Virginia Sea Grant will hold a meeting from 6-8 p.m. Tuesday at Gloucester Point to gather information from people who live along and in the vicinity of shorelines about what they feel are the most important coastal issues.

Brian Durant, a summer intern for Virginia Sea Grant, is coordinating the meeting, which will be held at Room 424 of Andrews Hall on the Virginia Institute of Marine Science campus. Durant said June 14 that a dozen people from the Gloucester and Yorktown areas had already signed up to participate, with room for more. A free dinner will be provided.

People who attend the focus group are encouraged to share their concerns about living in a coastal area, such as the environment, health of the waterways and development pressure.

In addition, Durant said he wants participants to indicate ways that they feel they might be kept more informed about coastal issues.

Since he’s working on a master’s degree in communication at George Mason University, Durant said he is interested in residents telling him how they feel the information process can be improved.

Durant said he is hosting the focus group as part of a class requirement.

Durant, who is originally from Kansas, earned a bachelor’s degree in microbiology at Kansas State University and a master’s degree in human resources at the University of Oklahoma.

For more information or to reserve a spot to attend the dinner meeting, contact Durant at 478-951-8631 or bdurant@vims.edu.

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