HELPSEA GRANT INVEST IN NEW YORK’S FUTURE

You are invited to participate in New YorkSea Grant’s strategic planning

SEA GRANT VISION AND MISSION

Sea Grant’s mission is to provide integrated research, extension and education activities that increase citizens’ understanding and responsible use of the nation’s ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources and support the informed personal, policy and management decisions that are integral to realizing this vision.

New York Sea Grant (NYSG) is currently developing a new strategic plan in conjunction with the National Sea Grant Office. NYSG will choose its future research direction based on the critical needs of New Yorkers while staying consistent with the areas focused on in the National Sea Grant Strategic Plan (see the national focus areas and goals below).

We invite your input on what NYSG can do to help accomplish these goals for New York. What specific issues do you think are most important for NYSG to address and how do they relate to the national goals?

What should NYSG do to address the problems and opportunities facing the citizens and resources of coastal New York’s Great Lakes, Hudson River, and marine regions? Please be specific. For example, “Provide information on the existing and potential invasive invertebrates in LakesErie and Ontario, including spread and potential mitigation (Focus Area 1Goal 1)” can be more helpful than “Aquatic nuisance species.” Please use the space below and attach additional pages, as necessary.

  1. ______
  2. ______
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In case we would like to contact you for additional input, please provide your:

Name ______

Affiliation ______

Email ______

By 10 April 2009, please send your input to Dr. James Ammerman, Director, New York Sea Grant using the contact information below or at .

THE NATIONAL SEA GRANT COLLEGE PROGRAM:

A New Strategic Plan Focuses on Four Areas

Over the next five years, Sea Grant will concentrate effort in four interrelated focus areas that are of critical importance to the health and vitality of the nation’s coastal resources and communities. Each area is consistent with the work of the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration’s coastal program integration effort, and is a topical area in which Sea Grant has made substantial contributions in the past and is positioned to make significant contributions in the future.

FOCUS AREA 1: HEALTHY COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS

Goal 1: Sound scientific information to support ecosystem-based approaches to

managing the coastal environment.

Goal 2: Widespread use of ecosystem-based approaches to managing land, water

and living resources in coastal areas.

Goal 3: Restored function and productivity of degraded ecosystems.

FOCUS AREA 2: SUSTAINABLE COASTAL DEVELOPMENT

Goal 1: Healthy coastal economies that include working waterfronts, an abundance

of recreation and tourism opportunities, and coastal access for all citizens.

Goal 2: Coastal communities that make efficient use of land, energy and water

resources and protectthe resources needed to sustain coastal ecosystems

and quality of life.

Goal 3: Coastal citizens, community leaders, and industries that recognize the

complex inter-relationships between social, economic and environmental

values in coastal areas and work together to balance multiple uses and

optimize environmental sustainability.

FOCUS AREA 3: SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE SEAFOOD SUPPLY

Goal 1: A sustainable supply of safe seafood to meet public demand.

Goal 2: A healthy domestic seafood industry that harvests, produces, processes,

and markets seafood responsibly and efficiently.

Goal 3: Informed consumers who understand the importance of ecosystem health

and sustainable harvesting practices to the future of our domestic fisheries,

who appreciate the health benefits of seafood consumption, and who

understand how to evaluate the safety of the seafood products they buy.

FOCUS AREA 4: HAZARD RESILIENCE IN COASTAL COMMUNITIES

Goal 1: Widespread understanding of the risks associated with living, working, and

doing business along the nation’s coasts.

Goal 2: Community capacity to prepare for and respond to hazardous events.

Goal 3: Effective response to coastal catastrophes.

THANK YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR INPUT. IT IS IMPORTANT TO US AND HELPS TO DETERMINE OUR FUTURE AREAS OF EMPHASIS!!

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