CSO Newsletter
The Coastal States Organization represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories & Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resource issues.
Spotlight on Coastal Management
Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program
Learn more about Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program here.
Find more information on the work being done by the State Coastal Zone Management Programs on CSO's Publication page: www.coastalstates.org/csopublications/
In the States and Regions
East Coast and Caribbean
NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office Releases Report to Congress
The NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office’s  Biennial Report to Congress  was recently sent to Capitol Hill and is available to the public. The report describes how the NOAA Chesapeake Bay Office, a division within the Office of Habitat Conservation at NOAA Fisheries, leads efforts in habitat restoration, fisheries research, Bay watershed education, and oceanographic observations that lead to real, lasting differences for Chesapeake Bay communities, businesses, and the environment. Read more.
West Coast and Pacific
Four Oregon Jurisdictions Bolster Tsunami Resilience
The Cascadia Subduction Zone, a fault line located 50 miles off the Oregon coast, can produce earthquakes of 9.0 or higher on the Richter scale. In the next 50 years, a major earthquake here stands a one-in-three chance of producing a tsunami that strikes the coast and its 22,000 residents within 15 minutes. Four Oregon coastal counties are improving evacuation plans and limiting tsunami-zone risks, thanks to grants, a land-use guide, and early risk-reduction outreach administered by the Oregon Coastal Management Program. More communities will soon follow. Read more.

Eye in Sky Monitors Resource Threats and Gathers Enforcement Data
Monitoring potential dangers to natural resources is a big job for the staff at the Coastal Resources Management Program in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Fortunately, staff members use an unmanned aerial vehicle that “sees” problems from the sky, enabling them to better spot violations and collect stronger enforcement data. Read more.

Filtration System Keeps Saipan Lagoon Cleaner
The reef-fringed Saipan Lagoon spans nearly the entire 12-mile length of the island’s western side and attracts local people and businesses, subsistence fishers, and many of the roughly half-million visitors to the commonwealth each year. Runoff from nearby urban watersheds was hurting water quality and reef health, but a new stormwater filtration system has lessened lagoon contamination and the number of “red flag” health advisories. It was funded by updating permit regulations and levying fines on the violators, courtesy of the Coastal Resources Management Program of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Read more.

LaoLao Bay Dive Path Will Reduce Reef Impacts
Tourists love coral reefs but often swim too close and end up touching, breaking off, and even standing on coral. Over time, these behaviors can severely degrade the reef, causing slow recovery times, decreasing their value, and compromising their ability to protect the shoreline. A project to create a dedicated path through the LaoLao Bay coral reef flat will diminish those impacts, with a likely rise in coral recruitment and health. The Coastal Resources Management Program of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is designing the project. Read more.

Accessible Boardwalk Will Promote Habitat Protection and Education
Tourists at popular Jeffrey’s Beach on the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands were driving over and destroying a fragile estuarine riverbed, ruining a rare wetland. The commonwealth’s Coastal Resources Management Program worked with partners to address the problem, designing a 250-foot boardwalk that will start at the designated parking lot and run all the way to the beach. This path, conforming to Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility guidelines, will protect water quality and the estuarine and dune habitat while educating visitors on native wildlife, including goby and rock flagtail fish species not seen elsewhere in the commonwealth. Read more.
Gulf of Mexico
Louisiana Unveils Ambitious Plan to Help People Get Out of the Way of Climate Change
Gerard Braud has no plans to leave his handsome Creole-style house with its 15-foot-high front porch on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, a short drive from New Orleans. “Peacefulness and tranquility” is how he explains the appeal of living here.

Except that thanks in part to climate change, the lake keeps hopping the short seawall in front of Braud’s house and taking over his neatly manicured lawn—not just during hurricanes, but also when the tide is high and the winds are strong. His flood insurance premiums have almost doubled to $5,000 a year, making him wonder how difficult it would be to sell even if he wanted to. Read more.
Great Lakes
EPA Announces $14 Million to Reduce Excess Nutrients and Stormwater Pollution in the Great Lakes
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) will accept applications for Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) grants until July 12. EPA expects to award a total of approximately $14 million for about 30 projects in five categories addressing excess nutrients and stormwater runoff. 

This year, EPA is including a category to provide funding for innovative water quality trading projects. Approximately $1.5 million is available for four projects in this category which promotes cost-effective and market-based approaches to reducing excess nutrients to surface waters. Read more.


Monitoring Increases Kayaker Safety at Wisconsin National Park
The sea caves of the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore draw thousands of kayakers every summer. In the past, kayakers didn’t always know whether conditions were safe when starting out. Now they do, because a real-time observation system keeps an eye out for danger. The U.S. Department of the Interior praised its effectiveness when giving a safety award to the National Park Service, a project partner. The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program supported its installment. Read more.
Events & Webinars
June 5, 2019

June 10, 2019

June 10 - 13, 2019

June 11, 2019

June 11, 2019

June 17 - 19, 2019

June 19 - 21, 2019

June 20, 2019

July 8 - 12, 2019

October 8 - 9, 2019

November 3 - 7, 2019

November 4 - 8, 2019

November 4 - 8, 2019

July 5 -10, 2020
Announcements
2019 Mid-Atlantic Marine Debris Summit
Join researchers, educators, policy-makers and businesses at this collaborative summit as we explore Mid-Atlantic regional solutions to decrease litter and marine debris. 

The goals of this summit are to inspire and empower our partners in marine debris reduction, and to take the first steps in creating a marine debris reduction plan for the Mid-Atlantic.  


