Note: This information is provided for reference purposes only. Although the information provided here was accurate and current when first created, it is now outdated.

"These New England states, I do believe, will be the noblest country in the world in a little while. They will be the salvation of that very great body, the rest of the United States; they are the pith and marrow, heart and core, head and spirit of that country." -Fanny Kemble, 1847

The New England environment is so precious to us because it is part and parcel of our past and our present, of our free time and our work, of our culture and our economy. Our environment is made up of many special places that are beloved for many different reasons. This year's State of the New England Environment Report takes an in-depth look at a few distinctive elements of our environment -- such as coastal areas and our "urban ecosystems," or city environments -- and describes our work to encourage and achieve sound stewardship of those and all our natural resources. The people of New England have always been drawn to the region's coasts. From the rich oystering and quahogging beds of Long Island Sound to the sweep of Outer Cape Cod, from the openness and wildness of Block Island and its Sound to historic Boston Harbor, from the great homes looking out over the New Hampshire shoreline to the lighthouses and craggy shores of the coast of Maine, the Atlantic Ocean has kept New Englanders close to her. The coastline is up to five times more densely populated than our inland areas. The popularity of coastal areas -- as understandable as it is -- has placed increasing strain on our coastal environment. This growing strain calls for careful attention and for innovative approaches to coastal protection. Despite the classic imagery of families passing their days in idyllic, rural New England communities complete with town commons and town meetings, many of us actually live in major cities like Hartford, Connecticut; Boston, Massachusetts; and Portland, Maine. Historically, urban issues have not been considered environmental issues. At EPA, we no longer think that way. The protection of the urban environment of New England is just as important to us as the protection of what we have traditionally thought of as our prized natural resources -- astounding waters like Lake Champlain in Vermont, majestic peaks like Mount Washington in New Hampshire, and stunning open spaces like Indian Island in the Penobscot River of Maine. Urban spaces, like the coastline, present unique challenges in environmental protection. To protect the coastline, the urban areas and the rest of New England's environment, EPA has adopted a series of new approaches to our work -- new directions that call for greater participation by the public and the businesses of New England. With sufficient teamwork, these new directions could go a long way toward preserving our environment for generations to come. An important new approach is our dedication to what we call "Community Based Environmental Protection." EPA recognizes that each place and each natural resource is different. Each place or resource needs protection that makes sense for that specific area and, importantly, for the people who live, work and play there. A major part of Community Based Environmental Protection is building partnerships with the people who care about our resources -- the community members who live in our cities, the advocates that have fought for decades for the health of the coastal areas, the businesspeople who have kept our economy vital and who foot a large percentage of the bill for protection of the environment. As we build these partnerships and go about our day-to-day work to protect the environment, we are do so with a heightened awareness that our decisions must take into account the need for our economy to grow as we move toward the next century. We also bring a stronger understanding of science to our efforts with and on behalf of the people of New England. There is more to the 1996 State of the New England Environment Report than a snapshot of the environmental health of our coasts and our cities and the innovative approaches to protect them at EPA. But these key areas point to the underlying theme of the report. We live in a world that is changing fast. We must adjust to those changes if we are to preserve our environment. EPA is working hard to keep up with the times. Our state and tribal partners must do, and are doing, the same. And the public of New England must play an even greater role than ever in environmental protection if we are to be successful -- to continue to live up to our promise as the "pith and marrow, heart and core, head and spirit" of America.