CSO Newsletter
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:
National Shoreline Management Study
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers initiated the National Shoreline Management Study (NSMS) to contribute to ongoing efforts to improve coastal management. The NSMS supports dialogs between Federal, state, and local stakeholders about the collaborative and systems approaches and policies for management of the Nation’s shorelines. Participants of the NSMS have collaborated on numerous research studies, interagency events, and other products relating to coastal science and shore protection.
 
Study activities include:
  • Developing a National Assessment that describes the extent of, and the environmental and economic effects of, erosion and accretion on the shores of the United States.
  • Producing a report on the systematic movement of sand and other sediments.
  • Formulating recommendations on the use of a systems approach to shoreline management and roles for Federal and non-Federal agencies.
  • Developing a database of coastal project activities through the Coastal Systems Portfolio Initiative (CSPI).
  • Creating a coastal strategic process Rising Oceans on Changing Coasts (ROCC) to examine what we know about how winds, waves and water levels are changing in the Pacific Ocean.

Learn more about the NSMS here.
Remembering A Coastal Management Leader:
Dr. Sarah Taylor-Rogers
CSO remembers Dr. Sarah Taylor-Rogers, a coastal management champion, former Maryland state delegate to CSO, and the first female Chair of CSO.

Sarah made significant contributions to coastal zone management. She spent five years working at USACE where she developed a method that was adopted by USACE to assess state and local ability to assume cost share for projects. She then became the Director of the Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program and then the first Executive Director of the Chesapeake Bay Critical Area Commission where she worked with the Commissioners and staff to develop the Critical Area Program as the first land use-growth management program in the State coupled with the protection of the Bay and its land and water resources. She then served as the Maryland Department of Natural Resource’s Assistant Secretary for Resource Management. She was appointed the first woman Secretary for the Maryland Department of Natural Resources where her focus was on the wise management of Maryland’s natural resources through the use of sound science and improving the Chesapeake Bay through education and increased awareness of citizens not usually served well by the government. During her tenure in this role she initiated an effort to ensure that state parks provided information and signage in Spanish and Braille to increase public accesses to state natural resources.

During her tenure with CSO she represented four Maryland Governors and was elected the first female Chair. She subsequently served on the Board of Directors of the Coastal States Stewardship Foundation.
In the States and Regions
West Coast and Pacific
Coastal Commission Releases Conceptual Plan for Public Access to Hollister Ranch Beaches
A decades-long effort to allow public access on Hollister Ranch beaches has resulted in a conceptual plan calling for phased steps to allow people onto the remote coastline via shuttle, car, trail or bicycle. This month, the California Coastal Commission released a conceptual plan for the Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program (HRCAP) for limited public access to Hollister Ranch beaches — Agua Caliente, Alegria, Sacate, Drake’s, Bulito and San Augustin, some of the state's most famous surf breaks. “The vision for the Hollister Ranch Coastal Access Program is to provide public access to the beaches along the Hollister Ranch coastline and to do it in a way that 1) preserves the qualities that make a visit to the ranch beaches a unique and memorable experience and 2) ensures equitable access to the beaches,” the plan states. Read more

NOAA Extends Survey On Economic Impacts Of Reef Diving And Snorkeling
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has extended an ongoing survey to find out what divers and snorkelers spend when they dive coral reefs around the country. NOAA originally did a similar survey in 2019 in Hawaii and this year expanded it to not only Hawaii but also American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam and the Caribbean, according to a notice published this week in the Federal Register. Read more
East Coast and Caribbean
House Approves Bill To Study Shoreline Access
In an effort to identify ways to stem the tide of conflicts over the public’s access to the shore, the House of Representatives will study the issue of lateral shoreline access under a resolution introduced by Rep. Terri Cortvriend and approved by the House today. The resolution (2021-H 5469A) creates a 12-member special legislative commission to study and provide recommendations on the issues relating to lateral access along the Rhode Island shoreline, with a goal of reporting back to the General Assembly next spring. Read more

