The IRL Council generated a strong position statement about the Indian River Lagoon on Thursday July 28, 2016 that takes a visionary and long view on IRL restoration: Remove-Reduce-Restore-Rebuild-Respond. We are all the problem. We are all the solution. www.irlcouncil.com. 

The outer banks of NC are some of the most vulnerable coastal areas in North America. Barrier islands will be the first to experience serious impacts from sea level rise. This is not a future risk. Structures are at the edge today.

I really enjoyed chairing the plenary session and panel discussion on Cities at the Edge at the ISSRM Conference. . Easily one of the best science conferences I have attended. Great discussions throughout the week with numerous students and young professors in attendance. The hospitality in Charleston SC was amazing. 

Almost every marine biology and oceanography textbook looks at the water column as a chemistry issue rather than a critical habitat issue. Integration of those two perspectives is long overdue in coastal and ocean science and management. Clean water = healthy ocean.

While small in comparison to the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the recent oil spill off Santa Barbara, California has shut down beaches just as the tourism industry enters this Memorial Day weekend.  With reports of as much as 105,000 gallons of oil spilled and only 7,000 gallons of mixed oil and water reported recovered, I wonder if its not time to re-look at federal safety, inspection and spill response protocols for the entire industry A May 23, 2015 HuffPost quote stated that Patrick Hodgins, senior director of safety and security for Plains All American Pipeline, issued a statement in response to questions about the company's safety record: "Safety and environmental responsibility are core values to Plains. Since 2008, Plains has significantly increased its size and spending related to our U.S. integrity management and safety programs."  Hodgins said the company "exceeded the federal regulatory requirement" by inspecting the pipeline twice within the last three years. 

My thought - Two inspections in 3 years...you must be joking.