September 18-25 is National Estuaries Week! Join CSO, NOAA's Office for Coastal Management, the National Estuarine Research Reserves, and Restore America's Estuaries in celebrating these important natural resources!

Each year, hundreds of organizations throughout the country host local events in celebration of National Estuaries Week, from beach cleanups and marsh restoration events, to kayaking tours, find an event near you here!

Each year, NOAA's Office for Coastal Management holds a National Estuaries Week photo contest - check out the winners here!

Calling all students in 5th through 12th grade! Send in your photos showing how climate change has impacted you or your community in the West before November 15, 2021. Winning submissions will be shared with NOAA climate experts who will develop a written response about the climate impact or change captured in the photo, and both the photos and responses will be shared on the NOAA Western Region website. Applicants from across the U.S. are eligible, but photos must be taken in one of these western states: Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and New Mexico. Learn more and submit your photos here! 

announce the NOAA Environmental Literacy Program’s new funding opportunity for community resilience education. Through environmental literacy, projects will build resilience to extreme weather and climate change. This funding opportunity is soliciting requests of $250,000 - $500,000 for two types of projects through separate competitive priorities. The first deadline for pre-applications is November 1, 2021. Learn more here.

The Hollings Scholarship Program and the EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholarship Program are accepting applications until Monday, January 31, 2022. The Hollings Scholarship Program provides successful undergraduate applicants with awards that include academic assistance (up to $9,500 per year) for two years of full-time study and a 10-week, full-time paid ($700/week) internship at a NOAA facility during the summer. The EPP/MSI Undergraduate Scholarship provides funds for two years of undergraduate study to rising junior undergraduate students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fields that directly support NOAA's mission. Participants conduct research at a NOAA facility during two paid summer internships. Since 2001, 219 students have completed the program and over 75% go on to graduate school.

As the number and intensity of disaster events continue to grow, it is important to account for future conditions and climate change in your hazard mitigation plan. “Future Conditions” include the impacts of a changing climate, changes in population, and changes in land use and the built environment. This recorded webinar provides ideas, resources and examples of how to integrate future conditions information into your hazard mitigation planning process to increase overall resilience. Watch here.

FEMA published in the Federal Register the final rule that includes an update to the Hazard Mitigation Assistance programs and mitigation planning regulations. The rule incorporates requirements enacted by the Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act of 2012 (BW-12) and reflect uniform administrative requirements. Read the rule here.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering With Nature® (EWN) Initiative has released the International Guidelines on Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF) for Flood Risk Management which provides practitioners with the best available information concerning the conceptualization, planning, design, engineering, construction, and maintenance of NNBF to support resilience and flood risk reduction for coastlines, bays, and estuaries, as well as river and freshwater systems. Learn more and read the guidelines here.

Pew released a new brief on Blue Carbon as a tool for combating climate change with an overview of the topic, case studies, fast facts, and actions that nations and states can take to incorporate coastal blue carbon into climate goals. Read the brief here.

The NOAA Office for Coastal Management is offering the following upcoming trainings to build social science skills for coastal managers:

Any U.S. citizen who will complete a master’s or other advanced degree at an accredited U.S. university between August 1, 2020, and July 31, 2022, is eligible to apply for the Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowships. A variety of degrees are applicable to the fellowship because the projects are new and different each year. Previous fellows have had degrees in environmental studies, natural resource management, marine affairs, marine science, geology, public affairs, communications, social sciences, and regional land management. The most important prerequisite is an interest in coastal issues. Application packages must be submitted to the Sea Grant program office in the state where you earned your degree by January 21, 2022. Learn more about the Fellowships and how to apply here.

The Call for Abstracts for the Social Coast Forum is now open! Presentations and discussions at the Social Coast Forum 2022 will focus on applying social science data, tools, and practices to address climate change in coastal communities. Submit an abstract today, of 300 words or less, to present in person at the event in Charleston, February 1-3, 2022. Abstracts are due September 27, 2021. Learn more and submit your abstract here.

Urban flooding is of particular concern as human populations concentrate in urban areas, which are often located in coastal or flood prone areas. CUAHSI is hosting a seminar series which brings together scholars from a variety of perspectives and fields to share their research on urban flooding, recommendations for how to lessen future impacts or approach challenges, and highlight areas of needed research and collaboration. This series seeks to reach scientists at all stages of their careers, policy makers, and urban flood practitioners to establish connections between members of different fields, shed light on interdisciplinary research and methodologies, and to define calls to action for both research and practice. Join the series Wednesdays this fall from September 8th - October 13th at 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET. Learn more here.

It’s an exciting two-year fellowship program that will place one graduate student at each of the 29 national estuarine research reserves. Through a research project, fellows address a key reserve management need to help scientists and communities understand coastal challenges that may influence future policy and management strategies. The research reserves represent the apex of estuary science. At these coastal sites, fieldwork, research, and community engagement come together to create the scientific advances that change our communities and our world. Applications are due December 10, 2021. Learn more and apply here.