Sometimes, an agency’s immense impact on our lifestyle, livelihoods and loves can be hiding in plain sight… even when they’re located just a stone’s throw away.

NOAA Way!

If you’ve ever…

• Looked up the local tide tables to time out your shark tooth hunt or paddling session
• Monitored a hurricane’s projected path to prep your home or business
• Captained or chartered a boat using nautical navigation to lead the way
• Checked the temperature to choose your outfit of the day|
• Sought out certain scientific research to reference in a school paper
• Gone SCUBA diving in a marine sanctuary teeming with life
• Followed the weather forecast to plan out your bike ride, beach day or bridge walk
• Dined on delicious local and sustainable seafood
• Spent time in the lush saltmarsh landscape synonymous to our region
• Seen aerial footage of whales, dolphins and more off our coast

…You have the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to thank.

NOAA was born from the merging of three agencies independently focused on maritime safe passage, weather services and fisheries conservation, respectively. Thanks to substantial bipartisan support in 1970 — that included our own former Senator Ernest “Fritz” Hollings hailing from Charleston — NOAA was founded, and its slate of collaborative community impacts continues to flourish. That ‘community’ extends to the species we all know and love, too: our beloved sea turtles.

For Sea Turtles’ Sake

Sea turtles are protected under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). As a marine species is added to the ESA, NOAA serves as the governing body charged with developing species recovery plans and enforcing each action item accordingly. More specifically, NOAA has helped by:

• Designating critical marine habitats that provide sea turtles shelter, food and protection
• Monitoring and removing harmful and life-threatening marine debris from the ocean
• Designing turtle excluder devices (TEDs) and regulating their requirements on shrimping boats
• Negotiating and ratifying international treaties to protect sea turtles
• Collaborating with partner organizations on collective sea turtle conservation efforts
• Researching and collecting data on sea turtle biology, migratory patterns and population counts

This list is by no means all-encompassing, nor is it exhaustive. But it’s safe to say that NOAA deserves a nod for saving sea turtles. And lucky for us, sea turtles aren’t the only ones reaping the rewards of NOAA’s impact.

NOAA’s Network of Hope

For 55 years, we’ve benefited from NOAA’s extensive wealth of knowledge, actions and expertise. They’re the agency responsible for endangered species conservation, reliable weather forecasting, climate change studies and solutions, marine resource management and so much more. Thanks to NOAA:

• We have environmental laws protecting water, wildlife and wild places
• We have access to the natural world and reassurance it’s being cared for
• We have trusty research, tools and data to help inform our daily decisions
• We have legal standing to start conversations if government actions put us at risk
• We have confidence that our health and safety is taken into consideration

NOAA’s worth is widespread, and those that make up the workforce may even be your neighbor. The Lowcountry is a hub for many of NOAA’s offices, whose work and contributions touch every corner of South Carolina and beyond.

In short, we’re lucky to have NOAA. We benefit greatly from the brilliant brains of their scientists that seek answers to critical concerns and the data-driven solutions that stem from countless research. NOAA’s staunch commitment to providing relevant and reliable information to the public is helping us collectively create a more resilient future.

Were you “wowed” by what you learned?
Let your legislators know how important NOAA is to you, too. ♡

Published February 26, 2025