Each and every day, waves move sand back and forth, onto and away from beaches. The thin ribbon of sandy barrier islands and beaches along America's coastline shifts constantly, especially during hurricanes, nor'easters, and other extreme storms.

How vulnerable is your favorite beach if a hurricane like Katrina, Ike, or Sandy paid a visit? What did your beach look like 50, 100, or 150 years ago? What might it look like in the future? Since more than 40 percent of the nation's population lives in coastal counties on both the East and West Coasts, answering questions like these will help protect millions of citizens who are at risk from changing sea level, retreating shorelines, and extreme coastal storms.

To help ensure safe and resilient coasts, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has created an online tool that allows anyone to interactively "see" past, present and future hazards. This tool - the  USGS Coastal Change Hazards Portal - can aid in decisions that involve emergency preparedness, ecosystem restoration, and where and how to develop coastal areas.

No sophisticated technology is required. The tool runs on web browsers, tablets, and smartphones. It is designed for a wide-range of audiences, from federal and state agencies to non-governmental organizations, public entities, and private citizens.

"Our nation's coastlines are constantly changing landscapes that pose unique management challenges," said Suzette Kimball, USGS acting director. "This new USGS portal is truly one-of-a-kind, providing a credible foundation for making decisions to protect resources, reduce risk, and prevent economic losses."

"Essentially, the portal is an interactive mapping product with layers of information, but don't let that simple explanation be deceiving," Kimball continued. "The portal is unique in that it compiles a diverse array of science - science that is unbiased - to provide a comprehensive picture needed to visualize and understand how coasts behave under various conditions."

How It Works

One key component of the portal is the ability to explore coastal hazard risks at varied scales, from a local area of interest to a national perspective. This location-specific capability is extremely valuable for planning and preparedness and for making decisions to build coastal resilience.

For example, if a hurricane alert is issued, users can input their city and state to see maps and imagery of potential impacts for a similar storm scenario. If an individual is planning to move to a beach, they can type a location into the portal to view what types of coastal hazards and impacts have occurred nearby. The Coastal Vulnerability Index feature shows the relative susceptibility of the Nation's coasts to sea- level rise. Resource managers can also make decisions on how best to protect precious ecosystems. These are just a few ways the portal may be utilized.

Video Tutorial

Watch a short video that demonstrates how a resident in Rodanthe, NC, can use the portal to answer the question: As a long-term resident in this coastal community on the Outer Banks, how much beach erosion is occurring in my community?

Technology Sets Sail -- New 'Mashup' Capabilities

A range of information is provided through the portal, such as historical data, existing publications, satellite imagery, maps, and more. This 'mashup' of information is possible due to the wide scope of USGS expertise. For example, USGS scientists have completed a national research project that measures and interprets coastline change from the past 150-plus years. By looking to the past, scientists have direct evidence of how our diverse shorelines have behaved, allowing for more accurate analyses of future change. The USGS also investigates coastal change during extreme storms to help understand hazards such as severe beach erosion, island overwash, or coastal inundation. The portal will enable users to view USGS science in conjunction with their own personalized data to answer specific questions.

Partnerships are Essential

The maintenance of an accurate and up-to-date portal relies on relationships with federal agencies and many non-governmental organizations. This cooperation includes, for example, the incorporation of current forecasts from the National Weather Service along with corresponding coastal change forecasts from the USGS, a key partnership that will help in achieving near-real-time predictions of coastal change when hurricanes approach.

Similar collaborations are also necessary to make sure the portal addresses the needs of information users. For example, refuge managers at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will be able to use this tool in combination with many of their own mapping products to develop an appropriate forecast for endangered species and resource management. Managers with the National Park Service can apply these data to evaluate how to reduce or prevent vulnerabilities at specific facilities or cultural resources due to exposure to coastal hazards.

The information provided through the portal also enables state agencies to improve their ability to monitor and assess their coastlines. "The ability to easily locate and access USGS research and data through the new Coastal Change Hazards Portal is of great value for coastal managers," said Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management Director Bruce Carlisle. "This information directly supports our work with local cities and towns to assess risk and communicate current and future hazards."

Future Portal Plans and Enhancements

Coastlines are constantly changing landscapes that pose unique management challenges requiring fresh information. The USGS Coastal Change Hazards Portal is designed to be continually updated with the most current catalogues of information and tools that can be used to evaluate risk and inform actions that lead to improved coastal resilience.

In the future, the portal will evolve into an even more advanced web tool to forecast shoreline variations and provide managers and planners with information they need to protect resources, reduce risk, and prevent economic losses. Future refinements will sharpen information to the highest resolution available and provide capabilities for real-time storm vulnerability assessments.

