I Jy the year 2020, an additional 



two million people are expected to call 

 North Carolina home. Much of the predicted 

 growth is expected to occur along the coast. 



How well cities and counties handle 

 the population explosion depends on how 

 well they are planning for the future now, 

 says Walter Clark, North Carolina Sea Grant 

 coastal community and policy specialist. 



Planning is a tool to help communities 

 balance environmental sustainability with 

 economic vitality, he says. 



Thanks to the 1 974 Coastal Area 

 Management Act (CAMA), coastal counties 

 may be ahead of the planning curve. CAMA 

 requires each coastal county to develop 

 a land-use plan to protect its natural 

 resources. Updates are required every five 

 years. 



Kate Ardizone, water quality planning 

 specialist, joined the Sea Grant team in 

 2003 just as coastal communities began 



WINTER 2005 



