The Coastal States Organization represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories, and Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resource issues. |
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Spotlight on Coastal Management:
National Hurricane Preparedness Week
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Did you know that State and Territory Coastal Zone Management Programs often play a critical role in hurricane preparedness and response? For example the Texas General Lands Office Coastal Management Program is the lead Texas state agency for managing disaster recovery grants through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. And the program has developed the GLO Hurricane Preparedness and Planning initiative as a focused effort to pool local, state and federal resources, and begin prioritizing efforts to build a resilient Texas coast. Learn more about these efforts here.
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CSO has two open positions - Managing Director and Grants Administrator - both working with the Coastal States Stewardship Foundation. These positions are excellent opportunities to work with coastal states and regional ocean partnerships to advance ocean and coastal policy, science, and management. Come join our team! Learn more here.
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Celebrating 50 Years of Ocean and Coastal Conservation |
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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!
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CZMA at 50 Podcast Series
Join CSO's Executive Director, Derek Brockbank, in a five part podcast series to learn about the basis of the act, why it’s important, how it’s changed, and more.
All five episodes of the series are now available! Listen to all of them here or wherever you get your podcasts! |
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In the States and Regions |
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Army Corps Launching 8-State Great Lakes Coastal Resilience Study
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is launching a comprehensive study of the Great Lakes shoreline after securing $1.1 million to begin the long-awaited look at vulnerability to high water and erosion along the inland coast. The Great Lakes Coastal Resiliency Study (GLCRS) will create an inventory of areas which are vulnerable to water level changes and offer ways that coastal communities can withstand, recover and adapt to changing conditions and increasingly intense storms. Read more
More Beach, Boat Access Planned from Coastal Grants
Coastal restoration efforts are underway across the state as recipients of the Michigan Coastal Management Program grants begin work locally.
Funding comes from the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. Seventeen awards totaling more than $1.1 million will fund projects and initiatives to protect, preserve and enhance the state’s coastal resources. “In Michigan we have the nation’s longest freshwater coastline at 3,288 (miles),” said Ronda Wuycheck, the program manager. “We are a very large state with a lot of partners and a lot of communities.” Wuycheck said the program has five focus areas: public access, coastal hazards such as erosion and flooding projects, coastal habitat, coastal community development and coastal waters. Read more
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Landowners Seek Clarity Over Virginia’s Living Shorelines Law
Natural or living shorelines have for years been the preferred approach of scientists and state agencies to prevent erosion, accommodate sea level rise and preserve tidal wetlands along shorelines in the Chesapeake Bay region. Rather than hardening property edges with concrete or stone riprap, living shorelines create natural contours that receive the water’s ebb and flow and, over time, can be more resilient. They also create habitat for wildlife and filter polluted runoff from the land. So, in 2020, Virginia turned its push for softer shorelines into law. Legislators directed the Virginia Marine Resources Commission to approve only living shoreline designs when property owners seek permits for shore stabilization projects, “unless the best available science shows that such approaches are not suitable.” The new law does not necessarily mean that existing hardened shorelines — with concrete walls, bulkhead or stone riprap — will need to be immediately demolished and replaced with beds of seagrass. But property owners who have a seawall nearing the end of its life or in need of repair are worried the law could require costly changes, and they point to a few properties in the state that have already had trouble getting permits. Words like “suitable” — intended to give the scientific community and regulators flexibility — are viewed as inherently vague by property owners who aren’t sure what will be expected of them when they seek a new permit. Read more
Coastal Georgia’s Ecosystem Scores ‘A-‘ on Annual Report Card, An Increase from Last Year
The Coastal Georgia Ecosystem Report Card scored the state’s coastal environment at a “A-”, or 81 percent, a four-point increase from last year, according to the Coastal Resources Division (CRD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR), which commissions the report. “This year’s annual report card—released on Earth Day—shows Coastal Georgia’s ecosystems continue to thrive, in large part because of thoughtful stewardship, science-based decision making, and striking that careful balance between conservation and development,” said Jan Mackinnon, a CRD biologist who oversaw the report. “Positive increases in red drum abundance, wood storks, and bald eagles all contributed to higher scores over last year, and everyone who cares about our natural resources can be proud of that.” Read more
