CSO Newsletter
The Coastal States Organization represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories, and Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resource issues.
Spotlight on Coastal Management:
California Balances Habitat Conservation with Public Beach Access
The California Coastal Commission responded to local residents in a win for both environmental justice and public health.

For 20-plus years, Surf Beach—located on Vandenberg Air Force Base 10 miles west of the City of Lompoc—has been managed, in part, by the U.S. Air Force to protect the federally threatened western snowy plover. The plan restricts visitors to a one-half-mile stretch during summer months. What’s more, when beach violations each summer had reached a certain limit, the beach was closed off to all visitors for the rest of the season.

In response to Lompoc officials and community members' environmental justice concerns, the California Coastal Commission, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and Air Force worked to launch an experimental 2019 program that enabled visitors to enjoy this stretch of Surf Beach all summer long.

Read the full story here!
Register Today for the Virtual
2020 National Coastal and Estuarine Summit!
September 29 - October 1, 2020
Join CSO and Restore America's Estuaries September 29 - October 1, 2020 for an in-depth virtual program and the opportunity to network with colleagues, share lessons learned, and hear from experts on the latest in coastal restoration and coastal management!

Register now for the 2020. Early bird registrations will save $75 off the regular rate and end on August 31, 2020. If you still want to be part of the program, the Poster Abstract Date has been extended to August 24, 2020.


We are excited to share the concurrent session agenda for this year's Virtual Summit. Over three days, you'll hear from experts across the field of coastal and estuarine restoration and management. Since we're going virtual this year, you'll also have access to more than 350 on-demand sessions following the Summit.
In the States and Regions
East Coast and Caribbean
New Jersey DEP Approves $3.5 Million For Water-Quality – Including HABs WITH Lake Hopatcong Getting $700,000+
The Department of Environmental Protection has awarded $3.5 million in grants for projects to reduce the impacts of nonpoint source pollution on waterways, including $1 million for the development of lake and watershed restoration plans to mitigate harmful algal blooms. Read more

Rhode Island DEM Awards $4.4 Million to Help Communities Confront the Effects of Climate Change, Newport to Receive $500,000
The Department of Environmental Management (DEM) today announced that it has awarded $4,360,600 in matching grants to 13 municipalities and community organizations for climate resilience projects across Rhode Island. The grants will fund 14 projects to restore and improve the climate resilience of vulnerable coastal habitats, as well as river and stream floodplains and related habitats, according to DEM. Read more
Great Lakes
Study on Illinois Dredged Material Pilot Project
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Chicago District has posted a draft feasibility report, Public Beach Protection in Four Illinois Coastal Communities Beneficial Use of Dredged Material Pilot Project, for a 30- day public review period that will end on Aug. 31, 2020. The purpose of this pilot project is to beneficially use dredged material from Waukegan Harbor to provide ecosystem restoration, shoreline protection, and recreation benefits in four Illinois coastal communities. Read more

NOAA Grant for Lake Superior Coastal Program
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will use a $1.1 million grant from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support the work of Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program, fund three significant local projects and continue the program’s quarterly Short Term Action Request (STAR) grants. Read more
West Coast and Pacific
Tillamook River Wetlands Restoration Will Improve Salmon Habitat
North Coast Land Conservancy’s (NCLC) purchase of 73 acres of wetlands south of Tillamook today is the first step in a proposed restoration of the tidal floodplain along the Tillamook River. Restoration of Tillamook River Wetlands, a collaboration between NCLC and Tillamook Estuaries Partnership, will complement similar projects already under way on the Miami, Kilchis, Trask and Wilson rivers. Read more

Massive Seagrass Die-off Leads to Widespread Erosion in a California Estuary
The large-scale loss of eelgrass in a major California estuary -- Morro Bay -- may be causing widespread erosion, according to a new study from California Polytechnic State University. In recent years, Morro Bay's iconic eelgrass beds, which provide the estuary's primary living habitat, experienced a massive die-off, declining more than 90 percent since 2007. Efforts to restore the eelgrass have had mixed success in many parts of the bay, and this seagrass is now only found close to the mouth of the bay and sporadically in other regions. Read more
Gulf
Terrebonne Barrier Island Project Moves Ahead
Louisiana’s largest barrier island restoration project to-date is now underway, the Louisiana Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority (CPRA) reports. Restoration of the Terrebonne Basin barrier shoreline will provide a buffer to reduce the full force and effects of wave action, provide marsh to capture sediment washing over the islands, and reduce saltwater intrusion, storm surge, and tidal currents on adjacent estuaries and wetlands. Read more

EPA Awards State of Texas More Than $3.8 Million to Manage Water Pollution
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently announced a grant of $3,887,500 to the Texas State Soil and Water Conservation Board. The funding will support management programs for nonpoint source (NPS) water pollution, which is caused when rainfall or snowmelt carries pollutants into rivers, lakes, and other waterbodies. Read more
Events & Webinars
Announcements
National Estuaries Week Photo Contest 2020
In celebration of National Estuaries Week, which takes place September 19 - 26, 2020, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management is hosting a photo contest. Send in your best photos from the national estuarine research reserves that display the beauty of the reserves, critters that live there, and the people who work and play there. Submissions are due Aug. 31, 2020. Learn more and submit your photos here.

NOAA Citizen Science Strategy public Comment Period
Public participation in science, otherwise known as citizen science, is a rapidly growing field that expands NOAA’s ability to observe, predict, and understand the environment. A new strategy provides a path for the NOAA to fully leverage the power of the crowd in support of agency mission areas. NOAA is requesting public comment on the strategy until August 31st. Learn more and provide comment here

EPA Requests Applications for $6 Million Grant to Monitor Contaminants in Great Lakes Fish
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is seeking applications under a Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grant program focused on monitoring contaminants in Great Lakes fish. Approximately $6 million is available through the Great Lakes Fish Monitoring and Surveillance Program to fund one project over five years. The deadline for applications is Sep. 21, 2020. Learn more here.

State and Local Mitigation Plan Guides Updates
FEMA is updating their State Mitigation Plan Review Guide and Local Mitigation Plan Review Guide. These plan review guides are FEMA’s official interpretation of the requirements for state and local hazard mitigation plans. FEMA created an online presentation available on YouTube to provide a high-level overview of hazard mitigation planning guidance and share information on submitting feedback to the existing policies. FEMA is accepting ideas and feedback on either current document by sending an email to fema-mitplan-guide-updates@fema.dhs.gov through Aug. 14. Additional information on hazard mitigation planning is available on here.

NOAA RESTORE Science Program Grants
The NOAA RESTORE Science Program is making approximately $2.5 million available for this competition to fund approximately 20 planning projects that will run for one year each. This competition will provide natural resource managers, researchers, and other stakeholders with funding to plan a research project that informs a specific management decision impacting natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico. A second competition for funding to execute and apply actionable science will follow this competition. These two competitions will be independent of one another. The deadline for applications is Dec. 15, 2020. See the full announcement here.

Nearly $13 Million in NOAA Funding Recommended for Coastal and Marine Habitat Restoration Projects
To support our nation’s coastal and marine species, the NOAA Restoration Center is recommending nearly $13 million in funding for 31 new and continuing habitat restoration projects through our Community-based Restoration Program. These projects will restore habitat and ecosystems in 15 states and territories across the nation and build lasting benefits for communities and the environment. Learn more here.
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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