Start with Science

Informed management and policy decisions require expert science as their foundation. The USGS is dedicated to addressing this need and providing unbiased coastal science. The USGS Coastal Change Hazards Portal is an internal partnership between the Coastal and Marine Geology Program, which develops the data and understanding to forecast coastal change, and the Center for Integrated Data Analysis, which provides the advanced software development and delivery capabilities to ensure USGS science is available as widely and effectively as possible.

Get Onboard and Explore

Follow the link below to investigate the coast and learn more about impending hazards: http://marine.usgs.gov/coastalchangehazardsportal.

Matchmaking isn't just for meddling aunts, reality TV and dating websites. Finding the perfect partner for your plant can help it grow better, repel unwanted pests and more. For instance, carrots planted near peas secrete a substance into the soil that the latter loves.

Following are four tips for successful companion gardening:

Plant Innate Insect Repellent. One way to keep damaging insects away from your garden is to mask the other plants' scents. You can easily do this by mixing fragrant herbs such as basil, chives, oregano, rosemary and sage in with you other plants. Because the strong-smelling herbs mask the scents of desirable plants, insects often will leave them alone.

Make the Most of No-Fuss Natural Fertilizer. Alfalfa, beans, beets, clover and kohlrabi all add nutrients to the soil when they die at the end of their growing season. Alfalfa, beans and clover take nitrogen from the air and convert it to a form of nitrogen that the plants can absorb in the soil. Beets and kohlrabi naturally add vital minerals to the soil.

Get the Best of Benevolent Plant Partners. Many gardeners believe complementary plants in the vegetable garden can boost growth and flavor because they secrete substances into the soil that help other vegetables. To improve the flavor of your tomatoes, for example. plant basil alongside them. Or try planting chamomile with cabbage, cucumbers or onions to improve their flavor and make them grow faster.

Tap Your Tall Plants. Another easy form of companion gardening is simply to use tall plants. They provide shade to sun-sensitive plants, and also act as a windbreak. Sunflowers planted next to your vegetable garden, for example, can protect cucumbers and tomatoes from the searing afternoon sun.

Absolute Bird Control 

Protect your garden from pest birds by using humane methods. Following are three tips:

Remove the food source. If pest birds are eating from your garden, they have no reason to go elsewhere because the food is convenient and plentiful. If you remove their food source, however, the birds will move on. Whether you have berries, fruit, or vegetables, you can protect your garden from pest birds with garden bird netting. It's easy to install and creates a barrier between the birds and the food source. You can leave the netting up through the season or you can take it down once the birds move on.

Use Audible Deterrents. Birds are often attracted to fruit and flowers. Birds may not be eating from your garden but they may be leaving their droppings. Bird droppings create an unsightly mess and can be extremely contaminating. Because birds hear on the same level as humans, an ultra-sonic device will not work, so to scare birds away from your food and flower gardens, use an audible bird deterrent that replicates distress and predator calls.

Create an Appearance of Danger. Birds are vigilant and stay away from anything that looks dangerous. Using visual bird deterrents is sometimes all you need to keep birds away from your garden. Birds are reluctant to be near anything that will disable their wings, and red flash tape, a completely humane product, creates the appearance of danger as it flaps in the wind and reflects the sun, posing as a moving and unpredictable danger. A brightly colored balloon with a predator eye is another humane, but more intimidating product, that poses as a danger to keep pest birds away. 

Seguin: "Rain Gardens and Storm Water Treatments" will be presented by Matt Madrone, Landscape Architecture, at 7 p.m., July 17, at the Justice Center, 211 Court St., Seguin. A 6:30 p.m. social function precedes the meeting. For additional information, call 830-303-3889 or visit www.guadalupecountymastergardeners.org.

Austin: Chris Doggett, of Williamson County Beekeepers Association, will present "Raising and Managing Bees, Saturday, July 19, 10 a.m. - noon, at Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Rd., Austin. Doggett will share his knowledge and expertise in raising and managing bees. Learn how to provide a healthy and attractive environment for bees, whether you have a backyard hive, or acres of crops needing pollination. A delightful speaker with hands-on experience, Chris will gladly answer your questions and concerns to take the mystery out of beekeeping. This seminar is free; Zilker park entrance fee is $2 per adult, $1 per child or senior. The seminar is presented by the Travis County Master Gardeners, a volunteer arm of the Texas AgriLife Extension Service in Travis County. For information, visit www.tcmastergardeners.org or call -512-477-8672.

Dallas: "Moths: Tales from the Dark Side" will be presented Saturday, July 19, from 10 a.m.-noon.

Delve beyond butterflies and learn about one of nature's "other pollinators," the moth. Learn about fascinating behaviors, adaptations and diversity in the moth world from Entomologist John Watts. $15; $12 for TDG members. Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park - 3601 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Dallas. For more information, visit http://texasdiscoverygardens.org/events_and_classes.php.

