CSO Newsletter
The Coastal States Organization represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories, and Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resource issues.
LAST CALL TO REGISTER!
2020 National Coastal and Estuarine Summit!
September 29 - October 1, 2020
Join CSO and Restore America's Estuaries NEXT WEEK on September 29 - October 1, 2020 for the 2020 National Coastal and Estuarine Summit! Registration ends Friday, Sept. 25th.

The 2020 Summit will have 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! Check out the exciting Summit Program filled with over 350 presenters and speakers which will be available to registrants both live and on-demand!
Spotlight on Coastal Management:
Texas Guide to Living Shorelines
The Texas Coastal Management Program has added a new tool to its extensive toolkit of coastal management resources!

Check out their new resource, A Guide to Living Shorelines in Texas. The new guide is a one-stop educational resource for property owners on the use of living shorelines as alternatives to traditional shoreline stabilization techniques. The guide is intended to provide streamlined information on how to implement living shorelines and will outline the steps needed to design, permit, and construct a viable project. 

In addition to the new guide, the Texas Coastal Management Program held a series of living shoreline workshops to raise awareness on the use of living shorelines as alternatives to traditional erosion prevention and shoreline stabilization methods. The workshops were designed to educate attendees on living shorelines, how they can be used on their property, and how the Coastal Management Program can help during the living shoreline permitting and installation process. Learn more about these workshops and find additional living shorelines resources here.
Celebrate National Estuaries Week!
September 19 - 26, 2020 is National #EstuariesWeek! During this week we celebrate our nation's estuaries and the many benefits they provide.

Check out the winners of the NOAA 2020 National Estuaries Week Photo Contest winners here!

Learn more about your local National Estuarine Research Reserve here and learn more through about your local reserve through their virtual learning options.

Find a virtual, self-guided, or socially distanced group event to celebrate #EstuariesWeek here.

And of course follow along with #EstuariesWeek on social media and share your favorite stories and pictures of your local estuary!
In the States and Regions
Gulf Coast
Mississippi’s Coastal Areas Receive $15 Million for Restoration Projects
Governor Tate Reeves announced that the Mississippi Trustee Implementation Group (MS TIG) approved four restoration projects totaling over $15 million that will have a direct impact on Mississippi’s coastal natural resources. “This is a great day for Mississippi and our coastal communities. With over $15 million in restoration projects, we will be able to ensure the vitality and longevity of our precious natural beauty and resources along the Gulf Coast,” said Reeves. “We are truly grateful for our ongoing partnership with MS TIG and their commitment to protecting the people and local economies on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.” Read more

State Opens Permitting Process for Oyster Farming
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials have opened up the permit application process for off-bottom oyster farms, making Texas one of the last coastal states to allow this type of mariculture. “With natural oyster reefs along the gulf coast struggling from hurricanes, flooding and overharvest, oyster mariculture has become the answer for many people harvesting oysters in the Gulf of Mexico,” a TPWD statement reads. Read more
Great Lakes
Lawmakers Consider State Task Force for Flooding and Erosion Issues
State lawmakers are exploring a new task force aimed at combating flooding and soil erosion, a problem that Michigan has been experiencing most recently with Great Lakes water levels hitting record heights this past spring and summer. The task force would have to, among other things, conduct a review of weather data as it relates to previous flooding events in Michigan and the response by lakeshore counties and communities, to address and mitigate flooding events and soil erosion. It would also have to work with residents and professionals from surrounding Great Lakes states to learn how they have responded to flooding events and soil erosion. And every year prepare a report for the state House and Senate with recommendations for legislation related to the environment, water, and natural resources. Read more

Consortium to Partner with ODNR in H2Ohio Wetland Monitoring
Gov. Mike DeWine’s H2Ohio Initiative — a comprehensive, data-driven approach to improving Ohio’s water quality — has enlisted the Lake Erie and Aquatic Research Network to partner with ODNR on the H2Ohio Initiative’s wetland monitoring plan. The group will assess the effectiveness and future role of implemented and planned wetland restoration projects under the H2Ohio Initiative. Read more
West Coast and Pacific
Conservation Groups Complete Chorro Creek Restoration Project, Benefiting the Morro Bay Watershed 
For years, a stretch of Chorro Creek near Hollister Peak ran through active farmland, where its flow was diverted for irrigation and its banks were shored up by levees, blocking the water's natural access to its floodplain. When the California Department of Fish and Wildlife took over ownership of the 5-acre site in the early 2000s—renaming it the Chorro Creek Ecological Reserve—conservation agencies knew that the creek and its floodplain needed restoration. After nearly two decades of planning and fundraising, the Estuary Program and its partners recently completed a major restoration of the site. Read more

