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:
Podcast Series Celebrating 50 Years of Coastal Zone Management
|
|
For 50 years, the Coastal Zone Management Act has been a critical tool in the management of our nation's coasts.
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.
The first installment of the series is available on the Capitol Beach Podcast page, or wherever you listen to your podcasts. In this installment, Derek is joined by NOAA Administrator, Dr. Rick Spinrad, and former CSO Executive Director and current Director of the Urban Coast Institute at Monmouth University, Tony MacDonald, who provide historical perspective on the CZMA, one of our nation's landmark conservation laws, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
|
|
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 about the CZMA 50th here!
|
|
|
In the States and Regions |
|
Historically Black Beach to be Saved as Annapolis Parkland
Time was running out to save the last vestige of a rollicking African American getaway on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. The pair of neighboring Jim Crow era resorts once buzzed along the waterfront of the Annapolis Neck peninsula. At their height during the 1950s and ‘60s, Carr’s and Sparrow’s beaches attracted crowds by the thousands who came to relax and enjoy some of the top Black entertainers of the day, from Little Richard to Aretha Franklin. But after the venues closed in the 1970s, their once-expansive acreage began to be swallowed by suburban development: a gated subdivision, a marina, a senior-living community and the expansion of a wastewater treatment plant. Now, the leaders of a broad coalition of public and private groups say they have struck a deal to save the last piece of the original resort. Their plan is to transform the 5-acre, shore-hugging property into a city park that celebrates the site’s heritage. Read more
South Carolina Wants You To Recycle Your Empty Oyster Shells
Today, South Carolina is actively working to restore and sustain its wild oysters. To help maintain existing habitats, the state requires licenses for the recreational and commercial harvesting of shellfish, and controls where and when harvesting activity can take place. South Carolina’s Department of Natural Resources has also deployed initiatives to recycle and replant oysters shells; its South Carolina Oyster Restoration & Enhancement (SCORE) program operates drop-off points around the state where residents can bring shells to reseed back into the ocean. Read more
|
|
How can we better prepare for natural hazards on our coasts? Inter-organizational collaboration to assist local efforts may be key
Floods. Erosion. Sea level rise. Tsunamis. All of these hazards threaten Washington State’s coasts — with potentially dire consequences. Although there have been many efforts and investments to respond to disaster events, geographically isolated communities on the state’s Pacific coast often lack sufficient capacity to undertake comprehensive planning efforts to support longer-term resilience. Meanwhile, these same communities face disproportionate risks and impacts from natural hazards. The newly completed Resilience Action Demonstration (RAD) Project, a collaboration between the Washington State Department of Ecology and Washington Sea Grant, is a significant step forward in addressing these issues. The two-year NOAA-funded project piloted a multi-organizational coastal hazards resilience team in response to urgent needs voiced by coastal communities and Tribes. The RAD team provided hands-on assistance to scope projects and secure funding for coastal hazards resilience efforts. These projects tackled pressing coastal hazards issues while planning for the future, and allowed the team to identify additional opportunities to support coastal communities’ resilience to hazards. The team compiled their recommendations into a final report, released in March 2022 on the Washington State Department of Ecology website. Read more
A Chumash tribe and conservationists fight offshore wind turbines
Along the wind-blasted shores of the Gaviota Coast, near the rocket gantries of Vandenberg Space Force Base, lazy breakers claw at the base of sandy bluffs and dunes, while farther out to sea, great white sharks cruise beneath churning whitecaps. It’s a stunning and uniquely Californian vista, a place where pristine headlands overlook the submerged remains of sacred Chumash villages and launchpads fire the nation’s newest and most secret technology into orbit. But in recent months, this stretch of the Santa Barbara County coastline has become a bitter collision point for several national and global imperatives — the reduction of planet-warming greenhouse gasses, the conservation of natural habitats and the atonement for injustices committed against Indigenous populations. A plan by private corporations to float up to eight wind power generators less than three miles offshore has run headlong into efforts to designate a vast area of ocean off the Central Coast as a Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. Read more
|
|
'Our Community Needs Protection': Pointe-au-Chien Tribe Struggles to Rebuild After Ida
Donald Dardar still chokes up as he remembers seeing the remains of his small community in Pointe-aux-Chenes for the first time after Hurricane Ida struck. The area, home to more than 800 members of the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe, endured some of the storm's worst destruction, leaving unanswered questions about whether to rebuild in an area that is ground zero for the climate crisis. The tribe's members are now fighting battles on two fronts, working to rebuild their lives after the storm and continuing their years-long quest for federal recognition. Recognized by the state, its petition to the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs has been largely ignored. Leaders say the tribe feels it is a forgotten part of Louisiana. Read more
