu/coastwatch/contact/.