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home > publications > virginia marine resource bulletin > spring 2009 > from the editor

In the spirit of the season, Virginia Sea Grant (VASG) is doing some spring cleaning. To make sure our mailing list is spic and span, we’re asking you to return the postcard on the cover to renew your subscription to the Virginia Marine Resource Bulletin and make any necessary changes to your address. You can also sign up to receive our new electronic-only edition to get an email notifying you when you can download the magazine from our website. We’re hoping these efforts will help us reduce our effect on the planet and cut down printing costs while continuing to deliver the coastal and ocean news and information you expect from the Bulletin.

Other changes are also afoot this spring—the biggest being VASG’s new strategic plan. A preliminary draft is now available on our website www.vims.edu/seagrant. Check it out and let us know what you think.

As we look to the future, VASG is combining the best of our past programs and strengths with new initiatives aimed at tackling growing challenges such as adapting to climate change, advancing sustainable coastal community development, and enhancing the resilience of communities in the face of coastal hazards.

This issue of the Bulletin focuses on some of those current trends and on VASG’s work to deal with them. We’ve been exploring ways to help Virginia’s coastal communities prepare for the increased sea level rise and flooding risk that come with global climate change, including funding outreach efforts to local officials and emergency managers. Over the past several years, our partners at the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research & Extension Center in Hampton have developed Spanish-language training programs that are helping the seafood processing industry adapt to changing workforce demographics. Our well-established aquaculture programs are continuing to foster the growth of oyster aquaculture by developing and teaching innovative culture methods.

These are just a few of the ways VASG is adapting to meet the pressing needs of coastal communities and businesses. Don’t forget to check out the “News from the Point” section of this issue to learn about more projects and people we’re supporting, from our 2008 Knauss Fellows to 2009 research grant recipients.