1. Coastal issues caucus: summaries and strategies
- Author
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McLaughlin, Caroline
- Abstract
In February 2012, the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium (NJSGC) held the first series of Coastal Issues Caucuses to gain feedback on coastal community issues. The meetings were held in Asbury Park, Toms River, and Wildwood and were attended by a variety of municipal, county, and state officials representing a number of coastal regions throughout New Jersey. The caucuses proved to be an excellent way to bring together different community stakeholders to start a discussion on coastal related challenges and to promote thoughtful consideration of some of the potential solutions available to these communities. Some of the resultant ideas and comments will be used in the development of the future programs and activities of NJSGC’s Coastal Communities Agent. Although participants from each region had issues specific to their own context, in general participants felt that stormwater management; fertilizer training and education; beach maintenance and dune management; offshore energy development; and tourism and coastal heritage were the most important issues relevant to our mission. The Coastal Communities Agent and other extension staff will pursue some of the project ideas that came from the meetings and hope to conduct similar caucuses in the future to promote continuing dialogue between the organization and its coastal constituents. In addition, the information listed here will be used to finalize items in the Coastal Communities Agent’s work plan for 2013.
- Published
- 2012
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