The S.C. Department of Parks, Recreation & Tourism has launched a new Web site devoted specifically to the Palmetto State’s 200 miles of coastline. The site is so new in fact that it took a minute to load, and when it did, it just redirected to a sub-domain off their existing site. Here’s the direct link: SCPRT’s new beach site.

The Web site at www.SCBeaches.travel provides up-to-date travel information on three distinct areas – the Lowcountry and Resort Islands, Historic Charleston and Myrtle Beach & the Grand Strand – along with interactive games for kids, weather, maps and a photo album.

Using keyword research, SCPRT has organized the new site in a way to make it more accessible to the Internet search engines that millions of consumers use when looking for unique, fun and affordable beach trips. It also provides the state’s tourism partners on the coast with a clear portal for their consumer message.

SCBeaches.travel is the latest in a series of Web sites created and maintained by SCPRT. The others include the state’s official tourism site at www.DiscoverSouthCarolina.com, the Web site of the S.C. State Park Service at www.SouthCarolinaParks.com and specialized offerings such as www.SouthCarolinaGolf.com, www.SavorSouthCarolina.com and www.CarolinaGirls.travel.

The state tourism agency also maintains sites designed specifically for cellphones and other handheld devices. They are www.DiscoverSouthCarolina.mobi and www.SouthCarolinaParks.mobi. They contain key information about South Carolina attractions, events, lodging, shopping, dining, golf courses and state parks.

_{Now I know why my logs have been showing so many hits for “South Carolina beaches” lately.}

It’s amazing what you can find out there if you just look in the right places. I just read a report on the EPA’s website about sea-level rising and it’s impact on us right here in S.C.

Some highlights:

• * Rising water levels are already an important factor in submerging low-lying lands, eroding beaches, converting wetlands to open water, and exacerbating coastal flooding. All of these effects will be increased if the rate of sea-level rise accelerates in the future.
• * Most coastal wetlands in the mid-Atlantic would be lost if sea level rises one meter in the next century. Even a 50-cm rise would threaten most wetlands along the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay.
• * Possible responses to sea level rise include seawalls, bulkheads, and other shoreline armoring; elevating buildings and land surfaces (including beaches and wetlands); and allowing shorelines to change and moving structures out of harm’s way. Those three approaches have very different environmental and social impacts.
• * Preparing now can reduce the eventual environmental and economic impacts of sea level rise.
• * Some governmental and non-governmental organizations are already starting to prepare for sea level rise.

You can read the full report at Coastal Sensitivity to Sea-level Rise.