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Hawaii Homeowners Must Tell Prospective Buyers If Sea Level Rise Threatens Their Property
As scientists warn of a merciless rise in sea level that could render more than 25,000 acres of statewide land uninhabitable this century, Hawaii home shoppers are gaining a new tool to help them analyze coastal hazards when exploring real estate. On Monday, Hawaii became the first state to enact a law requiring real estate sellers to disclose in property transactions whether their land lies in an area susceptible to impacts from a projected 3.2-foot increase in sea level. Many real estate agents already warn prospective buyers about coastal climate hazards that could affect a property, but the new disclosure makes it mandatory and defines which properties are expected to be destroyed or damaged by sea level rise. Read more
Biden Administration Moves Ahead With Proposed Oregon Offshore Wind Power
Two sites near the Oregon coast have been identified by the federal government as potential leasing sites for offshore wind energy. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will assess areas in federal waters near Coos Bay and Brookings — both about 14 miles, or about 12 nautical miles, from the coast — as potential sites for offshore wind farms, the Department of the Interior announced Wednesday. BOEM published a call for information and nominations to gauge commercial interest and public input on both sites. Public comments can be submitted until the period ends in 60 days on June 28. Read more
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Louisiana Lawmakers Propose Study for Wind Energy Pilot Project in Gulf
Louisiana lawmakers want state regulators to study the most cost-effective pathways to complete an offshore wind energy pilot project in the Gulf of Mexico within four years. The state House of Representatives made its request official Monday with the adoption of House Resolution 25, sponsored by Rep. Joseph Orgeron, R-Larose. According to the resolution, the House “urges and requests” the Public Service Commission to study the benefits, costs and best ways of achieving a demonstrable offshore wind pilot project by 2026. Studies show Gulf of Mexico wind power is one of the largest untapped energy resources in the nation. The U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory found Gulf winds can provide double the energy currently being used in all five Gulf states. Read more
Northwest Florida Rebuilds After Every Hurricane. But Are We Rebuilding In Right Places?
When hurricane winds, storm surge and flood waters inevitably come crashing down on the Gulf Coast — toppling beach homes, cracking asphalt and eroding the shoreline — it takes years of work and millions, sometimes billions, of dollars to rebuild. Still, communities stubbornly rebuild condos, beach homes, retail, resorts and even shorelines, knowing full well it could all come crumbling down again in the next big storm. It's a vicious cycle Rob Young has been working years to disrupt. "The biggest problem that I see is that we still put too much stuff in harm's way," said Young, a professor of coastal geology at Western Carolina University. "If I could beg a community to do one thing, it would be don't put anything else in a place where it's immediately going to be exposed to the next storm or flood. And that may seem really simple, but it's unbelievably difficult for communities. Read more
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May 5, 2022
May 5-6, 2022
May 10, 2022
May 12, 2022
May 15-19, 2022
May 24, 2022
May 26, 2022
June 7-9, 2022
June 15, 2022
June 22-24, 2022
July 19-21, 2022
October 25-27, 2022
December 4-8, 2022
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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.
NFWF Announces America the Beautiful Challenge 2022 Request for Proposals
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), through anticipated cooperative agreements from the Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is pleased to announce the launch of the America the Beautiful Challenge (ATBC) 2022 Request for Proposals (RFP). The ATBC vision is to streamline grant funding opportunities for new voluntary conservation and restoration projects around the United States. This Request for Proposals is a first step toward consolidating funding from multiple federal agencies and the private sector to enable applicants to conceive and develop large-scale, locally led projects that address shared funder priorities spanning public and private lands. In year one of the ATBC approximately $85 million will be awarded in nationwide funding to advance the America the Beautiful Initiative and its goals to connect and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend. There will be an applicant webinar on May 19, 2022. Register for the webinar here. Proposals are due July 21, 2022. Learn more here.
2022 National Estuary Program Coastal Watersheds Grants
Restore America’s Estuaries announced the availability of the 2022 National Estuary Program Coastal Watersheds Grant Request for Proposals, NEP CWG is a nationally competitive grants program designed to support projects that address urgent and challenging issues threatening the well-being of coastal and estuarine areas within determined estuaries of national significance. The deadline to submit Letters of Intent is May 27, 2022. Learn more and apply here.
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With CSO
In The States
In The Agencies
In NGOs, Industry, and Academia
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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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Coastal States Organization | 50 F Street. NW, Suite 570, Washington, DC 20001 | 202-508-3860 | cso@coastalstates.org | www.coastalstates.org |
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