La Marque: "A Homeowners Guide to Weed Control" will be presented by GC Master Gardener Anna Wygrys. Saturday, July 19, 9-11:30 a.m. at Galveston County AgriLife Extension in Carbide Park, 4102 Main, La Marque; Phone 281-534-3413; email reservations to galv3@wt.net, further details www.aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/galveston. Free.

Nacogdoches: Join Cindy Hoyt, proprietor of Pineywoods Herb Farm, for a special Herbal Seminar on July 19 from 9 a.m.-noon in the Ina Brundrett Conservation Education Building, 2900 Raguet Street at the SFA Pineywoods Native Plant Center in Nacogdoches. Participants will learn about creating infusions using bay leaves and also participate in a hands-on lesson of making compound (herbal flavored) butter. Cindy plans to share her culinary treats with participants, so get ready for the sight, smell and taste of fresh herbs at this delicious seminar. Pineywoods Herb Farm is located in Kennard, where Cindy and her husband Richard use organic and sustainable farming practices to raise herbs. They specialize in culinary, medicinal, and landscape herbs and also offer seasonal vegetable plants, Texas native plants, wildflowers, and plants that attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds. Cost for the seminar is $25 for SFA Garden Members and $30 for non-members. To register for the seminar, or for more information, contact the education office at 936-468-1832 or email erodewald@sfasu.edu .

San Antonio: The 2014 Junior Master Gardener Summer Adult Training designed for teachers, educators, and volunteers in support of Youth Gardening will be held July 22-24 at the San Antonio Botanical Garden, 555 Funston Place, San Antonio. Participants will become affiliated with the Texas Junior Master Gardener (JMG) Program, which engages children in novel, "hands-on" group and individual learning experiences that provide a love of gardening, develop an appreciation for the environment, and cultivate the mind. Participants will learn how to establish a garden, start a Junior Master Gardener group, and obtain the JMG curriculum. CPE Hours are provided for this three day training. Cost of the training is $100. No refunds, after the application is submitted will be accepted. For an application, contact Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service, Bexar County office at 467-6575, or download an application at: www.bexar-tx.tamu.edu.

Woodway: Dr. Casey Reynolds, the Texas A&M Extension Turfgrass Specialist, will lead a seminar about turfgrass establishment and maintenance, water use, shade, species and variety selection, and proper pesticide application at 1 p.m., July 23. The seminar will be held at Whitehall Center at the Carleen Bright Arboretum, 9001 Bosque Blvd., Woodway. $10 admission. For additional information, visit www.mclennanmastergardeners.org.

Sugar Land: Meeting the Challenge of Regional and State Water Issues is the theme for the Irrigators Symposium July 25 at Constellation Field in Sugar Land. The event will be from 8 a.m.-3 p.m. and include a light breakfast and lunch. Registration is $50 and may be completed at http://agriliferegister.tamu.edu/irrigation. The program is designed for licensed irrigators and general landscape professionals. Topics will center around water conservation and how new technologies and marketing practices can help industry professionals as well as their clients. A panel discussion on "Water: Today's Issues and Future Regulations" will open the event at 8:20 a.m. Panelists will include Dr. Monty Dozier, AgriLife Extension regional program director in College Station; Colleen Spencer, water conservation director for the City of Sugar Land; and John DeCell, North Fort Bend Water Authority conservation committeeman. Irrigation technologies for business sustainability and financial advantages that can stem from an irrigation audit will be discussed by Dr. Charles Swanson, AgriLife Extension irrigation specialist in College Station. Water management for turfgrass will be the topic for Brad Detmore of Sugar Land, Skeeters groundskeeper, and Dr. Casey Reynolds, AgriLife Extension turfgrass specialist in College Station. Dr. Mengmeng Gu, AgriLife Extension Earth-Kind program specialist in College Station, will talk about ways to design landscapes to maximize irrigation efficiencies. Also scheduled is a noon discussion on the state's water plan and an afternoon session on marketing water conservation. AgriLife Extension partnered with the City of Sugar Land, the North Fort Bend Water Authority and the Houston Gulf Coast Irrigators Association to conduct the symposium. At least five continuing education credits will be given for Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and/or Texas Nursery and Landscape Association license holders. For more information contact Spencer at 281-275-2450.  

Dallas: "Fascinating World of Butterflies" will be presented 10:a.m.-1:30 p.m., Saturday, July 26, at Texas Discovery Gardens at Fair Park - 3601 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Dallas. Discover the fascinating world of butterflies with Dale Clark, co-founder of the Dallas County Lepidopterist Society. The class begins at Texas Discovery Gardens and ends with a field trip by caravan to Dale's butterfly farm south of Dallas. The farm is not usually open to the public. This is your chance to explore on a behind-the-scenes tour! Class is capped at 30 participants, so register early! $30; $24 for TDG members. For additional information, visit: http://texasdiscoverygardens.org/events_and_classes.php.

