About Us

Purpose | Sponsors | Past Meeting Topics | History |

Purpose

To foster communication between local governments to [1] provide an informal professional development 'forum' or 'symposium' for discussion of policy concerns, new technologies, emerging issues, and new or amended legislation or regulations and [2] to better enable implementation of the state's Shoreline Management Act, Growth Management Act, and other similar programs. As much as possible, the meetings are designed to be neutral and informative.

Sponsors

The Shoreline/Coastal Planners Group meetings are co-sponsored by Washington Sea Grant Program, University of Washington, the Shorelands & Environmental Assistance Program, Washington Department of Ecology and The Cascadia Chapter of The Coastal Society.

Funding from the Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve for incidental meeting expenses is gratefully acknowledged. Click on the logos to the right to find out more about our sponsors.

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Begining in 1973 shortly after passage of the state Shoreline Management Act, the Washington State Department of Ecology Shorelands staff initiated bi-monthly meetings with local shoreline and coastal planners to assist them meet the new requirements for developing shoreline master programs. In the early 1990s Washington Sea Grant Program's coastal resources office assumed co-chair responsibility in partnership with Ecology Shorelands staff and since then the programs have been held quarterly, become more structured and have been guided by formal biennial needs assessment surveys.
Since 1999 Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR) has provided funding support through its Coastal Decision-maker grants program.

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