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<p><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>ORONO</span></font></st1:City>,
<st1:State w:st="on">ME</st1:State> - Fishermen forced off the docks in <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Alabama</st1:place></st1:State>. Waiting lists
for moorings in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:place></st1:State>.
Public paths to the beach blocked in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">California</st1:place></st1:State>.
Commercial waterfronts eclipsed by private residences in <st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place
w:st="on">Maine</st1:place></st1:State>. Coasts transformed by condominiums in
<st1:State w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">North Carolina</st1:place></st1:State>.
<st1:City w:st="on">Marinas</st1:City> and boat ramps crowded in <st1:State
w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">Florida</st1:place></st1:State>. These scenes
are not featured on the postcards of today, yet they are real and they are
happening all around the <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">U.S.</st1:place></st1:country-region>
coastline, according to a report released today by Maine Sea Grant. <o:p></o:p></p>
<p><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The report, Access to
the Waterfront: Issues and Solutions Across the Nation, contains the results of
a survey of over 140 coastal managers and extension agents conducted by Maine
Sea Grant, Hawaii Sea Grant, the National Sea Grant network and Coastal Zone
Management programs. The survey found that access to and from the ocean is a
challenge in many communities. With nowhere to swim and nowhere to land,
recreational, commercial, and industrial users of the coast are competing for
access, placing pressure on <st1:country-region w:st="on"><st1:place w:st="on">America</st1:place></st1:country-region>’s
shorelines as a tide of demographic and economic change sweeps through coastal
towns, harbors, and communities. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>Respondents to the
survey cited multiple reasons for these changes, including increasing
population and development, rising coastal property values, declines in fishing
and other industries, and shifting land ownership patterns. Resulting pressure
on remaining public areas and infrastructure also means increased pressure on
fragile coastal habitat, and coastal managers have limited resources to address
these challenges. Disasters like hurricanes magnify and exacerbate conflicts,
as detailed in a special section of the report about access issues in the wake
of hurricanes Katrina and Rita. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>According to Natalie
Springuel of Maine Sea Grant, lead author of the report, one of the main goals
of the survey and report was not only to cover the scope of the issue
nationwide, but also to highlight the various solutions that communities are
developing throughout the country. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>“This report is
full of stories from places around the country where specific tools have been
used with great success, so there is a good news message, too,” said
Springuel. Private entities are preserving land, fishermen are partnering with
land trusts, and citizens are voting for bonds to protect working waterfronts.
States are implementing tax relief programs, while towns are revising zoning
ordinances and mapping access points, as Sea Grant and Coastal Zone Management
programs are responding to the needs of coastal residents. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>"It is evident
that these issues are of critical importance to people all over the country,
and we hope this project helps communities, businesses, and individuals to
respond to these challenges more effectively," said Maine Sea Grant
Director Paul Anderson, who presented the survey results today in Norfolk, VA,
at Working Waterways and Waterfronts 2007, a symposium hosted by Virginia Sea
Grant. <o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>“We hope this
report prompts discussion of a nationwide strategy to address coastal access
conflicts at the local, regional, and national level,” Springuel
concludes, “Open access to and from the water, supported by a national
strategy, will ensure that our nation is vibrant and diverse, and that the
delicate ecosystems where land meets water continue to sustain and inspire
future generations.”<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p><font size=3 face=Arial><span style='font-size:12.0pt'>The full report is
available at <a href="http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/index.htm"><b><span
style='font-weight:bold'>http://www.seagrant.umaine.edu/index.htm</span></b></a>,
or in hard copy from Maine Sea Grant, 207-581-1435, <a
href="mailto:kvillarreal@maine.edu"><b><span style='font-weight:bold'>kvillarreal@maine.edu</span></b></a>.<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><strong><b><font size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:
7.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Steven M. Tucker</span></font></b></strong><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place tabIndex="0"
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
w:st="on"><em><i><font size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;
font-family:Arial'>Cape Cod</span></font></i></em></st1:place><em><i><font
size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Arial'> Commercial
Hook Fishermen's Association</span></font></i></em><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address tabIndex="0"
style="BACKGROUND-POSITION: left bottom; BACKGROUND-IMAGE: url(res://ietag.dll/#34/#1001); BACKGROUND-REPEAT: repeat-x"
w:st="on"><font size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:
Arial'>210 E Orleans Road</span></font></st1:address></st1:Street><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><st1:place w:st="on"><st1:City w:st="on"><font size=1
face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Arial'>Chatham</span></font></st1:City><font
size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;font-family:Arial'>, <st1:State
w:st="on">Massachusetts</st1:State> <st1:country-region w:st="on">USA</st1:country-region></span></font></st1:place><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=1 face=Arial><span style='font-size:7.5pt;
font-family:Arial'>(508) 945-2432 x14<o:p></o:p></span></font></p>
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12.0pt'><img border=0 width=56 height=54 id="_x0000_i1025"
src="cid:image001.jpg@01C792FC.A3B8A730"></span><o:p></o:p></font></p>
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12.0pt'><o:p> </o:p></span></font></p>
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