Humble: Mercer Botanic Gardens is once again teaming up with The Mercer Society to present the Summer Plant Sale and Color Conference on Saturday, July 26 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. This one-day plant sale and workshop provides gardeners with an outstanding selection of plants that will not only add interest and excitement to gardens and landscapes, but also flourish in the heat and humidity of Houston's summer months. Speakers will share their knowledge and advice about some of the featured plants from the sale through a special line-up of presentations. Featured topics and presenters include: Hibiscus: Scott Meadows, Mercer's education director; Salvias: Vickie Snyder, Mercer volunteer and Salvia enthusiast; Tropical Arums: Margaret Sinclair, president of The Mercer Society, president of The Houston Federation of Garden Clubs; Special Feature: Native Plants and How to Attract their Pollinators: Don Dubois, Mercer volunteer, native plant and butterfly enthusiast. Darrin Duling, Mercer's director, will kick off the day's activities with a garden tour featuring summer color favorites selected by the staff. Speaker presentations will begin at 10:15 a.m. and continue throughout the day with breaks for lunch and shopping at the plant sale. The conference fee is $55 for TMS members and $65 for nonmembers, which includes informative handouts, lunch, and advance entry into the plant sale before it is open to the public at 11 a.m. For more information and to register, please call 281-443-8731. Mercer Arboretum & Botanic Gardens is located one mile north of FM 1960 at 22306 Aldine Westfield Road in Humble, 77338. For additional information call 281-443-8731 or visit www.hcp4.net/mercer. 

Cleburne: Summer Thyme Festival will be held 8:30 a.m.-3 p.m., August 2, at the Cultural Arts Center, 425 Granbury, Cleburne. There will be free lectures, mini-workshops, kids activity center, seed swap, info table and vendors. For more information, call 817-793-4625, email wildwoodc@yahoo.com, or visit www.jcherbsocietytx.webs.com.  

Crandall: Kaufman County Master Gardeners present a Landscape & Sprinkler System Seminar on August 2, 8:30 a.m.-noon at the Central Baptist Church gym,1749 S. FM 148, Crandall. The cost is $10 per person. Learn proper soil preparation, planting and selection of native and adaptive plants, turf and trees. Plant list provided. Watch your sprinkler system save you money by converting your spray heads to drip, learning the cycle and soak irrigation method, as well as very basic, hands-on repairs & maintenance to home automatic sprinkler systems. For more information and to register, contact Sharon Burden at 972.932.9069 or email sbburden@ag.tamu.edu.

Rosenberg: "Fall Vegetable Gardening" will be presented Saturday, August 2, at the Agriculture Center at 1402 Band Road, Rosenberg, by Fort Bend Master Gardener vegetable specialists at 10 a.m. in the Vegetable Garden. Learn about garden preparation, maintaining soil health, fertilization, irrigation, pest control and the seasonal vegetable choices for Fort Bend County. The Demonstration Gardens are open from 9-11 a.m., with Master Gardeners available to answer gardening questions. Call 281-341-7068 or visit www.fbmg.com for more information.

• Many, many practical and timely garden tips that are for Texas - not Maine or California!
• Organic, earth friendly tips to make your garden grow and prosper
• Lots of space to record your own activities for future reference
• Planting dates and tips for vegetables, flowers, herbs, fruit and lawns

The Vegetable Book

By Dr. Sam Cotner

Finally, back by popular demand and in its fourth printing, the most informative and comprehensive "how-to" book on vegetable gardening in Texas (also, suitable for most other areas of the South) written by the late, great Dr. Sam Cotner, former head of horticulture at Texas A&M University and lifelong gardener. This interesting read has over 370 pages of detailed information on every crop, from Asparagus to Watermelon including problem/solving sections for each vegetable. If you want to maximize your enjoyment and success growing vegetables in Texas, this book is a "must have," whether you are a beginner or a seasoned gardener. Price $34.02

By William D. Adams

The best thing for tomato enthusiasts since the tomato itself! Adams draws on more than thirty years of experience to provide a complete, step-by-step guide to success in the tomato patch. Learn everything from soil preparation, planting, feeding, caging and watering. Liberally sprinkled with the author's easy humor and illustrated with his own excellent photographs, this must-have book has everything you'll need to assure a bumper crop! 189 pages. Lots of color photographs! Price: $31.94

($15.82 if ordered separately)

Remit payment to:

TG Books * PO Box 9005 * Waco, TX 76714

or call Toll-Free 1-800-727-9020

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