Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve
cover photo by Eric Crossan
This enewsletter from DNREC Delaware Coastal Training Program (CTP) features resources that are available for Delaware's community leaders and natural resource managers to help us plan smarter for safer and more sustainable communities! 

This roundup includes highlights of upcoming trainings, tools, technical assistance programs, and funding sources from the CTP as well as other local practitioners and technical experts.  This enewsletter will be distributed quarterly - p lease be in touch if you have more updates to share or are looking for additional info! 
Contact:
Kelly Valencik
Coastal Training Program Coordinator
Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve
DNREC
302-739-6377
Upcoming Trainings and Webinars
Planning and Facilitating Collaborative Meetings
Tuesday, Aug. 15th and Wednesday, Aug. 16th
St. Jones Reserve Coastal Training Center, Dover, Del.

Registration Deadline: August 4, 2017
$50 Registration fee covers lunch and refreshments.

This two day instructor-led course from the NOAA Office of Coastal Management is designed to increase participants’ ability to plan and facilitate a meeting (or a series of meetings) that minimize conflict and enhance problem solving. Collaboration is often cited as a good way to address coastal resource management issues, but the collaborative process is complicated, requiring a systematic approach. This course provides the skills and tools to design and implement collaborative approaches. The skills will be useful even when attending, but not running, a collaborative meeting. 
You will learn how to:
  • Determine if a collaborative process is appropriate
  • Select people with the skills needed to fit each meeting role
  • Learn and practice facilitation skills
  • Use appropriate process tools and techniques to address the meeting objectives
  • Manage conflict in meetings by understanding group dynamics
  • Identify disruptive behaviors in group processes and practice strategies to deal with them

Who should take this course:
County, municipal and community leaders, regional and municipal planners, office managers, and more. 
  Planning Effective Projects for Coastal Communities
Wednesday, Sept. 27 and Thursday, Sept. 28
St. Jones Reserve Coastal Training Center, Dover, Del.

$50 Registration fee covers lunch and refreshments. 

In this two-day interactive instructor-led course from the NOAA Office of Coastal Management you will learn how to conduct an assessment, use a logic model to plan a new project or reassess a current one, and prepare for a meaningful evaluation. Attend this course to learn project planning practices that help you build on accountability and strategic thinking, reveal assumptions, and create a targeted effort with measurable results.
After completing this course, participants will be able to:
  • Assess your understanding of the needs driving the project team actions and plans
  • Apply a systems approach to logically connect project resources, actions and outcomes
  • Create functional logic models for immediate use in your projects
  • Generate performance measures for project reporting and evaluation
  • Link project design to agency and organization missions, strategic plans, and established program niches
  • Prepare for a meaningful evaluation of your project 
OpenNSPECT Webinar
August 23, 2017   2:00 PM EDT - 5:00 PM EDT            
On-line Live webinar from the NOAA Office for Coastal Management

Free event, registration required.  

About the webinar
A land cover analysis can be used to help planners better understand the relationships between land use and water quality. Join this course to learn the technical aspects of OpenNSPECT, a GIS-based tool used to estimate runoff, nonpoint source pollution, and erosion. Participants listen to an introductory lecture and perform hands-on exercises to practice using various tool functions.

You will learn how to:
  • Recognize and access the functionality available in the OpenNSPECT software
  • Identify data requirements
  • Explore the impacts of different land uses and land management scenarios
  • Interpret tool outputs
  • Apply OpenNSPECT for your project needs
Who should take this course?
This course is designed for GIS professionals, including regional and municipal planners and natural resource managers, working on land use and watershed management projects.

