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CSO Newsletter
The Coastal States Organization represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories & Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resource issues.
Spotlight on Coastal Management:
Alabama Coastal Management Program
Coastal zone management balances development and protection of the vital natural resources that support our thriving coastal communities and economies. Planning for an uncertain future, Alabama's Coastal Program has helped protect lives and investments in the Heart of Dixie, along the Gulf of Mexico, since 1979. 

To learn more about issues impacting the state and the great work by the Alabama Coastal Management Program, click here.

Find more information on the work being done by the State Coastal Zone Management Programs on CSO's Publication page.
In the States and Regions
East Coast
Nags Head Beach Widening Wraps, but Expect Changes as Sand Moves Around Naturally
The main part of the Nags Head beach renourishment project came to a close over the weekend, as the final yards of sand were pumped on to a stretch off South Nags Head right around the expected date. Experts and officials from around the country have hailed Nags Head and Dare County as a model for both how to fund beach widening, and for well many of the projects conducted over the last decade have protected beachfront properties from overwash and erosion. Read more

Sea-Level Rise Resiliency Committee Continues to Gather Input for Captiva Panel
As coastal communities throughout Florida are trying to identify and address the impacts of climate change, particularly in relation to rising sea levels, an island group is working to do the same. Earlier this year, the Captiva Community Panel moved forward on creating the Sea-Level Rise Resiliency Committee, with the aim of looking at if Captiva needs to develop a future plan to fortify the island against the rising waters. Read more
Caribbean
Cross-Sector Campaigns Reduce Single-Use Plastics and Styrofoam
In the small community of the U.S. Virgin Islands, limited trash disposal areas create life-threatening danger for coastal and marine creatures exposed to Styrofoam containers and a variety of single-use plastics. The U.S. Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Program has joined with schools, a nonprofit, and a local business to target this litter through campaigns, reusable products, and an eco-certification incentive. Read more

Expertise Speeds Sunken Vessel Removal after Hurricanes
The fierce Hurricanes Maria and Irma sunk more than 400 vessels in and around the U.S. Virgin Islands. The result was blocked shipping channels and cargo ships carrying supplies, marina chaos and contamination, and coral reef devastation. The U.S. Coast Guard jumped into action to remove the vessels—a task made much easier with sunken-vessel information, documented years before these 2017 hurricanes, by the U.S. Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Program. Read more
West Coast and Pacific
8th Annual Coastal Caucus Economic Summit Begins Today
In what has become an annual tradition, the Oregon Legislative Coastal Caucus is sponsoring a coastal Economic Summit, a two-day event designed for state legislators from the coast to discuss the region’s economy and communities. This year’s theme is “Infrastructure Investments: A Collaborative Approach.” Read more
Gulf
New Ship to Help Save Louisiana’s Coast
Weeks Marine christened a new $60 million, 310-foot-long oceangoing dredge, also known as a hydraulic dredge. Weeks Marine has completed several projects in coordination with the state, including the Caminada Headlands in southern Lafourche Parish, Louisiana’s largest coastal-restoration project to date. The state announced it an award to Weeks Marine a contract to restore two barrier islands and one strip of sand off Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.  Read more

Corps Revises Coastal Barrier Proposal, Addressing Environmental Concerns
A more environmentally-friendly gate across the mouth of Galveston Bay and a new alignment for a “ring barrier” protecting Galveston are among several revisions made by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to a coastal barrier proposal for the Houston-Galveston region. Read more
Events & Webinars
Announcements
New Course - Creating Video for Impact
The Land Trust Alliance partnered with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program to design a course for land trusts and those who work in land conservation. Creating Video for Impact takes you from the beginning stages of developing a story that will resonate with your audience all the way through to planning the video production and promotion. The complementary course is filled with examples, tools and practical tips whether you’re hiring a videographer or doing it yourself.

New Beach Water Quality Resource from the Surfrider Foundation
Surfrider Foundation has assembled beach water quality data and advisory portals for all coastal states in one place. There are also links for citizen science groups who are testing for indicator bacteria at beaches/rec waters and are providing additional water quality information beyond what's available in the state water quality data portal. They also provide websites to check and report harmful algal blooms. 

Funding Opportunity - NOAA Marine Debris Program
The NOAA MDP's FY20 Marine Debris Removal federal funding opportunity is now open. This year, applicants must submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) describing the proposed removal project and receive an invitation from NOAA to submit a full proposal. Letters of Interest are due September 4, 2019. Please click here to view the full announcement.

Funding Opportunity - NOAA Climate Program Office's FY20 Competition
CPO manages competitive research programs through which NOAA funds high-priority climate science, assessments, decision support research, outreach, education, and capacity-building activities designed to advance the understanding of Earth’s climate system and to foster the application of this knowledge to enable effective decisions. CPO supports research that is conducted across the United States and internationally. CPO also provides strategic guidance for the agency’s climate science and services programs and supports NOAA’s contributions to the U.S. Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) and its National Climate Assessment and similar international endeavors. 
NOAA is accepting individual applications for 10 competitions.  Read more.
 
Fall 2019 Maryland Climate Leadership Academy Programs Applications Due
This program is designed to help participants build competencies to effectively integrate climate change into their decision-making and professional activities, as well as to advance their entrepreneurship and leadership skills. Leveraging a combination of on-demand online training resources and in-person cohort training, this workshop series will prepare attendees for the CC-P® exams and satisfy most elective requirements for the credential. Read more.

Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship
It’s an exciting new fellowship program for graduate students at the national estuarine research reserves. One two-year fellowship opportunity will be available at each of the 29 coastal sites.Through a research project, fellows will address a key coastal management question to help scientists and communities understand coastal challenges that may influence future policy and management strategies.

The research reserves represent the apex of estuary science. At  these coastal sites , fieldwork, research, and community engagement come together to create the scientific advances that change our communities and our world. Apply Here.

Session Abstract Submission - Physical Processes Governing the Distribution and Transport of Dispersed Particles in the Ocean
Session to be held at the 2020 Ocean Sciences Meeting in San Diego, CA (USA) from 16-21 February 2020. The Ocean Sciences meeting is jointly convened by the American Geophysical Union (AGU), The Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography (ASLO), and The Oceanography Society (TOS). This conference, held once every two years, brings together marine and aquatic scientists and presents an excellent opportunity to convene communities of researchers across a variety of disciplines. The abstract submission deadline is Wednesday, 11 September 2019 23:59 EDT/03:59 +1 GMT. Please follow this link to submit an abstract to this session.
Job Openings
The views expressed in articles referenced here are those of the authors and do not represent or reflect the views of CSO.  

If you have a news item or job posting to include in future CSO Newsletters, please send an email to: rkeylon@coastalstates.org with a subject line: "Newsletter Content". Please include the information to be considered in the body of the email. 
 
Please note: CSO reserves final decision regarding published newsletter content and may not use all information submitted.
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