Gary S. Kleppel Testimony

My name is Gary S. Kleppel. I am Principal Investigator and Science Coordinator of the Land Use – Coastal Ecosystem Study (LU-CES). LU-CES is a multi-year, regional investigation of the effects of changing land use patterns and coastal development on the natural and economic resources of the salt marsh estuaries of the southeastern United States. The kinds of changes that we are concerned with are the result of human inmigration to the region, leading to increased urbanization and concomitant alteration of ecosystem structure (biodiversity) and function (performance) in ways that could significantly affect economic, aesthetic and cultural values. The goals of LU-CES are to develop an understanding of the mechanisms underlying these changes and to develop models and tools that can be used by decision makers, particularly at the local level to minimize and mitigate the negative impacts of changing land use patterns to coastal ecosystems. LU-CES is funded by the NOAA’s Coastal Ocean Program (COP) and is managed by the South Carolina Sea Grant Consortium with input from Georgia Sea Grant. M.R. DeVoe, Executive Director of the SC Sea Grant Consortium, is co-PI of LU-CES.