Federal land management, environmental, and research agencies, along with the nation's universities, share several science-based goals as they prepare for the 21st century: high-quality science, usable knowledge for resource managers, responsive technical assistance, continuing education, and cost-effective research programs.

To achieve these goals, a network of Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Units (CESUs) has been established. Presently, the CESU network is comprised of 16 regional programs across the continental United States, the Caribbean, Alaska, Hawaii and the Pacific Islands. All tolled, the 130 academic institutions, 13 Federal agencies and 35 Non-Governmental Organizations involved with the CESU effort rank it among the largest of collaborative research partnerships encompassing natural and cultural resources in the United States. Click here for more information on the CESU.

The geographic scope of the North Atlantic Coast (NAC) CESU includes the North Atlantic coastal zone fromMaine to the Chesapeake Bay in Virginia. NAC-CESU activities will encompass all ecosystems of coastal watersheds, including barrier islands,