Conserving coastal places provides economic benefits to local communities. For example, across all national marine sanctuaries, about $4 billion annually is generated in local coastal and ocean-dependent economies from diverse activities like commercial fishing, research, and recreation-tourist activities.

The National Ocean Service works to conserve marine areas — and preserve the economic benefits of these special places to local communities — through coastal management and place-based conservation programs such as the National Estuarine Research Reserve System, National Marine Sanctuaries, and the Coral Reef Conservation Program.

Next week, NOS will celebrate these special coastal and marine places in conjunction with National Travel and Tourism Week. Our online campaign, Come Visit Us, will highlight a variety of coastal and marine places that NOS helps to protect, including:

Besides inviting people to visit these places of beauty, culture, and history, this campaign directly supports the NOS priority of place-based conservation. The NOS focus on place-based conservation supports NOAA and DOC priorities and also contributes to the the National Travel and Tourism Strategy and America's Great Outdoors Initiative. I encourage you to follow and share on NOS's website, Facebook and Twitter pages.

Holly A. Bamford, Ph.D.
Assistant Administrator for Ocean Services and Coastal
Zone Management, National Ocean Service