Coastal America Partnership

Matching Collaborative Tools to Coastal Challenges

The Coastal America Partnership is an action-oriented, results-driven collaboration process dedicated to restoring and preserving coastal ecosystems and addressing critical environmental issues.

Our Partnership brings together people and resources from federal agencies, state and local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to collaboratively address our nation's coastal environmental challenges.

With a goal of better management of coastal resources, the partnership coordinates the statutory responsibilities and combines the resources and expertise of 16 federal agencies, 22 Coastal Ecosystem Learning Centers, and hundreds of corporate partners.

As a result, the Coastal America Partnership maximizes the environmental and economic benefits—and minimizes the costs—of addressing complex watershed, coastal, and marine problems.

Presidential Memorandum for the

Heads of Executive Departments and Agencies

"Government should be collaborative. Collaboration actively engages Americans in the work of their Government. Executive departments and agencies should use innovative tools, methods, and systems to cooperate among themselves, across all levels of Government, and with nonprofit organizations, businesses, and individuals in the private sector. Executive departments and agencies should solicit public feedback to assess and improve their level of collaboration and to identify new opportunities for cooperation."

President Barack Obama
January 21, 2009

Welcome Nancy Sutley !

Nancy Sutley, CEQ Chair, participates in a Coastal America Meeting On February 11, Coastal America federal and corporate partners had the opportunity to meet Nancy Sutley and discuss her role as the new Chair of Coastal America. Ms. Sutley will provide guidance to the Partnership as members work to achieve coastal and marine restoration and protection goals in the coming years.

Click here to see a Letter of Support for the Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (CWRP) from Chair Sutley to Pat Hester, Chair of the CWRP.

Latest News & Events

Signing of the Vancouver Aquarium MOU Photo credit: John Healey

On October 14 Coastal America designated the Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, located in Vancouver, British Columbia as the Partnership's first Canadian Learning Center. The designation of the Vancouver Aquarium as the first Learning Center in Canada is a significant milestone for Coastal America. This new partnership will be invaluable to our nation's efforts to implement the priorities of the Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force through collaborative projects and programs and through the commitments made to the Vancouver Aquarium by Coastal America's federal and Learning Center partners. This new partnership will foster a relationship dedicated to preserving, protecting and conserving the Pacific Northwest and will increase the public's understanding of coastal and marine ecosystems in both countries.

To see a listing of the commitments made to the Vancouver Aquarium from the Coastal America federal and Learning Center partners see www.vanaqua.org/CELC.

Lt. Gen. Webster congratulates Capt. Destremps

Lt. Gen. William Webster, Third Army/U.S. Army Central congratulates Capt. Russell Destremps, 86th Engineer Dive Team, commander, after presenting him the Coastal America Partnership Award for his role in the Florida Artificial Tire Reef project during a ceremony held at his current duty station, Camp Patriot, Kuwait, Aug. 10. The remaining Florida Tire Reef project's stateside team members received the 2008 Coastal America Partnership Award and letter from President Obama on August 12, 2009 at a ceremony in Hollywood, Florida.

The project, one of the ongoing military training exercises referred to as Innovative Readiness Training or IRT, was recommenced this year on July 15. Military divers again began removing old tires from an area off the coast of Ft. Lauderdale Florida. The IRT project will extend through August 28 and allows divers to practice salvage skills while reclaiming seafloor for new coral colonies. Facilitated by the Coastal America Partnership, the project is entering its third year. BoatU.S. has highlighted the project in the July issue of their magazine. To read the BoatU.S. article click here.

The Coastal Coastal America Partners at the Vancouver Aquarium (Photo credit: John Healey)

America Annual Partnership meeting was held October 13-16, 2009 at the Semiahmoo Resort on Puget Sound in Washington. The meeting focused on identifying linkages between new national priorities, the evolving regional governance structures and our partnership efforts including our learning center activities and the corporate partnership.

Coastal America • Reporters Building • 300 7th Street, SW Suite 680 • Washington, DC 20024
(202) 401-9928 (phone) • (202) 401-9821(fax) • Comments to: Coastal.America@usda.gov