
January 2002 From National Sea Grant College Program Sea Grant to testify before US Ocean CommissionCHARLESTON, SC: Representatives from the National Sea Grant College Program network will tell the President's new U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy that the National Sea Grant College Program is an important tool in bringing peer-reviewed research-based information from the nation's universities and colleges to government agencies, policy-makers, industries, and the public. The Sea Grant testimony will be part of a three-day session of the newly appointed commission that has been charged with developing recommendations for the development of a comprehensive national ocean policy to most effectively preserve and utilize the world's oceans and their resources. Presenting examples and case studies of Sea Grant's special academic partnership with federal, state and private agencies will be M. Richard DeVoe, Director of the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, and Robert Bacon, the South Carolina program's Extension Service Leader. DeVoe will testify how Sea Grant, both nationally and regionally, builds partnerships to address national, regional, and local needs as the nation grapples with the increasing pressure on its coastal resources. By 2025 it is estimated that 75 percent of the U.S. population will live within 100 miles of a coast line bringing increased development and the accompanying increase in risk of property damage due to coastal storms and other hazards, destruction of critically important habitat for our nation's fisheries and other natural resources, as well as increased recreational use of our nation's shorelines. "Sea Grant's value," says DeVoe, "is its special ability to engage universities, governmental agencies, the business community and end users in the development of information and tools that will address the critical issues facing us as a nation. We want to encourage the Commission to explore ways of further engaging and enhancing the university-based partnership model and strengthening the delivery of science-based approaches that can serve America's coastal needs." Presenting a case study on how Sea Grant works, Bacon will demonstrate a successful process that identifies a need, develops an appropriate research protocol, translates that research and then delivers it to the public in a useable manner. Bacon will cite a demonstration project, "113 Calhoun Street," that evolved from the need to reduce damage to structures during coastal storms, such as the $5 billion in damages resulting from Hurricane Hugo in 1989. Following Hurricane Hugo, South Carolina Sea Grant supported research by Clemson University to assess and characterize the damage done to homes along the South Carolina coast, and determine its causes. Researchers found that most of the damage consisted of relatively minor, non-structural breaches to the building "envelope" (roofs, windows, doors). Those breaches allowed rain to enter the structure, damaging or destroying furnishings, fixtures, walls, floors and personal possessions. Often just a few thousand dollars in damage to the envelope resulted in a tenfold greater insurance claim. South Carolina Sea Grant also supported research at Clemson University's Wind Load Test Facility to develop and test low-cost, effective methods for making homes more resistant to wind and other hazard damage. South Carolina Sea Grant was not alone in this activity. Other such efforts were underway elsewhere, for example in Florida, where Florida Sea Grant and the Department of Community Affairs have supported research to identify cost-effective home retrofit methods and materials. At 113 Calhoun Street in Charleston, a renovated 1875 Charleston "single-house" completes the delivery of that research to the end user. As Bacon notes, "by demonstrating the many ways in which a home can be made more hazard resistant, the 113 Calhoun Street project is providing a bridge to help transfer research-based information on hazard loss reduction from the laboratory to individual homeowners, small contractors, home inspectors, local government and others." Inside the 125-year-old house, visitors find a laboratory, demonstration site, and classroom for hazard resistant building materials that are being developed by research institutions around the country. The project's goal is to increase public awareness of the availability and the need for such materials, so homeowners can be better prepared for natural hazards when they occur. In addition to support from South Carolina Sea Grant, the 113 Calhoun Street project partnership includes Clemson University Extension Service, the City and County of Charleston and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The Charleston meeting of the Commission will be held Tuesday and Wednesday January 15-16 at the Physicians Memorial Auditorium, College of Charleston. Bacon is slated to testify Tuesday as part of an education panel between 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. DeVoe's testimony will be on Wednesday as part of a 9.am. session looking at partnership activities. The Charleston, S.C. hearing is the first in a series of nine regional sessions scheduled between now and September. Overall it will be the Commission's third public hearing. The National Sea Grant College Program is a network of 30 university-based programs in coastal and Great Lake states involving more than 300 institutions nationwide in research, education and the transfer of technology regarding coastal, marine and Great Lakes issues. Sea Grant is supported by the U.S. Department of Commerce and NOAA in partnership with the states and private industry. For more about the Commission visit its website at http://www. oceancommission.gov For more about Sea Grant visit it on the web at http://www.seagrantnews.org and at http://www.nsgo.seagrant.org. Contacts For Additional Information: Ben Sherman, Sea Grant National Media Relations Director, 202-662-7095, E-mail: [email protected] Linda Blackwell, Director of Communication, South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, 843-727-2078, E-mail: [email protected] Rick DeVoe, Director South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium, President Sea Grant Association, 843-727-2078, E-mail: [email protected] Bob Bacon, Program Leader, South Carolina Sea Grant Extension Program, 843-727-2075, E-mail: [email protected]> Beth Judge, Coastal Hazard Specialist, South Carolina. Sea Grant Extension Program, 843-727-6497, E-mail: [email protected] Featured Website: http://www.113calhoun.org |