HUMANS HAVE ALWAYS been drawn to estuaries and coasts for their natural resources and their beauty. Rhode Island, the Ocean State, is defined by Narragansett Bay, a resource that is beautiful, enduring and also fragile. Narragansett Bay is the perfect example of an estuary (a body of water where freshwater meets saltwater) in today’s world, and properly managing Narragansett Bay is an important priority for Rhode Island.

Slater Mill, the “birthplace of the American industrial revolution,” in the late 1700s, sits at the top of Narragansett Bay as a symbol of the cultural and historic significance of the area. Rhode Island has a rich history of shipping, manufacturing and industry. This human history has also left upper Narragansett Bay with a legacy of impacts and pollution. Narragansett Bay now faces a more recent additional set of problems, including climate change, over-fishing and shoreline development.

Across the world, over-fishing, habitat destruction, nutrient pollution, toxic wastes, dumping, introduced species, global warming, natural disasters such as hurricanes and other stresses are having a major impact on the environment and on the creatures of our coasts and estuaries. Managing these areas is an important priority for our nation.

Meeting the global challenge of guiding the future of our coasts and estuaries is why an estimated 1,600 scientists, managers, educators and others will gather in Providence from tomorrow, Nov. 4, through Thursday, Nov. 8, to explore new and progressive ideas in coastal and estuarine science and management, to share their research, to plan new projects, and to make connections with others in the field. Renowned experts, scientists, managers and students will be on hand as the Estuarine Research Federation (ERF) convenes its 19th international conference on science and management in Providence at the Rhode Island Convention Center. This location seems appropriate given the prominence of the Narragansett Bay estuary in the daily lives of Rhode Islanders.

The theme of the ERF 2007 conference is “Science and Management” and the conference will pay particular attention to the application of science to problem solving and management. A major goal is to improve how we tend to the health of these valuable environmental and economic resources around the world.

ERF is a private, international, nonprofit and nonpartisan organization of academic researchers, public-sector managers, teachers, consultants, students and others who study and manage coasts and estuaries and the effects of human activities on these fragile environments. Since its creation, in 1971, the federation has been advancing the understanding and wise stewardship of estuarine and coastal ecosystems worldwide. The mission of the federation is to promote research in estuarine and coastal ecosystems, to support education of scientists, decision-makers and the public, and to facilitate communication among these groups.

Thanks to ERF members, problems that might threaten our coasts and estuaries can be avoided or minimized. For example, nutrient pollution threatens large numbers of estuaries in the United States with problems such as blooms of drifting algae, fish kills, and loss of valuable seagrass habitats that are nurseries for juvenile fish and shellfish. Many sessions at ERF address nutrient pollution. Climate change, sea-level rise and hurricanes are together predicted to lead to major environmental and economic impacts to our shorelines, which can cost billions of dollars; several ERF sessions discuss these issues, and offer ideas for sustainable solutions, for example by preserving wetlands, which can absorb storm surges. Many of our coastal fisheries are declining rapidly, and ERF sessions provide the science to deal with this as well.

The ERF 2007 conference provides an opportunity for local scientists and managers to contribute, to plan, and to learn, thus improving science and management of Narragansett Bay, of our coastal salt ponds, and of our other local aquatic resources. In turn, visiting scientists and managers will leave Rhode Island having an enhanced opportunity to advance the science and management of estuaries worldwide, taking with them an appreciation for Narragansett Bay and for our Rhode Island coast.

J. Joseph Garrahy, is a former governor of Rhode Island and was chairman of the Governor’s Narragansett Bay & Watershed Planning Commission in 2003- 2004. Robert W. Howarth, of Cornell University, is the incoming president of the Estuarine Research Foundation.