October 2009

Call for Papers, The 2010 Coastal Society Conference

The Coastal Society invites submissions for papers, panels and posters for its 22nd International Conference, “Shifting Shorelines: Adapting to the Future,” to be held at the Wilmington Riverside Hilton, Wilmington, N.C., from June 13-16, 2010.

Submissions should complement the conference’s theme of adapting to the changing landscape of ocean and coastal resource management and fit one of the five conference tracks:

Preference will be given to presentations, panels and posters that provide solutions relevant to solving contemporary coastal problems, integrate science, management, policy and decision-making, and spark interactive discussion among the conference session attendees.

To view the full Call for Papers, please visit: www.thecoastalsociety.org/conference/tcs22/call.html.

Submission Guidelines
Submissions may take the form of an individual paper, presentation or poster, or as a three-person to four-person Panel Session, or as a workshop. Abstract submission is online only.

Abstracts are due by October 23, 2009.
Abstract acceptance will be provided to principal authors by December 18, 2009.

For the guidelines on abstract submission and detailed descriptions of each track, please visit: www.thecoastalsociety.org/conference/tcs22/abstract.html.

For more information about the 22nd Conference of The Coastal Society, please visit: www.thecoastalsociety.org/conference/tcs22/index.html or e-mail us at coastalsoc@aol.com.

Oct. 23 – Shape of the Coast, 9:00 a.m. – 4:15 p.m., New Bern, N.C.

Download event brochure

The North Carolina Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center will hold its fourth annual Shape of the Coast program at the Riverfront Convention Center in New Bern, North Carolina on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009 from 9:00 am until 4:15 p.m. Attorneys may earn six (6) hours of continuing legal education credits for attendance at the program. The planned program topics, speakers and schedule are:

9:00 a.m. – Understanding the Hydrology of Coastal North Carolina
Dr. Richard Spruill, East Carolina University

10:00 a.m. – Water Use and Allocations: Legal and Policy Issues
Amy Pickle, Nicholas Institute for Environmental Policy Solutions

11:15 p.m. -Coastal Resources Commission Annual Update
Bob Emory, Chair, NC Coastal Resources Commission

12:15 p.m. -Lunch

1:00 p.m. – Panel: Coastal Insurance Issues
Professor Donald Hornstein, UNC School of Law
Rose Vaughn Williams, NC Dept. of Insurance
Tyler Newman, Business Alliance for A Sound Economy
Jennifer Cohen, Insurance Federation of North Carolina

2:45 p.m. – The Future for Coastal Water-Based Wind Energy
Dr. Charles “Pete” Peterson, University of North Carolina
Professor Joseph J. Kalo, UNC School of Law

4:15 p.m. – Closing

For future information or to register for the program, contact the Continuing Legal Education Office at the University of North Carolina School of Law. You may email Susan Szatkow at sszatkow@email.unc.edu or telephone at 919-962-1679. Or register online at the law school’s Web site: www.law.unc.edu.

July 2009

July 1 – Report Reviews Emerging Ocean Policy Issues

This is a joint release with the N.C. Division of Coastal Management< A new report - Developing a Management Strategy for North Carolina’s Coastal Ocean – reviews emerging ocean policy topics. Presented to the N.C. Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) last week, the report was developed through a two-year partnership that included the N.C. Division of Coastal Management (DCM), North Carolina Sea Grant and the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center.

“This is a forward-thinking document. It provides the Coastal Resources Commission and Division of Coastal Management with a snapshot of ocean resource issues that will become increasingly important to North Carolina,” explains Lisa Schiavinato, Sea Grant coastal law, policy and community development specialist, who also co-directs the Center. “The information contained in the report about the emerging issues, along with the recommendations on how to address them, will put the state in a solid position to develop policy approaches before the issues become critical.”

“The report will be instrumental in helping DCM and the CRC prepare for challenges we may face in managing future environmental, cultural and economic shifts along our coast,” adds Scott Geis, coastal and ocean policy analyst for DCM. “Even as the report was being generated, we began to see emerging issues transform into `here and now’ issues, such as offshore wind energy. The work of the OPSC cannot be commended enough, as they have provided the technical and scientific insight that is crucial to sound policy planning.”

The report’s recommendations include development of a comprehensive plan to protect beaches and inlets, identification of available sand resources, creation of a coastal vulnerability index, and mapping of ocean resources. Emerging issue areas identified by the committee are: sand resource management, alternative energy development, ocean outfalls, marine aquaculture and comprehensive ocean management.

The 14-member Ocean Policy Steering Committee (OPSC) focused on North Carolina’s coastal ocean waters and adjacent federal waters. The panel reviewed current research and held public hearings to review a draft of the report.

The Coastal Resources Commission received the final report at its June meeting. A subcommittee will consider potential next steps in light of the recommendations. Subcommittee members are: Coastal Resources commissioners Joan Weld, Lee Wynns, Bill Peele and David Webster; and Coastal Resources Advisory Council members Dara Royal, Spencer Rogers and Harry Simmons.

The report is available for download from www.ncseagrant.org and www.nccoastalmanagement.net.

February 2009

Feb. 9 – N.C. Coastal Management and Sea Grant to Hold Public Meetings on Draft Ocean Policy Report

Posted as a courtesy for the N.C. Division of Coastal Management

The N.C. Division of Coastal Management and N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center will hold four public hearings in February and March to gain public input on a draft report from the organizations’ Ocean Policy Steering Committee.

Meetings will be held at the following locations and times:

Feb. 25, 5:30-7:30 p.m. – Pine Knoll Shores Aquarium (Big Rock Theater), 1 Roosevelt Blvd., Pine Knoll Shores.

Feb. 26, 5:30-7:30 p.m. – Northeast Branch, New Hanover County Library, 1241 Military Cutoff Road, Wilmington.

March 9, 5-7 p.m. – 2728 Capital Blvd. (formerly known as Parker Lincoln Building), Conference Room 1H 120, 2728 Capital Blvd., Raleigh.

March 10, 5:30-7:30 p.m. – Nags Head Beach Fire Station 16, South Wing, 5314 South Croatan Hwy., Nags Head.

The committee was formed in 2008 to identify emerging environmental, legal and policy issues associated with the use and development of ocean resources in North Carolina’s coastal ocean waters and in adjacent federal waters. The emerging issue areas identified by the committee are sand resource management, alternative energy development, ocean outfalls, marine aquaculture and comprehensive ocean management. Since 2008, the 14-member committee has taken a comprehensive look at these emerging issues and has just released a draft of recommendations for managing North Carolina’s coastal waters. This effort is a partnership between the Division of Coastal Management, N.C. Sea Grant and the N.C. Coastal Resources Law, Planning and Policy Center.

The report’s recommendations include development of a comprehensive plan to protect beaches and inlets, identification of available sand resources, creation of a coastal vulnerability index, and mapping of ocean resources. The report is available on DCM’s Web site and the center’s Web site.