A Georgia Coastal Hazards Portal Training Workshop will introduce a new Web-based tool to study threats to the Georgia coast. It will be held at the Sapelo Island Visitor Center in Meridian, Ga., on Friday, April 13, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The workshop will focus on the Georgia Coastal Hazards Portal (GCHP) — a Web-based interactive tool designed to provide a better understanding of coastal resources, coastal hazards and the effects of rapid population growth and development. It was created through a partnership between the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and the Savannah Area GIS program with funding provided by the Georgia Coastal Zone Management Program.

“This online tool can be utilized in many ways, such as, identifying vulnerability to coastal hazards and identifying connections between hazards and natural resources,” said Skidaway Institute’s Clark Alexander, the lead scientist on the GCHP project.

The workshop is targeted towards community planners, resource managers, research scientists, outreach specialists and elected officials. They will have the opportunity to discuss current coastal hazard research, network with others from the coastal hazards community and learn how to use the new interactive GCHP website as a resource and tool for communicating the facts and risks of coastal hazards.

The workshop is sponsored by the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, the University of Georgia Marine Extension Service, the Sapelo Island National Estuarine Research Reserve and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division.

Registration is available on-line at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CGHPRegistrationForm.

Workshop participants will receive lunch and a flash drive containing presentations and GCHP reference material.

The American Planning Association has approved the GCHP Training Workshop for six credits.

For additional information, contact Angela Bliss at abliss@skio.uga.edu.