Georgia's rapid coastal growth has spawned many concerns about the quality of coastal resources. Over the past five years, a grass-roots movement of commercial fishermen, recreational fishermen, environmentalists, academics, regulators, municipal officials and legislators has expressed increasing concern about degradation of water quality in coastal Georgia. Both anecdotal and increasing scientific evidence suggests that the quality and productivity of coastal rivers and estuaries have declined markedly over the last 20 - 30 years. Major coastal stakeholders agree that Georgians need more information to quantify the current condition of the state's coastal water resources, and that the results of scientific studies should be placed in an easily understood format and communicated to the largest possible group of Georgia's decision makers and to the public.

To accomplish this task, in the fall of 2000 the University of Georgia (UGA) Marine Extension Service received funds to initiate the Coastal Georgia NEMO Project to help provide the growing body of scientific research to local land use decision makers. Funding for the project comes from a variety of sources, such as NOAA Sea Grant’s Coastal Community Development Program, EPA Section 319 funding through GA Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Coastal Zone Management (CZM) funds administered by the Coastal Resources Division of DNR.

The primary focus of the Coastal GA NEMO Project is the 11 CZM coastal counties in Georgia and the five major river watersheds discharging into the Georgia Bight. Coastal GA NEMO is coordinated by UGA's Marine Extension Service and has a full-time NEMO coordinator on staff. The project has completed 20 workshops and training sessions geared to decision makers or NEMO trainers, totaling 1,440 participants. NEMO presentations or displays at coastal festivals have reached another 1,850 members of the public.

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