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:
2022 Coastal Management Photo Contest
Each year the NOAA Office for Coastal Management (OCM) holds a coastal management photo contest. This year's contest is open until May 6, 2022.

The theme this year is “Show Us Your Love for the Coast" - send in photos from your walks by the water, fishing excursions, support of coastal businesses, and more!

Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges and featured in OCM's coastal management social media campaign during the month of May.

Learn more and enter here.
Celebrating 50 Years of Ocean and Coastal Conservation
2022 is a BIG year for ocean and coastal conservation! Not only is it the 50th anniversary for the CZMA, it is also the 50th anniversary of the Clean Water Act, Marine Mammals Protection Act, and National Marine Sanctuaries Act.

Learn more here and follow #OceanAndCoasts50 on social media!

Learn about the CZMA 50th here!
Don't Miss an Episode: Podcast Series Celebrating 50 Years of Coastal Zone Management

Join CSO's Executive Director, Derek Brockbank, in a five part podcast series each Tuesday to learn about the basis of the act, why it’s important, how it’s changed, and more.

There are now three episodes available in this podcast series! Listen to all three of them here or wherever you get your podcasts!
In the States and Regions
East Coast and Caribbean
Plymouth Official: $25 Million In Beach Dike Repairs to Create 'Priceless' Storm Protection
A $25.2 million infusion of federal money will fund long-overdue repairs to the backbone of Plymouth's barrier beach and allow the Army Corps of Engineers to rebuild thousands of feet of the stone dike that has stabilized Plymouth's Long Beach for more than a century. The work, not scheduled to begin until at least next year, will ensure continued recreational access for the people who throng to the sandy beach each summer, officials said. Perhaps more importantly, the repairs will rescue crumbling sections of the sea wall that provides vital protection for the downtown waterfront. Read more

Living Shorelines Becoming More Prevalent In Protecting NC's Coast
Recent climate change reports have many concerned about rising sea levels and thinking about ways to protect the vulnerable coastline. One environmentally friendly approach is beginning to gain attention — living shorelines. Coastal areas face many threats from hurricanes and strong storms. It’s left many wondering how to protect their property. “They function as a speed bump, said coastal scientist Dr. Lexia Weaver. "So basically they reduce wave energy, they dissipate the wave energy to protect shorelines from erosion.” Read more
West Coast and Pacific
Coastal Commission Moves Offshore Wind Forward 
The California Coastal Commission voted unanimously April 7 to conditionally concur with a federal determination that allowing energy companies and organizations to study a proposed offshore wind farm area on the Humboldt County coast is consistent with the state's Coastal Management Program. The commission's vote does not approve the wind farms or the start of any construction activities — all of which would come back before the commission in the future for further review — just lease exploration activities, like site characterization and assessment. Those activities will likely include additional boat trips out to the area — nearly 500 estimated over a three-year period — and the installation of up to three buoys outfitted with scientific sampling equipment. Read more

Seattle Developer Pushes for WA’s First Floating Offshore Wind Farm Off Olympic Peninsula
Offshore wind energy on the Pacific Ocean has long been dismissed as a pipe dream due to the abrupt drop-off along the edges of its continental shelf. But floating wind turbines could change that. Trident Winds, a wind energy developer based in Seattle, submitted an unsolicited lease request Monday to the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management to build a floating offshore wind farm — the state’s first — about 43 miles off the coast of the Olympic Peninsula, near Grays Harbor. The proposed site — dubbed the Olympic Wind project — would provide 2,000 megawatts of clean energy to 800,000 homes, according to the developer. If all goes the company’s way, construction would begin in 2028 and the wind farm would become operational in 2030. Read more
Gulf Coast
Texas University Granted $1.7 Million To Keep Coastal Waters Clean
The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment at Texas State University has received a grant to continue its efforts keeping Texas coastal waters cleaner through 2024. That’s good news for beach-goers, fishing enthusiasts, surfers, boaters, and just about everyone in the state. The grant comes from Clean Coast Texas, a program of the Texas General Land Office’s Coastal Management Program. The state’s coastal zone includes all or part of 18 counties along the Gulf of Mexico, comprising almost 9 million acres that are home to more than 6 million Texans — nearly a quarter of the state's population. Read more

Gulf Coast, Mississippi River Regions Eager for Flood Funding
As climate change makes hurricanes stronger and wetter and increases storm surges, cities on the Louisiana coast and Mississippi River are hoping President Biden’s $1.2 trillion infrastructure package will provide badly needed funding to fortify locks, levees and other flood protections. But community groups and advocates fear smaller cities will struggle to navigate the maze of government programs and miss out on the rare chance to protect against rising waters and heavy rains. While many swaths of the country are at risk for flooding, the Louisiana coast has long been especially vulnerable and the Upper Mississippi is part of a region where flood severity is increasing faster than in any other area of the country. La Crosse, Wisconsin is among the cities trying to figure out how to benefit as infrastructure funds start rolling out. The city’s levees were built after devastating flooding in 1965 and don’t meet federal standards that would help lower insurance rates and make it easier for residents to fix up their homes without having to spend more to protect against floods, said Brad Woznak of SEH, a flood planning consultant for the city. Upgrading the levees would be so expensive it’s hard for the city to know how to get started, he said. Read more
Great Lakes
Lake County Gets $11.3M In State Funds to Build Facility to Process Dredged Material
Lake County has been awarded $11.3 million in state funding to build a facility that will accept and process dredged material from the federal navigational channel in Fairport Harbor. The Ohio Office of Budget and Management Controlling Board on April 4 approved grants totaling $45 million to either construct or improve processing facilities for dredged material in communities that are near four harbors on Lake Erie. Traditionally, material dredged from harbors along Ohio’s northern shore was dumped into the open waters of Lake Erie. But new state legislation mandated that no more open-lake dumping of material dredged from waterways could take place after July 1, 2020. Read more

