Setting the Stage for Solutions - An Environmentalist’s Perspective Rick Dove Neuse River Foundation PO Box 15451 New Bern, NC 28561 919-637-7972 919-514-0051 (fax) nrf@cconnect.net

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Table of Contents  Setting the Stage for Solutions - A Scientist's Perspective Kenneth H. Reckhow University of North Carolina Water Resources Research Institute Box 7912, North Carolina State University Raleigh, NC 27695 919-515-2815 919-515-7802 (fax) ken_reckhow@ncsu.edu While we almost always have enough information to make a decision, the fact that a decision can be made at any time does not mean that the decision should be a final action. Further, not all scientific questions need to be resolved for the selection of effective management actions.  At the same time, we should not expect quick scientific solutions, we should not be impatient with science, and we must be prepared to fund long-term science. To address Neuse River eutrophication, scientific knowledge concerning important issues such as: the sources and magnitude of atmospheric nitrogen loading, the control of Pfiesteria, and the effect of coastal plain agricultural drainage practices requires multiyear scientific efforts. Water management is not completed in a one-time action; it should be adaptive, flexible, and continuous.