Isla Earth Radio

Coast Report

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Sinopse

If we gave our coastlines an environmental report card, what grade should they get? Surprise! There IS a report, and it gives our coasts about a grade "C." It's called the National Coastal Condition Report, and it's the third in a series started by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2001. It's the first truly national assessment of all our coastlines' ecological health, including the Great Lakes, Alaska and Hawaii. Surprisingly, some areas scored better than before. The Northeast and the West have improved since the last report; while the Southeast and the Gulf of Mexico rank lower. Overall, our coastlines earned a down-the-middle "Fair," when it comes to water quality, sediment quality, habitat, contaminants in fish tissue and conditions for bottom-dwelling critters. But while "Fair" might sound as stinging as a bad grade in math class, it actually holds promise. Comparisons with the 2005 report card show slight improvements due, possibly, to