At the Agencies
At an event held on October 19 at the Howard County Conservancy in Woodstock, Maryland, NOAA announced that 12 institutions in Maryland will receive a total of roughly $850,000 in fiscal year 2015 funding through the Chesapeake Bay Watershed Education and Training (B-WET) program, while 13 Virginia programs will share nearly $1.1 million. In Pennsylvania, four projects will receive a total of $302,000; in Delaware, one project will receive $44,000; in New York, one project will receive $75,000; and in Washington, D.C., one project will receive $87,000.
EPA will host a webcast on Nov. 3 from 1-2:30 p.m. Eastern titled "Winter O&M for Green Infrastructure." Operations and maintenance (O&M) is critical to green infrastructure's long-term effectiveness. Wet weather in colder climates often presents maintenance challenges -- from snow, sediment and salt to storage and drainage. This webcast will feature presentations from Tom Ballestero from the University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center, and Brooke Asleson from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
|
In the News
This past September was the hottest ever worldwide - the seventh monthly record set this year. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration calculated a global temperature for September of 60.62 degrees (15.9 degrees Celsius), beating the record set in 2014. Seven of the nine months this year have broken monthly global heat records, tying 1998 for the most monthly heat records broken. This year, only January and April did not surpass records going back to 1880.
Just two weeks ago, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) raised the alarm about the terrible plight facing the Earth's coral reefs. For the third time in history, the world is in the midst of
a global coral bleaching event, the agency said.
"We are losing huge areas of coral across the U.S., as well as internationally," said Mark Eakin, NOAA's Coral Reef Watch coordinator, citing climate change and events like the current El NiƱo as primary reasons for the mass die-off. A new study published this week is bringing even more bad news about the world's dying corals. According to researchers, there may be another, oft-overlooked threat to reefs worldwide:
sunscreen.
|
In the States and Regions
East Coast
CSA Ocean Sciences Inc. (CSA) has successfully completed the transplantation of over 115,000 seagrass plants into a newly filled dredge hole north of the Julia Tuttle Causeway in Miami, Florida as part of the overall environmental mitigation requirements for the deepening and widening of Miami Harbor.
Learn more
The Army Corps of Engineers is submitting proposals for federal funding of two dredging maintenance projects on the
Saco River and one at
Wood Island by
Biddeford Pool. The corps proposes to have all projects funded at the same time in order to save more than $400,000 associated with the mobilization and demobilization of dredging equipment.
Gulf Coast
For those involved with coastal Louisiana restoration and protection, a law that funnels federal money to local projects has been a model for cooperation between federal, state and local entities. Money from the Coastal Wetlands Planning, Protection and Restoration Act, which has grown from about $30 million to nearly $80 million annually, helps pay for projects benefiting wetlands.
Over the next year to 18 months, the Water Institute of the Gulf will begin doling out $4 million it has received from the Office of Gulf Coast Restoration to researchers helping implement the state's Coastal Master Plan.
West Coast and Pacific Islands
The shores of Solana Beach could soon be sandier, following the City Council's unanimous approval of an environmental impact report for a 50-year sand replenishment project. For more than 15 years, Solana Beach has worked with the city of Encinitas and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to plan the joint project, which would create a buffer to protect the coastal bluffs, where continued erosion has become a threat to people and property.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, in partnership with local sponsor Port of Everett, is to begin maintenance dredging of the lower channel of the Snohomish River, starting at the Port of Everett Marina downstream to Everett's Seaport in Port Gardner Bay.
Great Lakes
The United States Environmental Protection Agency has awarded University of Windsor-based researchers $1.9-million US as part of a $10-million US grant for the U.S. Great Lakes Coastal Wetlands Monitoring Program. Half of that $1.9 million will go directly to the university.
Elgin county is slip-sliding away. And a new, comprehensive, Lake Erie shoreline management plan says erosion of bluffs which define much of Elgin's coast, is a fact of life about which little can be done by way of shoreline protection.
|
Announcements
Michigan -
Fall Workshops Focus on Master Planning for Resilient Waterfront Communities
With funding support from the Michigan Coastal Zone Management Program (MCZMP), the Michigan Association of Planning (MAP) is offering workshops specifically for waterfront communities on tools and techniques to support sustainable economic development and natural resources protection.
The MAP has scheduled five evening workshops for the following locations:
- October 28 - Marquette Township Hall, Marquette
- October 29 - Bear Creek Township Hall, Petoskey
- November 4 - Edsel & Eleanor Ford House, Grosse Pointe Shores
- November 12 - Muskegon Lakeshore Museum, Muskegon
- November 18 - Double Tree Hotel, Bay City
For more information, please visit: http://www.planningmi.org/
New York Department of State launches new website to empower residents, businesses and local governments to improve resiliency, grow the economy and invest in New York State communities
The Geographic Information Gateway (Gateway) is a state-of-the-art website providing public access to data, real-time information, interactive tools, and expert knowledge relevant to the Office of Planning and Development's activities throughout New York State. Interactive map viewers enable users to easily download, visualize, and explore geographic data. A Latest Conditions page provides access to real-time information across the State, such as water quality, tide levels, and beach conditions. Also included on this site are illustrated stories, which highlight case studies, showcase community success stories, and demonstrate how the Office uses available geographic information to improve planning and decision-making. The Gateway's suite of information and tools serves as a valuable resource for New York communities, an educational resource for schools and universities, and a guide for the responsible development of the State's resources.
To learn more, please go to:
ASBPA - Dune Management Challenges on Developed Coasts
The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association is hosting the subject workshop in Kitty Hawk, NC, Oct 26 - 28, 2015.
OneNOAA Science Seminars, 2015
Title: Land Cover Products for Understanding Water Quality Impacts by NOAA's Office for Coastal Management
Date & Time: Tuesday, October 27, 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.
Upcoming Workshops
Blue Carbon: A Management Tool for the Conservation and Restoration of Coastal Wetlands.
Who should attend? Those interested in coastal conservation and restoration, including natural resource managers, land owners, land trusts, municipalities, policy makers, planners, real estate professionals, attorneys and financial advisors, academia, and federal, state and local officials.
Participants will:
* Learn the basics of Blue Carbon and its potential applications to increase the value of coastal wetland conservation and restoration;
* Increase their capacity and understanding to incorporate greenhouse gas functions into resource management; and
* Assess opportunities and constraints for implementing Blue Carbon projects in their region.
Events
October 26 - 28, 2015
November 8 -12, 2015
December 1- 2, 2015
March 14 -17 , 2016
December 10 -15, 2016
|
|