Great Lakes Water Levels Falling Fast In Lakes Michigan and Huron
It was only two years ago that lake levels in the Great Lakes had risen to record-highs and the latest sign of the region's increasingly unpredictable weather managed to set more records. But in 2022, extreme lake levels couldn't be further from the case. Water levels in Lakes Michigan and Huron have plummeted over the past two years and are now on track to be slightly above average this summer, according to a forecast from the Detroit District of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. That's good news for boaters who want to use their docks. It's also good news for homeowners concerned about erosion and residential flooding. Read more
Events & Webinars
Announcements
NOAA NCEI Launches Marine Scientific Research Data Website
A new website developed by NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information allows full public access to datasets collected by international scientists in U.S. marine environments, offering a more holistic view of our ocean. This one-stop-shop, the Marine Scientific Research (MSR) portal, also provides permission for research cruises from international partners to collect data in U.S. waters in exchange for the open sharing of all such data. Oceanographic, biological, meteorological, and marine geophysical data can be accessed. Learn more here.

FEMA Updates State and Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guides
FEMA released updates to the State and Local Mitigation Planning Policy Guides. They are the official interpretation of the mitigation planning requirements in the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, as amended and other federal statutes as well in federal regulations. FEMA routinely updates to the policies to improve and better support stakeholders in meeting federal requirements. Learn more here

CEQ Issues Phase 1 NEPA Final Rule
The Council on Environmental Quality issued a final rule in “Phase 1” of its ongoing NEPA procedure rulemaking. The Phase 1 rule partially reverses some changes from the 2020 final rule. Learn more here.

NFWF Coastal Resilience Success Stories
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation released eight case studies featuring NFWF-funded coastal resilience projects. In 2021, NFWF commissioned ERG to identify challenges and lessons learned from these projects. The work involved interviews with coastal resilience practitioners and a review of more than 100 source documents. The project culminated in the development of eight case studies highlighting success stories and transferrable strategies to help practitioners implement effective coastal resilience solutions. Click here to explore the featured projects. 

Report to Congress: John H. Chafee Coastal Barrier Resources System Hurricane Sandy Remapping Project
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has released a new report with revised maps for 438 Coastal Barrier Resources System (CBRS) units in the nine states most affected by Hurricane Sandy: New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York (Long Island), New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. The report, maps, and related documents for this remapping project are available here.

Lakes Chat Podcast
Lakes Chat is a podcast for people who care about the Great Lakes.  
Every Tuesday, Lakes Chat features guest appearances and deep dives into Great Lakes issues. In recent episodes the podcast has covered everything from plastic pollution and Adopt-a-Beach to invasive carp and water affordability. Guests include staff experts from our team at the Alliance for the Great Lakes, community members, and researchers studying the lakes. It's a great listen during your commute, gym session, dog walk, or while working at your desk. Listen here.

National Coastal Resilience Fund 2022 - Now Accepting Proposals
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is now soliciting Pre-Proposals for the 2022 National Coastal Resilience Fund. NFWF will award up to $140 million in grants to create and restore natural systems in order to increase protection for communities from coastal hazards, such as storms, sea- and lake-level changes, inundation, and coastal erosion, while improving habitats for fish and wildlife species.
This year, the National Coastal Resilience Fund will invest in projects in four project categories:
  1. Community Capacity Building and Planning
  2. Site Assessment and Preliminary Design
  3. Final Design and Permitting
  4. Restoration Implementation
The Request for Proposals is available here. Pre-proposals must be submitted through NFWF’s Easygrants system no later than Thursday, April 21, 2022. Applicants are strongly encouraged to participate and can register for the webinar here.

2022 RAE Coastal & Estuarine Summit: Presentation Proposals Due Friday
Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) proudly presents the 2022 Coastal and Estuarine Summit with support from Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL). This event will bring together the coastal restoration and management communities to explore issues, solutions, and lessons learned in their work. The fate of New Orleans and other south Louisiana communities depends on successful coastal management and restoration, as does the health of the Gulf of Mexico, making this the perfect location for the 2022 RAE Summit. RAE is requesting for proposals for sessions that will provide both practical and inspirational help and guidance to our community in meeting the challenges and seizing the opportunities for coastal restoration in the years to come. Proposals are due Friday, April 22, 2022. Learn more and submit proposals here.

The Great Lakes Commission released a request for proposals for the 2022 Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program grant program. For more than 30 years, the Great Lakes Sediment and Nutrient Reduction Program has provided grants to reduce nutrients and sediments from entering the Great Lakes. This year’s program will continue to help local partners take action to reduce nutrient loads from agricultural watersheds, reduce untreated stormwater runoff, and restore shoreline and streambanks in the Great Lakes basin. Through the program, nonfederal units of government, tribes, and incorporated nonprofit organizations are eligible to receive grants for up to $200,000, supporting work over a period of up to three years. Applicants are invited to submit proposals for activities associated with one of three project types: 1) agricultural nonpoint; 2) stormwater; and 3) Great Lakes shoreline or streambanks. The due date for applications is April 22, 2022. Learn more and apply here.

SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants
Restore America’s Estuaries, in partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, released the Request for Proposals (RFP) for the 2022 funding round of Southeast New England Program Watershed Implementation Grants (SWIG). The deadline to submit a LOI is April 26, 2022.

2022 Coastal Watersheds Grant
Restore America’s Estuaries announced the availa2022 NEP Coastal Watersheds Grant. RAE will select grantees through a two-step process: 1) letters of intent (LOI); and 2) full proposals by invitation only. LOIs are due on Friday, May 27, 2022. Learn more and apply here.
Job Openings
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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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