Participant requirements:
  • Competence in GIS
  • MapWindow GIS (Local administrator permissions are needed to install)
  • OpenNSPECT software
  • User instructions and mandatory setup meeting held in advance of the workshop.
  • Internet and speakers (or headphones)


For additional information, email: [email protected]

Community Resources and Tools
Clean Water and Drinking Water
State Revolving Loan Fund Public Workshop
Friday, July 14
Kent County Adminstrative Complex
555 S. Bay Road, Dover, DE
10:00 AM EDT - 12:00 PM EDT

RSVP through Laura Rafferty:
(302) 739-9941

The DNREC, Office of the Secretary, Environmental Finance, and DHSS, Division of Public Health, Office of Drinking Water will host a State Workshop in preparation for the development of Revised Clean Water (CWSRF) and Drinking Water (DWSRF) FY 2017 Project Priority Lists. The purpose of the Workshop is to inform and provide interested parties with detailed overviews of the CWSRF and DWSRF Programs. The combined program Workshop will provide attendees with an efficient source of information for requesting financial assistance for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure project needs. 
Workshop participants will learn about CWSRF and DWSRF program changes and infrastructure financing tools:
  • One-Stop Loan Application Process for Wastewater and Drinking Water Infrastructure Project Assistance           
  • CWSRF and DWSRF Program Loan Interest Rates (currently 2.0 Percent)
  • Land Conservation, and Water Quality Improvement Loan Sponsorship Programs
  • Source Water Protection Loans for Drinking Water Supplies
  • Wastewater, Drinking Water, and Stormwater Facilities Matching Planning Grants
  • Community Water Quality Improvement Grants
  • Asset Management Plan Development Incentives
  • Project Planning Advances                     
  • Expanded Eligibilities for Privately Owned Businesses


Notices-of-Intent (NOI) for wastewater, drinking water, stormwater, and related infrastructure projects will be solicited starting July 14th and due by August 14th  to prepare the Revised FY 2017 CWSRF and CWSRF PPLs.  Projects must be listed on the CWSRF and DWSRF PPLs, respectively, to be considered for funding. Workshop attendance is required by applicants and/or their consulting engineering firms that plan to apply for CWSRF and DWSRF assistance
Funding Opportunities
Surface Water Matching Planning Grants

There is $169,019 available in grants for the remainder of fiscal year 2017 for Surface Water Planning Projects within Delaware’s developed landscape to improve water quality in impaired watersheds with established and proposed total maximum daily loads (TMDLs). The projects will be selected for funding by the Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council through a competitive grant process.

Who is eligible for the grant?
Only Delaware state agencies and programs, governmental subdivisions, counties and municipalities are eligible to obtain a Surface Water Matching Planning Grant. A 1:1 cash match is required for the grant. Non-profit organizations, educational institutions, community organizations, and/or homeowner’s associations within the State of Delaware that do not have taxing authority are ineligible to apply directly but may partner with an eligible applicant.

How can the grant be used?
The Delaware Water Infrastructure Advisory Council (WIAC) developed the Surface Water Matching Planning Grant program to support the planning/preliminary engineering/ feasibility analysis of surface water improvement projects and activities that focus on the developed landscape to improve water quality in impaired watersheds in Delaware. The grants are intended for the planning/preliminary engineering/feasibility analysis of stormwater retrofits, green technology practices, stream and wetland restoration projects, small watershed studies, development of master surface water and drainage plans, and other point and non-point source water pollution control projects. 
Grant applications must be submitted to the DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship no later than 4:30 pm, August 23 , 2017.

Additional grant announcement details and application information available here

Find additional grant opportunities by searching the Delaware Database for Funding Resilient Communities!

Storm surges, nor’easters, heavy precipitation events, and sea level rise threaten municipalities around the state, and climate models predict that these hazards will increase in severity and frequency in the future. Financial assistance programs are available to support the implementation of projects to prepare for and adapt to these threats. The Institute for Public Administration (IPA) at the University of Delaware, with support from DNREC Delaware Coastal Programs office, compiled relevant financial assistance programs into a searchable web database for Delaware’s local governments. 
Guide to using the database 
As a part of our mission, the Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve is committed to promoting informed decision making through the Delaware Coastal Training Program. This program addresses critical coastal resource management issues in Delaware by providing current scientific information, access to technologies and skill-building opportunities to Delawareans responsible for making decisions about the state's coastal resources.  

Requests for submittal: Have a great resource, training, or program that you want to share with Delaware community leaders  and natural resources managers to help make our communities safer and more sustainable? Please submit information for inclusion in this e-newsletter to the contact below by April 15 (for spring issue), July 15 (summer), October 15 (fall), January 15 (winter). 
Kelly Valencik | Delaware National Estuarine Research Reserve | 302-739-6377