What is Coastal America?
Ten Year Report | 1992 Memorandum of Understanding | 1994 Memorandum of Understanding | 2002 Memorandum of Understanding | 1999 Letter of Commitment | The Partnership Process | Organizational Chart

Coastal America is a unique partnership of federal agencies, state and local governments, and private organizations. The partners work together to protect, preserve, and restore our nation's coasts.

The challenge is to meld the capabilities and expertise of all the partners to solve local coastal problems. This is accomplished by sharing information, pooling resources, and combining management skills and technical expertise. At Coastal America, it's all in the partnership.

The partnership accomplishes tasks that no one group could accomplish alone.

With federal, state, and local partners working together, there is a wealth of expertise and services available to Coastal America projects. This results in cost-effective, innovative solutions.

Coastal America exemplifies efficient and effective government.

The Coastal America Process
The partnership can promptly identify and implement local projects to protect the coast.

Coastal America's nine regional interagency teams identify site-specific, local coastal problems and maintain a working list of priority projects. Examples of Coastal America projects are:

• Dam removal to allow upstream migration and spawning of anadromous fish
• Wetland restoration using dredged material to return destroyed habitats to their natural conditions
• Whale-sighting alert system to protect endangered right whales from ship strikes
• Erosion controls in river banks and dune areas
• Non-point source pollution control programs on farms to reduce nutrient runoff

A key purpose of Coastal America is to identify and remove unnecessary policy or regulatory barriers to coastal restoration and protection. Regional teams identify issues of concern as they implement projects locally; if necessary, these issues are brought to a national senior-level Coastal America team for review. This team makes recommendations to the Coastal America Principals Group, comprised of subcabinet-level representatives from each federal partner agency. With this organizational structure, large and small projects are accomplished in a timely and cost-effective manner.

The nature of the Coastal America partnership is collaboration.

The aim is to quickly and efficiently protect and restore the coastal environment.

Working together we are making a difference!

The Coastal America Partnership
Federal Partners - Since the birth of the partnership in 1992, the number of Coastal America's federal partners has grown to 12:

Department of Agriculture/ Department of the Air Force
Department of the Army
Department of Commerce
Department of Defense
Department of Energy/ Department of Housing and Urban Development
Department of the Interior
Department of the Navy
Department of State
Department of Transportation
Environmental Protection Agency
Executive Office of the President

Regional Teams - Recognizing the need for a strong geographic focus, Coastal America established multi-agency Regional Implementation Teams in the following regions:

Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, Southwest, Northwest, Pacific Islands, Alaska, and the Upper Mississippi Focus Area.

Our Accomplishments
The regional teams have collaborated with nearly 700 non-federal organizations to initiate more than 700 restoration and protection projects in 26 states, two territories and the District of Columbia. Through this partnership, hundreds of thousands of acres of wetlands are restored; thousands of miles of streams for anadromous fish are re-opened; and habitat for endangered fish, birds, and mammals is protected.

In addition, Coastal America continues to strengthen it's partnership efforts in three focus areas:

1. COASTAL ECOSYSTEM LEARNING CENTERS: This network was established to help the Coastal America partnership raise public awareness of, and increase public involvement in, coastal restoration and protection. To date, 16 marine education institutions and aquaria have been designated as Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers of excellence:

New England Aquarium, MA
Mystic Aquarium, CT
New York Aquarium, NY
Texas State Aquarium, TX/ Waikiki Aquarium, HI/Seattle Aquarium, WA
Florida Aquarium, FL
Alaska SeaLife Center, AK/ Monterey Bay Aquarium, CA
Dauphin Island Sea Lab, AL/South Carolina Aquarium, SC
National Aquarium in Baltimore, MD
Hatfield Marine Science Center, OR
IGFA Fishing Hall of Fame & Museum, FL
National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium, IA

2. CORPORATE WETLANDS RESTORATION PARTNERSHIP: In 1999 Coastal America established this national partnership as a voluntary public-private partnership. Through this program, corporations join forces with federal and state agencies to restore wetlands and other aquatic habitat. This highly successful partnership enables businesses to contribute to coastal restoration and protection.

3. MILITARY INVOLVEMENT: Coastal America works with the Department of Defense to link military mission and training requirements with coastal restoration needs. When feasible, the military contributes to Coastal America projects as part of their training or mission requirements. As a result, the military accomplishes essential exercises while performing valuable environmental project work in their communities.

Top