THE PRESIDENTS' LETTER

Board Affirms Federation's Interest in ALL Coastal Systems 
Name Changes Recommended to Bring the "Sea" to Estuaries 

Dear Federation Members: 

Inspired by the growing awareness of the linkages between estuaries, watersheds, and coastal oceans and by a reaffirmation of our mission to promote research in estuarine and coastal waters, the Governing Board made two bold and exciting decisions on November 5, 2004. The Board members voted to recommend a change in the Federation's name to the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF), and to change the name of our journal Estuaries to Estuaries and Coasts. 

These two decisions reflect Board members' belief that a new name and journal title provide more accurate descriptions of our mission, our membership, and the contents of our programs. Increasing the awareness of our mission and our interests in all types of coastal systems is the heart of the decisions. Although the changes discussed in this letter may surprise some members, they are the outgrowth of actions that evolved over the past few years and were acted upon first for the journal. 

The journal's new name -- Estuaries and Coasts 

In 2002, the Board voted to extend the name of the journal from Estuaries to Estuaries: An International Journal of Coastal Science, effective in 2003. The journal's title was changed to clarify that coastal science is the scope and to explicitly invite international authors and readers. (Please see the sidebar below, right for the journal's statement of scope.) 

The journal is an important outlet for research spanning the land-sea margin from the air and watersheds to the coastal ocean. The Board thinks that the name Estuaries and Coasts brings the journal's title in better alignment with its scope and that this additional clarity will help the journal serve a wider audience.

Early in 2003 Federation members voted to add a position on the Governing Board for a non-US member. This new member greatly aided efforts to understand how the Federation and journal are perceived -- especially by nonmembers and international colleagues. These efforts intensified during the Board's strategic planning work in 2004. 

From the contents of recent issues of our journal, one can see that it is an important outlet for research spanning the land-sea margin from the air- and watersheds to the coastal ocean. The Board thinks that the name Estuaries and Coasts brings the journal's title in better alignment with its scope and that this additional clarity will help the journal serve a wider audience. 

Statement of Scope for Estuaries: An International Journal of Coastal Science 

Estuaries is a bimonthly interdisciplinary journal focused on coastal science published by the Estuarine Research Federation. The journal Estuaries publishes manuscripts presenting original data, ideas, and interpretations on the coastal zone. The coastal zone refers to the interface between land and ocean, and is broadly defined to include areas within estuaries, lagoons, wetlands, tidal rivers, watersheds that include estuaries, and adjacent coastal and shelf waters.

A change in the journal name is made through a change in the Federation's Bylaws, which can be accomplished by a majority vote of the Governing Board. This change will become effective in 2006. 

The Federation's proposed name -- Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation 

As a result of analyzing the mission of our society (see sidebar on page 5 for the Federation's mission), the contents of our publications and programs and perceptions of them, the Board members voted unanimously to recommend to the ERF membership a change in the Federation's name to the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF). 

From the ERF Constitution and Bylaws created in 1971 
2.1.2 Purpose of the Organization 

Said organization is established as a nonprofit society and shall be operated exclusively for educational purposes and limited to those purposes. The objectives shall be to promote research in estuarine and coastal waters, to promote communication between members of affiliated societies (newsletters, journals), to conduct meetings and to be available as a source of advice in matters concerning estuaries and the coastal zone.

Our publications and biennial conference topics cover wide geographic and disciplinary boundaries. Yet, many scientists, educators, and coastal decision makers remain unaware of the full scope of coastal science that the Federation offers. We asked ourselves why this was. The Board came to understand that the word "estuaries" is widely perceived as referring to a limited subset of coastal ecosystems. This perception seems to be particularly true for scientists outside the United States. The Board wishes to more effectively serve those across the globe whose interests and needs align with ours. The Board members believe that Federation members have much to gain from increased interactions with more coastal scientists around the world and in the US. We hope that a society name change will attract more researchers, educators and coastal decision makers to our conferences, publications, and membership. 

The degree to which the name changes for the journal and society could open opportunities for the Federation has been discussed formally and informally at a number of Board meetings in recent years. Increasing the awareness of our mission and our interests in all types of coastal systems were the heart of those discussions. Judging from the enthusiasm expressed in the Governing Board's discussions and from informal polls of ERF members, we believe that widespread support exists within the membership to acknowledge and promote our true horizons. 

We understand that some resistance to change is normal and that many members have great affection for "ERF" as we presently know it. That is one reason we have kept the name change small. We are not seeking a radical departure from our existing name. Instead, we propose only a refinement and clarification that we hope will make clear that all types of coastal science and scientists are welcome. We trust that members will thoughtfully consider the goal of having our name reflect the full scope of our mission to all who encounter it, not just to those who already know what we are about. 

To make a change in the name of our society, a constitutional amendment must be presented to the general membership for a vote, must be accomplished by mail, and must pass by a majority of voting members. The Board plans to give the ERF membership the opportunity to vote on this important issue within this calendar year. 

We are excited to refine the way our society tells the world what it is. We believe that the time is right to reconfigure the Federation's good name to more accurately reflect its mission. We hope you will give these ideas some thought, discuss them with your colleagues and let us know your opinions. We welcome your thoughts. Please send them to any of the Presidents or to Joy at ERF headquarters and we will carry a representative subset of them in the next Newsletter and on the web site. 

On behalf of all of the members of the Governing Board, we hope that you will choose to put the "C" in ERF when you are given an opportunity to vote on this change. 

Sincerely, 

Linda Schaffner, President 
linda@vims.edu 

Dennis Allen, Past President 
dallen@belle.baruch.sc.edu 

Robert Christian, President Elect 
christianr@mail.ecu.edu

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