Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve
photo by Eric Crossan

This enewsletter from DNREC Delaware Coastal Training Program (CTP) features resources that are available for Delaware's community leaders and natural resource managers to help us plan smarter for safer and more sustainable communities! 

The roundup includes highlights of upcoming trainings, tools, technical assistance programs, and funding sources from the CTP as well as other local practitioners and technical experts. P lease be in touch if you have more updates to share or are looking for additional info! 
Upcoming Trainings and Webinars
Planning and Facilitating Collaborative Meetings
Tuesday, Aug. 15th and Wednesday, Aug. 16th
St. Jones Reserve Coastal Training Center, Dover, Del.

Registration Is Closing Soon!  Don't miss this great training opportunity!
Registration Deadline: August 9, 2017
$50 Registration fee covers lunch and refreshments.

This two day instructor-led course from the NOAA Office of Coastal Management is designed to increase participants’ ability to plan and facilitate a meeting (or a series of meetings) that minimize conflict and enhance problem solving. Collaboration is often cited as a good way to address coastal resource management issues, but the collaborative process is complicated, requiring a systematic approach. This course provides the skills and tools to design and implement collaborative approaches. The skills will be useful even when attending, but not running, a collaborative meeting. 

Participant testimonials on this course:


“Well worth 2 days out of the office to focus on training during budget session!”


"It was a great training and I am glad it was made so readily available.”


“Very well done; an excellent resource!”


You will learn how to:

  • Determine if a collaborative process is appropriate
  • Select people with the skills needed to fit each meeting role
  • Learn and practice facilitation skills
  • Use appropriate process tools and techniques to address the meeting objectives
  • Manage conflict in meetings by understanding group dynamics
  • Identify disruptive behaviors in group processes and practice strategies to deal with them
  Planning Effective Projects for Coastal Communities
Wednesday, Sept. 27 and Thursday, Sept. 28
St. Jones Reserve Coastal Training Center, Dover, Del.

$50 Registration fee covers lunch and refreshments. 

In this two-day interactive instructor-led course from the NOAA Office of Coastal Management you will learn how to conduct an assessment, use a logic model to plan a new project or reassess a current one, and prepare for a meaningful evaluation. Attend this course to learn project planning practices that help you build on accountability and strategic thinking, reveal assumptions, and create a targeted effort with measurable results.
Participant testimonials on this course:

"Excellent training - definitely going to be helpful in future project planning."


"The training was very well organized and it was presented well. The course content will be very helpful to me in the months to come. Thank you!"


"Great cause, will help me organize and develop an effective project. This course will offer benefits to me as a future biologist, thank you."
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
  • Assess your understanding of the needs driving the project team actions and plans
  • Apply a systems approach to logically connect project resources, actions and outcomes
  • Create functional logic models for immediate use in your projects
  • Generate performance measures for project reporting and evaluation
  • Link project design to agency and organization missions, strategic plans, and established program niches
  • Prepare for a meaningful evaluation of your project 
OpenNSPECT Webinar
August 23, 2017   2:00 PM EDT - 5:00 PM EDT            
On-line Live webinar from the NOAA Office for Coastal Management

Free event, registration required.  

About the webinar
A land cover analysis can be used to help planners better understand the relationships between land use and water quality. Join this course to learn the technical aspects of OpenNSPECT, a GIS-based tool used to estimate runoff, nonpoint source pollution, and erosion. Participants listen to an introductory lecture and perform hands-on exercises to practice using various tool functions.

You will learn how to:
  • Recognize and access the functionality available in the OpenNSPECT software
  • Identify data requirements
  • Explore the impacts of different land uses and land management scenarios
  • Interpret tool outputs
  • Apply OpenNSPECT for your project needs
Who should take this course?
This course is designed for GIS professionals, including regional and municipal planners and natural resource managers, working on land use and watershed management projects.

Participant requirements:
  • Competence in GIS
  • MapWindow GIS (Local administrator permissions are needed to install)
  • OpenNSPECT software
  • User instructions and mandatory setup meeting held in advance of the workshop.
  • Internet and speakers (or headphones)


For additional information, email: ocm.training@noaa.gov

Funding Opportunities
  FEMA Grant Funding Announcement: FY 2017 Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant Program
FEMA has significantly revised the range of activities that are eligible under their Flood Mitigation Grant Program for the current fiscal year.  The Flood Mitigation Assistance grant program has previously been almost solely been used for floodplain buyouts, elevating flood-prone insured structures, and assisting businesses with flood-proofing projects. For the upcoming FY 2017 grant application cycle, $160 million is available in a national competitive process for the traditional items mentioned above, but also the following new items as FEMA’s grant recipients and subrecipients have repeatedly asked for community level flood mitigation funding.

