S.C. Sea Grant Consortium
Panorama of Beaufort with buildings and boats.

Coastal Communities Program

The S.C. Sea Grant Consortium’s Coastal Communities program assists communities with creating a sustainable balance between economic growth and natural resource conservation to ensure the sustained use of South Carolina’s marine and coastal resources.

This program educates residents and public officials about land use and associated impacts on natural resources, by providing science-based information and tools to enhance their ability to address the pressures of coastal growth.

Extension Specialist

April Turner

Coastal Communities Specialist

Initiatives in Coastal Communities

Waves at sunrise.

The South Carolina Coastal Information Network

The S.C. Coastal Information Network includes federal and state agencies, regional government agencies and private organizations seeking to coordinate and/or jointly deliver outreach programs. The purpose of this collaboration is to avoid duplication of efforts and minimize the number of meetings/workshops that community leaders and staff are asked to attend, leverage scarce resources, maximize program benefits and expected outcomes. 

South Carolina Clean Marina Program

The goal of the South Carolina Clean Marina Program is to protect and improve local water quality by reducing pollution from marinas. This voluntary certification program recognizes marinas, boatyards, and yacht clubs for helping create a cleaner marine environment in South Carolina.

Marina with boats.
Bike on the greenway.

S.C. Coastal Community Initiative Grant Program

The S.C. Coastal Community Initiative Grant Program (CCI) is a collaborative land-use planning and water quality program for local decision makers to help foster sustainable land use planning and resource management. This small grants program provides an incentive to engage local governments in the development and implementation of “quality growth” land management policies and practices.

Recipients of these CCI mini grant awards have addressed a variety of issues related to stormwater runoff and water quality management, open space preservation, alternative transportation and greenway pedestrian/biking access, and natural resource-based planning.

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