DEVELOPMENT OF COAST MODELS OF THE WATERSHED GAME: A REPORT SUMMARIZING THE METHODS AND DATA CAPTURED TO IDENTIFY AND SYNTHESIZE PRIORITY COASTAL ISSUES

The purpose of this report is to summarize how priority coastal issues were identified for inclusion in the development of the Coast Models of the Watershed Game. The Watershed Game is an interactive engagement tool that educates participants on the connection between land use and water quality. The original tool was developed for headwaters streams, lakes, and rivers. To better address water resource challenges in coastal environments, this scoping study sought to understand and identify the critical water-related challenges faced in coastal areas to inform the development of Coast Models of the tool.
Through a multi-pronged approach to gather information, the authors, as the product development team, collected data to identify and describe priority coastal issues to inform the development of the Coast Models of the Watershed Game. Each data collection approach was designed to build off the previous and inform the development of the next to verify previous results and corroborate findings. Four methods were used in this process: a review of reports on coastal issues in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic regions, a survey targeting coastal professionals along the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic coastlines, a focus group with coastal professionals in the Gulf of Mexico and South Atlantic, and a survey targeting the National Sea Grant Network. The methods and descriptive elements differed somewhat among the four approaches.