Summit attendees will receive updates on current marine debris science and trends and will explore techniques and tools effective in enhancing knowledge, changing behavior and influencing policies that reduce marine debris.  
Attendees will depart with increased capacity to collaboratively and successfully reduce marine litter in the Mid-Atlantic. Learn more.


Webinars on the Community Rating System
The CRS Webinar Series provides training opportunities to communities that are not yet participating in the Community Rating System or local government staff that are new to the CRS, and to local government staff with experience in the CRS. The Series includes basic introductory sessions and more advanced topics, most averaging about an hour in length.

  • June 18 Credit for Drainage System Maintenance (Activity 540)
  • June 19 Preparing an Annual Recertification
  • July 16 Developing a Repetitive Loss Area Analysis
  • July 17 Flood Warning & Response (Activity 610)

Register  here . 


Climate Adaptation Explorer
A Florida Climate Adaptation Explorer is now available to help address the predicted impacts of climate change on Florida’s fish, wildlife, and ecosystems. The Explorer is a resource for understanding potential impacts and to help in the development of adaptation strategies that could be implemented by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and other natural resource management agencies and groups. This guide provides the tools for integration of adaptation actions and tasks into broader policies and programs, to help natural resource managers and others understand and address the current and future impacts of climate change on Florida’s ecosystems.


Webinar: Introduction to EPA’s Planning for Natural Disaster Debris guidance
Time: Thu, Jun 20, 2019 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT
Purpose: To assist communities (including cities, counties, states, tribes) in planning for debris management before a natural disaster occurs, EPA’s Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery updated its Planning for Natural Disaster Debris guidance. Pre-incident planning can significantly aid decision-making during a response and enhance a community's resiliency. Pre-incident planning can also help communities recover faster, spend less money on cleanup and debris/waste management, and use fewer resources to rebuild and recover. This webinar will provide an overview of the guidance and highlight lessons learned and best practices. Register  here .


Coastal Management Photo Contest – Winners Announced!
Congratulations to the 2019 Coastal Management in Action photo contest winners. A panel of judges anonymously selected winning photos and honorable mentions from 91 submissions. Thank you to all the photographers out there. See the winning  photos .


FEMA Seeks Public Comment for New Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Grant Program
FEMA is seeking comments on the development and implementation of Disaster Recovery Reform Act (DRRA) Section 1234: National Public Infrastructure Pre-Disaster Hazard Mitigation Grant Program.
 
The new program: Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), is part of the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act which became law in October 2018. Communities from all levels of government and key stakeholders, including private businesses, citizens, vulnerable and at-risk populations, critical infrastructure sectors, and non-profit, academic, and philanthropic organizations are encouraged to provide comment. Comments will be accepted from May 20 through July 15, on  FEMA IdealScale  or by email at  BUILDBRIC@fema.dhs.gov .
 
In June, FEMA will host a webinar series to provide an overview of the different topic areas that are important for the development of the BRIC program. This will be followed by an open conversation with stakeholders through the chat platform.
 
For detailed information and a description of each session, visit the  website .  
 
Webinar 1: Infrastructure Mitigation Projects and Community Lifelines
2 to 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday June 6.  
Webinar 2: Hazard Mitigation Planning, Grant Application and Evaluation, and Risk Based Funding
2 to 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday June 13
Webinar 3: Funding & Resource Management and Benefit-Cost Analysis
2 to 4 p.m. EDT, Thursday June 20.
Webinar 4: Building Codes and Enforcement and Capacity and Capability
2 to 4 p.m. EDT, Tuesday June 25.
 
How to Participate:
• FEMA Teleconference: 1-800-320-4330 PIN: 338559#   
 
For more information on DRRA, visit  the website .


EPA Recreation Economy for Rural Communities
EPA's Office of Community Revitalization, the U.S. Forest Service, and the Northern Border Regional Commission are offering planning assistance through the new  Recreation Economy for Rural Communities  program.

Partner communities will work with a planning team to foster environmentally friendly community development and Main Street revitalization through the sustainable use of forests or other natural resources.

The application deadline is May 31, 2019.

Learn more about the program and get the application form at  https://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/recreation-economy-rural-communities .


NOAA seeks public comment on proposed Lake Ontario National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA is considering a national marine sanctuary in eastern Lake Ontario to protect historically significant shipwrecks and related maritime heritage resources, and is holding four public meetings on the proposal.

This is the first step in the designation process, and the public can comment through July 31 on the proposed sanctuary online, by mail, or in person at the public meetings. Learn more here.


National Coastal Resilience Fund 2019 Request for Proposals
Pre-proposal Due Date: Monday, May 20, 2019 11:59 PM EST 
Full Proposal by Invite Only Due Date: Monday, July 22, 2019 11:59 PM EST

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) has announced the National Coastal Resilience Fund for 2019. NFWF will make investments to restore and strengthen natural systems so they can protect coastal communities from the impacts of storms, floods, and other natural hazards and enable them to recover more quickly, while also enhancing habitats for important fish and wildlife populations. Learn more.


National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program
The National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grant Program was created to acquire, restore, and enhance wetlands in coastal areas through competitive matching grants to eligible State agencies. The Program is funded by revenues collected from excise taxes on sport fishing equipment, electric motors and sonar, import duties on fishing tackle, yachts and pleasure craft, and a portion of gasoline tax attributable to motorboats and small engines. Revenues are deposited into and appropriated from the Sport Fish Restoration and Boating Trust Fund.

Proposals due: June 28, 2019
Job Openings
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: gwilliams@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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