40% of Oʻahu Beaches Could Be Lost By Mid-Century
The reactive and piecemeal approach historically used to manage beaches in Hawaiʻi has failed to protect them, according to a new study by researchers in the Coastal Geology Group at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology (SOEST). The study also found that if policies are not changed, as much as 40 percent of all beaches on Oʻahu could be lost before mid-century. In an era of rising sea-level, beaches need to migrate landward, otherwise they drown. Beach migration, also known as shoreline retreat, causes coastal erosion of private and public beachfront property. Shoreline hardening, the construction of seawalls or revetments, interrupts natural beach migration—causing waves to erode the sand, accelerating coastal erosion on neighboring properties, and dooming a beach to drown in place as the ocean continues to rise. Read more
East Coast and Caribbean
Army Corps of Engineers Proposes Flood Wall to Fortify Miami-Dade Coastline
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is studying how to fortify Miami-Dade County’s coastline from the reality of rising seas and, as part of a more than $4 billion plan, has proposed a flood wall running parallel to Miami’s waterfront. “There’s a huge detrimental economic and environmental impact to downtown,” said Neil Schafers, senior manager of planning, resilience and transportation at the Miami Downtown Development Authority (DDA). According to Schafers, it’s an ominous eye soar threatening property values, quality of life, the tourism industry and the environment. “This is a tremendous opportunity to try and mitigate issues like coast storm surge and sea-level rise, so we don’t want to miss out on this opportunity,” he said. The DDA created their own renderings, showing alternative nature-based solutions, like living shorelines. Read more

Army Corps Awards Contract for Renourishment in Bethany, South Bethany
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Philadelphia District announced on Sept. 21 that it had awarded a contract to Weeks Marine Inc. for $11.1 million to conduct the periodic nourishment of the Bethany & South Bethany Coastal Storm Risk Management project in Delaware. Work is the result of a partnership between the Army Corps’ Philadelphia District and the Delaware Department of Natural Resources & Environmental Control. Work will involve dredging more than 732,000 cubic yards of sand from offshore sand borrow sites. Sand will be pumped through a series of pipes and placed on the beaches in Bethany and South Bethany. Most of the work involves widening the beach, while dunes will be repaired in certain areas. Read more
Events & Webinars
Announcements
EPA Announces Federal Partnership to Build Nationwide Resilience to Natural Disasters
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and federal partners, in close coordination with experts across governmental agencies, academia and non-governmental organizations, to announce the agency’s participation in the National Mitigation Investment Strategy (NMIS). The NMIS provides a national, whole-community approach to investments in mitigation activities and risk management across federal, state, local, and tribal and territorial government and the private and non-profit sectors. The investment strategy’s overarching goal is to improve the coordination and effectiveness of “mitigation investments,” defined as risk management actions taken to avoid, reduce, or transfer risks from natural hazards, including severe weather. Learn more here.

FEMA's New Interactive Mitigation Action Portfolio
FEMA has released a new interactive Mitigation Action Portfolio which introduces stakeholders to the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant program and the array of eligible hazard mitigation activities that can benefit stake holders. Check out the Mitigation Action Portfolio here.

NOAA Undergraduate Scholarship Applications Are Open!
Are you interested in a scholarship and paid summer internship with NOAA? Consider applying for the Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship or the Educational Partnership Program with Minority Serving Institutions (EPP/MSI) Undergraduate Scholarship. Applications are open from September 1, 2020, through February 1, 2021. Learn more here.

Coastal GeoTools Call For Abstracts Now Open!
Coastal GeoTools 2021 is going virtual! Submit an abstract, or two, to share your geospatial application story, tool, or resource. Abstracts are due by Friday, October 9, 2020. Learn more and submit your abstracts 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.
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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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