 At the Agencies
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 In the States and Regions
East Coast
Gulf Coast
Ducks Unlimited has been awarded five North American Wetlands Conservation Act grants to support its restoration efforts along the Gulf Coast.
More than $4.6 million in NAWCA funding will be combined with nearly $10 million in partner funding to restore more than 21,800 acres in coastal Texas and Louisiana. These projects will provide high quality foraging habitat capable of supporting more than 70,000 ducks throughout the winter.
Galveston District conducts pre-hurricane surveys of Texas coast waterways
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District is expected to finish its annual pre-hurricane survey of its navigation projects located along the Texas coast in late May; a process that provides the district with data to establish baseline conditions of all 1,000 miles of channels located within its area of operation.
West Coast and Pacific Islands
In light of the serious challenges posed by rising sea levels, the California Legislature recently enacted a bill that directs the California Natural Resources Agency and Ocean Protection Council to develop an online database to keep track of actions taken by state agencies and selected other entities to plan for sea level rise.
Great Lakes
The Lake Michigan Coastal Program and partners are working together to develop a wide variety of events to celebrate the diversity and beauty of the Lake Michigan Coastal Region. Events highlight natural, cultural and historic resources in the Coastal Region of Indiana - Lake, Porter, and LaPorte counties. The goal is to increase public awareness of these coastal resources and engage people in targeted activities that take them places they may have never been before.
Plans to enlarge part of the beach on Wisconsin Point are moving ahead. At a meeting - two weeks ago - project partners learned that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has approved the "Determination of Federal Interest" document, which gives the agency the go-ahead to spend time and effort on the project, located at Shafer Beach on the Lake Superior side of Wisconsin Point outside of Superior, Wis. The goal is to make the beach more appealing to piping plovers for nesting.
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown announced federal resources have been rewarded to the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency to combat harmful algae blooms in Lake Erie through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The Ohio EPA was awarded $3,696,182 from the U.S. EPA to prevent phosphorous from flowing into Lake Erie from the Maumee River watershed. The money will be used to focus on cropland retirement, stream and wetland restoration, and stabilization of eroding stream banks. $689,060 will be used to stop nutrient runoff and soil erosion in the Sandusky River watershed.
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A bill that would restore $36 million to the federal Harbor Maintenance Trust Fund has "bi-coastal" as well as "bi-partisan" support. Those are the words U.S. Rep. Bill Huizenga used to describe the Energy and Water Appropriations Act of 2016, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Friday, May 1 by 240 votes to 177.
ASBPA - Getting the best of both worlds in coastal protection?
According to a new study, the most resilient answer is a combination of both approaches - and, when it's done right, your community can get the best of both worlds. The study -- "Future of our coasts: The potential for natural and hybrid infrastructure to enhance the resilience of our coastal communities, economies and ecosystems" by Ariana E. Sutton-Grier, Kateryna Wowk and Holly Bamford - was funded by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and published in "Environmental Science and Policy." Using reports and peer-reviewed studies, the authors outline the strengths and weaknesses of "built" infrastructure (such as seawalls and dikes), natural approaches (such as salt marshes, reefs and plants) or a combination of the two.
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Announcements
Title: Marine National Monuments and NOAA: Come find out what makes a Monument different than a Sanctuary, and learn about NOAA's Marine National Monument Program
Date & Time: Tuesday, May 26, 12 pm - 1 pm
Title: Future of our coasts: Potential for natural and hybrid infrastructure to enhance ecosystem and community resilience
Date & Time: Mon, June 1, 12 pm - 1 pm
Seminars are open to the public. For remote access, location, abstracts and more, visit the OneNOAA Science Seminar Calendar at: http://www.nodc.noaa.gov/seminars/
Seminars are posted in Eastern Time and subject to changes without notice; please check the web page for the latest seminar updates.
EPA Released Online a Local Government Climate Adaptation Training Modules
The virtual training, which lasts about 30 minutes, was developed with advice from EPA's Local Government Advisory Committee.
May 31 - June 5, 2015
June 4, 2015
June 9 - 11, 2015
June 16 - 18, 2015
June 24 - 26, 2015
September 6 - 9, 2015
October 4 - 8, 2015
October 14-16, 2015
Best regards,
The CSO Team
cso@coastalstates.org
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