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Serving Our Coastal States

Supporting the work and shared vision for the protection, conservation, responsible use, and sustainable development of the nation’s coastal resources.

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What's New

What We Do

For over 50 years, CSO has worked at the nexus of coastal research, collaboration, and decision-making.

We serve as the collective voice for the nation’s coastal states and territories on federal legislative, administrative, and policy issues relating to coastal, Great Lakes, and ocean management.

Partnerships and Collaborations

40%

Americans living on 

the coast

54.6M

People working in
Coastal Counties

$10 Trillion

Goods + Services produced Annually
in Coastal Counties

95,000

Miles of Coastline in the

United States

9 Inches

Sea Level rise predicted

from 2020-2050

$79B

Cost of Hurricanes

in 2021 Alone

Enhancing Coastal Zone Management

We strive to provide coastal states and territories with tools to inform coastal management and to improve their capacity to understand, plan for, and respond to changing coasts now and into the future. We ensure that Coastal Zone Management Programs have the resources they need.

Coastal Zone Management Priorities

Steward Coasts &
Their Watersheds

Protect People & Communities
Against Evolving Natural Hazards

Conserve & Restore
Coastal Habitat

Prioritize Coastal Access &

Water-Dependent Uses

Manage Sediment &
Shorelines

Advance a Regional Approach to
Ocean Management

Keeping Coastal & Ocean
Waters Clean

Sustain the
Blue Economy

We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch – we are going back from whence we came.”

-JOHN F. KENNEDY