New Federal Grant Funds Water Quality Tests To Keep Georgia Beaches Clean And Safe
Every Monday morning this swim season, beachgoers can find the Georgia Department of Natural Resources collecting samples of water at Coastal Georgia’s most popular beaches on Tybee, St. Simons and Jekyll Islands. What are they testing for? Enterococcus, a type of bacteria found in the guts of all warm-blooded animals. When found in high amounts in beach water, the bacteria can indicate that an excess of boat discharge or fecal matter has runoff into the water, or that other potentially harmful pathogens are present. This beach water sampling and testing is managed by the DNR’s Coastal Resources Division, which in May received a $277,000 grant from the federal Environmental Protection Agency to fund this public health and safety initiative. Read more
Great Lakes
Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast On Lake Michigan Designated As 15th National Marine Sanctuary
Many local community leaders are celebrating after more than six years of effort have resulted in an area of Lake Michigan becoming part of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s list of marine sanctuaries. “We are excited that the Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast NMS will finally be a reality,” Manitowoc Mayor Justin Nickels said in a news release sent Tuesday by the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation. “The protection of this body of water and the shipwrecks with this designation, which lie forever at rest along our coast, will memorialize the rich history of our community and the men and women who built our city for generations before us.” Read more

Science Helping To Predict Lake Erie Water Toxicity With New Buoys
As the summer heats up, many will turn to Lake Erie for recreation. But did you know that our Great Lake is getting smarter? The yellow buoy pictured above is a familiar sight in Lake Erie, and this year you’ll see more of them. Locally, four buoys create a warning system for our drinking water here in Northeast Ohio. “These buoys provide us hours of advanced warning. That is an incredible advantage to treating water,” stated Scott Moegling, Water Quality Manager of Cleveland Water. An early warning system is critical. Seven years ago, 400,000 people in Toledo lost their drinking water, when a toxic algae bloom formed. Read more
Gulf Coast
Residents Outside Terrebonne's Hurricane-Protection System Offered Voluntary Buyouts
A program is underway to use $2.8 million in federal grant money to offer voluntary buyouts to homeowners outside Terrebonne Parish's hurricane-protection levees. It's part of a state-run program called La Safe, which will spend about $40 million on projects aimed at making Louisiana coastal communities more resilient in the face of hurricanes and coastal erosion. The projects were chosen in 2018 after months of public hearings and discussion. The projects are seen as a complement to the state’s 50-year, $50 billion master plan to deal with increasing threats from coastal erosion, sinking land, rising seas and hurricanes. Read more

Replenishment Of Babe’s Beach About To Begin
This summer, Galveston Island’s Babe’s Beach, is getting a new round of fresh sand. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Galveston District is partnering with the Galveston Park Board of Trustees, the City of Galveston, and the Texas General Land Office (GLO) on Babe’s Beach in an ongoing effort to maintain and protect Galveston’s beaches – all at no additional cost to local residents. “The replenishment of Babe’s Beach, which begins west of 61st Street, is scheduled to start this summer,” according to Andrew Cook, an Operations manager with the USACE Galveston District. “To support this project, we are placing the sand — called Beneficial Use of Dredge Material (BUDM) — from our required dredging of Galveston’s ship channel to replenish this beach area. Up to 950,000 cubic yards of beach-quality sand harvested from the dredging project will be used to renourish Babe’s Beach.” Read more
Events & Webinars
Announcements
New Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary
NOAA announced the designation of a 962-square-mile area of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan as a new national marine sanctuary! The Wisconsin Shipwreck Coast National Marine Sanctuary protects 36 historically significant shipwrecks, promotes heritage tourism and recreation, and supports Lake Michigan conservation issues. Learn more about the new sanctuary here.

2021 NOAA Habitat Month Photo Contest
Submit your coastal and marine habitat photos by July 21 to help NOAA highlight habitat! There are two themes for the contest this year: Humans in Habitat and Habitat and Climate Change. The photo contest is open to photographers of all ages and experience levels, whether youth, amateur, or professional. NOAA employees and other government employees and affiliates (including contractors, fellows, and interns) are also eligible. The submission deadline is Wednesday, July 21, 2021, 11:59 p.m. EDT. Entries submitted after the entry period will not be eligible. Winners will be announced and showcased on the NOAA Fisheries website during the week of July 26, 2021. Learn more and enter here.

2021 Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest
The 2021 Get Into Your Sanctuary photo contest runs from May 29th to September 6th, 2021. The contest has four themes: Sanctuary Views, Sanctuary Life, Sanctuary Recreation, and Sanctuaries at Home. Learn more and submit your photos here.

Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship
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.
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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.

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