Gulf Shores Beach Erosion Raising Safety Concerns for Lifeguards
Beach erosion is causing safety concerns in Gulf Shores as a popular portion of the city's shoreline is so narrow it could slow down responding lifeguards. "We run medical calls; anything from cardiac arrest to jellyfish stings. So, we are going up and down that beach a pretty good bit and that's why this is such an important issue for us," said Gulf Shores Beach Safety Chief Joethan Phillips. Phillips said a roughly 4-block stretch away from lifeguard towers is so narrow, only a few dozen feet of sand remain. "The sand is right up against the edge of buildings, and the water is very close to the sand and there's very little room," said Grant Brown with the city of Gulf Shores. Brown said recent storms, specifically Hurricane Sally in 2020, caused the massive loss in sand. Read more
|
|
Sandusky Begins Wetlands Work Near Cedar Point
Sandusky has begun construction on a long-awaited wetlands project on the west side of the Cedar Point Causeway, providing a new home for wildlife like birds and fish. Several years of planning went into the Cedar Point Causeway Wetlands, a 30-acre project. Construction is expected to take place over five years, with tinkering and monitoring taking another 10 years, said Aaron Klein, public works director for Sandusky. Funding the construction and renovation of wetlands has been a major initiative of H2Ohio, the DeWine administration’s clean water program, and many wetlands are being built on the shore of Lake Erie or in streams that feed into the lake. Read more
Sturgeon Bay is moving ahead with a bid to host a bay of Green Bay research visitor center
An ad hoc committee is working to put together a bid for the city to become home to a national water and nature research center. It's part of a state effort to designate Wisconsin's coastline on the bay of Green Bay and a portion of the upper Fox River, perhaps including some of the bay waters, as a National Estuarine Research Reserve (NERR). Should Sturgeon Bay be selected as a site for the Green Bay NERR, it opens the door to bring to the city researchers from across the country to study the bay — the largest freshwater estuary in the world, host classes on the subject and open a visitor and educational center. Read more
|
|
April 7, 2022
April 13, 2022
April 13-14, 2022
April 27, 2022
April 25-28, 2022
May 5, 2022
May 5-6, 2022
May 15-19, 2022
June 7-9, 2022
June 22-24, 2022
July 19-21, 2022
October 25-27, 2022
December 4-8, 2022
|
|
FEMA Swift Current Initiative is Giving Homeowners Money to Prepare for Floods — or Move Away
The $60M Swift Current initiative will be made available to the four states hit hardest by Hurricane Ida or its remnants and who have the highest severe repetitive loss (SRL) and repetitive loss (RL) of NFIP-insured unmitigated properties and total claims within their respective FEMA Regions. Learn more here.
Pew Webinar Recording: Carbon Captured by Coastal and Ocean Habitats Can Advance States’ Climate Goals
Pew has posted a webinar recording, Carbon Captured by Coastal and Ocean Habitats Can Advance States’ Climate Goals, that features representatives of the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center (SERC) and the Pacific Northwest Blue Carbon Working Group along with additional content focusing on building out the science and data around coastal blue carbon for application in state climate policy. The webinar and content specifically discusses information and tools that can help states better understand & improve coastal blue carbon data.
2022 RAE Coastal & Estuarine Summit: Now Accepting Presentation Proposals
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 April 8, 2022. Learn more and submit proposals 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.
Department of Transportation Notice of Funding Opportunity
The U.S. Department of Transportation has published a Notice of Funding Opportunity for $1.5 billion in grant funding through the Rebuilding American Infrastructure with Sustainability and Equity (RAISE) discretionary grant program. RAISE grants can be used for a wide variety of infrastructure projects. Applicants are encouraged to consider how their projects can address climate change, ensure racial equity, and remove barriers to opportunity. The application deadline is April 14, 2022. Four webinars on the grant program will be offered in February, more information on these webinars is available here. The NOFO is available here.
New Hampshire Critical Flood Risk Infrastructure Grant Applications
The New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services Coastal Program and Watershed Assistance Section are accepting Critical Flood Risk Infrastructure Grant applications for flood resilience and stormwater management projects located within New Hampshire’s Coastal Watershed. Coastal watershed communities and their stormwater infrastructure are highly susceptible to damage from severe flood risks, including relative sea-level rise (RSLR), coastal storms, RSLR-induced groundwater rise, extreme precipitation, and freshwater flooding. Applications are due April 15, 2022, learn more and apply 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:
- Community Capacity Building and Planning
- Site Assessment and Preliminary Design
- Final Design and Permitting
- 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.
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.
|
|
In The States
In The Agencies
In NGOs, Industry, and Academia
Job Boards
|
|
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.
|
|
Coastal States Organization | 50 F Street. NW, Suite 570, Washington, DC 20001 | 202-508-3860 | cso@coastalstates.org | www.coastalstates.org |
|
|
|
|
|
|
