Center for Coastal & Marine Studies P.O. Box 10037 Beaumont, TX 77710

The Center for Coastal and Marine Studies (CCMS), established in 1986, is a research unit of the College of Arts and Sciences at Lamar University. The Center's mission is to advance the knowledge and understanding of the ecological and economic resources of the coastal and marine environments of the Gulf of Mexico. The Center's activities include basic and applied research, ecological monitoring, public education outreach, and undergraduate and graduate level education and research. Situated on Pleasure Island within the Sabine-Neches Estuary, the Center offers unique opportunities to study a variety of aquatic habitats from inland lakes and rivers to open bays, coastal marshes, beaches, and the open waters of the Gulf of Mexico.

Facilities at the Center for Coastal and Marine Studies on Pleasure Island include 12,000 sq. ft. of laboratory, office, and support space, including teaching and wet laboratories, aquarium facilities, museum and boat storage. Environmental chambers and 1,000 gallon seawater system. Field vehicles include two 15-passenger vans, pickup, jeep, two shallow-water aluminum boats and several jon boats.

Additional space and equipment is available in the Hayes Biology building located on the main Lamar University Campus. The Mary and John Gray Library allows access to more than 1,000,000 volumes and 3,000 periodicals including many marine science-related journals. Additionally, the library houses the Gulf Coast Environmental Library which provides information on hazardous substance response and waste management throughout the Gulf Coast serving researchers as well as industry.

Other Sites: Additional information and study opportunities exist at the Lamar University based Gulf Coast Hazardous Substance Research Center which supports research related to pollution prevention, waste treatment, and site remediation.

The Center's location on Pleasure Island offers students and area scientists a unique opportunity to work in a wide variety of aquatic environments, including marsh, riverine, estuarine, and marine habitats. The Sabine-Neches River Estuary is unique in having the highest freshwater input of all Texas estuaries. Active research programs combine field and laboratory work in investigations of marine physiological ecology, benthic ecology, marsh community ecology, and environmental monitoring. The Center continues to seek collaborative, multidisciplinary studies with federal, state, industrial, and local organizations to facilitate the application of new technologies to practical problems and to provide information critical to the wise management of our coastal and marine resources.

The CCMS facility also offers research equipment, and office and laboratory space for visiting scientists.Ê

The Center for Coastal and Marine Studies is an organized research unit of the College of Arts and Sciences' Department of Biology, which offersÊB.S. degrees in Biology and Environmental Science and a M.S. degree in Biology. The Biology Department offers courses emphasizing the biological, chemical, and physical dynamics of marine ecosystems. Graduates are prepared to excel in a variety of careers in industry and governmental agencies or to continue their education towards advanced graduate degrees.Ê

The Center is supervised by faculty from the biology department whose research interests exhibit a diverse range of specializations.

Hicks, David W., Marine invertebrate environmental physiology, invasive species

Christensen, Ana B.,Ê Invertebrate physiology, environmental physiology, echinoderms

Haiduk, Michael W.,Ê Systematics and evolutionary biology

Harrel, Richard C.,Ê Invertebrate zoology, limnology, aquatic ecology

Hunt, Madelyn D.,Ê Marine microbiology, bioremediation

Nicoletto, Paul F.,Ê Ichthyology, behavioral ecology

Runnels, William C.,Ê Marine biology, phycology, oceanography

Terry, Randall, G.,Ê Plant systematics

Warren, Michael, E.,Ê Microbiology, entomology

Yoder, H. Randall,Ê Parsitology

The Center for Coastal and Marine Studies is located on Pleasure Island, 35 km southeast of the Lamar University campus in Beaumont, Texas. Pleasure Island, an 18.5 mile-long man-made body of land, extends from the mouth of the Neches River on the northwest to the Sabine Causeway on the southeast and is surrounded by Sabine Lake and the Intracoastal Waterway. It is largely a recreational area with cabins and condominiums, a championship disc golf course, music park, a 400-slip marina, boat ramps, fishing piers, shops, restaurants, biking and hiking trails, and playground and picnic facilities. The nearby McFaddin National Wildlife Refuge, Sea Rim State Park, Murphree Wildlife Refuge, and Keith Lake marsh system provide >86,000 acres of wetlands and marshes.Ê

David W. Hicks, Ph.D.