• Advance Assistance - Funding will be provided to develop mitigation strategies and obtain data to prioritize, select, and develop viable community flood mitigation projects. This design work will facilitate viable projects for future grant applications.

• Community Flood Mitigation Projects - The remaining set aside will fund projects for proven techniques that integrate cost effective natural floodplain restoration solutions and improvements to NFIP-insured properties that benefits communities with high participation and favorable standing in the NFIP

Here are links to fact sheets that provide a further explanation of activities are envisioned by FEMA:


will be conducting the following briefings regarding the grant funding. Please attend if you are interested in developing a proposal:

August 7, 2017, 1:30 - 3:30pm at the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center located at 21911 Rudder Lane Georgetown, DE 19947 (at the airport)


August 8, 2017, 9:30 - 11:30am, in the 1st Floor Snow Conference Room at the New Castle County Public Safety Building, 3601 N. DuPont Highway, New Castle, Delaware.


Eligible Projects Include:

• Floodplain and stream restoration
• Climate Change and Community Resilience
• Floodwater storage and diversion
• Infrastructure protective measures
• Localized flood control to protect critical facility
• Aquifer storage and recovery
• Stormwater management
• Utility protective measures
• Water and sanitary sewer system protective measures
• Wetland restoration/creation
Surface Water Matching Planning Grants for Delaware

There is $169,019 available in grants for the remainder of fiscal year 2017 for Surface Water Planning Projects within Delaware’s developed landscape to improve water quality in impaired watersheds with established and proposed total maximum daily loads (TMDLs). The projects will be selected for funding by the Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council through a competitive grant process.

Who is eligible for the grant?
Only Delaware state agencies and programs, governmental subdivisions, counties and municipalities are eligible to obtain a Surface Water Matching Planning Grant. A 1:1 cash match is required for the grant. Non-profit organizations, educational institutions, community organizations, and/or homeowner’s associations within the State of Delaware that do not have taxing authority are ineligible to apply directly but may partner with an eligible applicant.

How can the grant be used?
The Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council (WIAC) developed the Surface Water Matching Planning Grant program to support the planning/preliminary engineering/ feasibility analysis of surface water improvement projects and activities that focus on the developed landscape to improve water quality in impaired watersheds in Delaware. The grants are intended for the planning/preliminary engineering/feasibility analysis of stormwater retrofits, green technology practices, stream and wetland restoration projects, small watershed studies, development of master surface water and drainage plans, and other point and non-point source water pollution control projects. 
Grant applications must be submitted to the DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship no later than 4:30 pm, August 23 , 2017.

Additional grant announcement details and application information available here

New EPA tool gives communities access to information and financing opportunities that will help improve water quality and protect public health
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has launched the Water Finance Clearinghouse, a web‐based portal to help communities make informed financing decisions for their drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure needs.

The Clearinghouse provides communities with a searchable database with more than $10 billion in water funding sources and over 550 resources to support local water infrastructure projects. It consolidates and expands upon existing EPA-supported databases to create a one-stop-shop for all community water finance needs.

The Water Finance Clearinghouse was developed by EPA’s Water Infrastructure and Resiliency Finance Center, an information and assistance center that provides financing information to help local decision makers make informed decisions for drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater infrastructure to reach their public health and environmental goals.   
Find additional grant opportunities by searching the Delaware Database for Funding Resilient Communities!

Storm surges, nor’easters, heavy precipitation events, and sea level rise threaten municipalities around the state, and climate models predict that these hazards will increase in severity and frequency in the future. Financial assistance programs are available to support the implementation of projects to prepare for and adapt to these threats. The Institute for Public Administration (IPA) at the University of Delaware, with support from DNREC Delaware Coastal Programs office, compiled relevant financial assistance programs into a searchable web database for Delaware’s local governments. 
Guide to using the database 
As a part of our mission, the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve is committed to promoting informed decision making through the Delaware Coastal Training Program. This program addresses critical coastal resource management issues in Delaware by providing current scientific information, access to technologies and skill-building opportunities to Delawareans responsible for making decisions about the state's coastal resources.  

Requests for submittal: Have a great resource, training, or program that you want to share with Delaware community leaders  and natural resources managers to help make our communities safer and more sustainable? Please submit information for inclusion in this e-newsletter to the contact below.
Kelly Valencik | Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve | 302-739-6377