CSO Newsletter

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:

Maine Communities Assess and Expand Working Waterfront Economies

NOAA's Office for Coastal Managment and the Maine Coastal Program helped communities across Maine to assess the economic benefits of their working waterfronts and to identify ways to strengthen the vitality of these waterfronts.


In the Town of Milbridge, two upstream projects had harmed the public pier and boat launch. The Maine Coastal Prgram provided funding to the town to asses the economic impacts of the closure of the pier and boat launch to provide justification to fix the problem.


The Office for Coastal Management led and economic analysis workshop in coordination with the National Working Waterfront Network and the Maine Sea Grant. This workshop helped the City of Portland document wide-ranging industries from working waterfronts, the Town of Sunrise to quantify benefits of local commerical fisheries, and the town of Washington to advance waterfront grant proposals, local comprehensive plans, and maritime management updates.


Learn more about these efforts here.

In the States and Regions

West Coast and Pacific

BOEM, PNNL Collecting Wind and Metocean Data Offshore Hawaii

The Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) and the US Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) have deployed a floating buoy offshore Hawaii to collect offshore wind resource and meteorological and oceanographic (metocean) data. The floating research buoy, owned by the Department of Energy’s Wind Energy Technologies Office (WETO), was installed in December 2022 and is stationed some 15 miles (around 24 kilometres) east of Oahu, in water depth of 800 metres. Waters off the Hawaiian islands are deemed best suited for floating wind technology and there have already been several studies on tapping into the state’s offshore wind resource, as well as interest from developers. Read more


‘Managed Retreat Is On the Table’: City Discusses West Cliff’s Future, Will Explore Expanding One-way

The City of Santa Cruz is seriously exploring a managed retreat strategy for West Cliff Drive after several sections were damaged by storms and coastal erosion, city officials told a public meeting Monday night. That includes plans to launch a pilot project for a one-way street by expanding the current one-way section between Woodrow Avenue and Columbia Street all the way to Bay Street by the Dream Inn — about a mile of coastal road. Managed retreat, a process to relocate community infrastructure away from coastlines and other environmentally sensitive areas, has been tossed around by city officials, but never fully considered. Read more

Gulf Coast

Army Corps Coastal Risk Study Looking for Public Input, Pending Approval from Collier County

Additional measures to mitigate damage from hurricane-related events might be in Collier County’s future if commissioners agree to a study conducted by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Collier County Storm Risk Management feasibility study, originally initiated in 2018 with public input initiated by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, has the potential to identify measures to reduce damage caused by coastal storms. After the study is published, possible actions could be the implementation of surge-barrier systems, tide gates, floodwalls and dune fill. The study would be entirely federally funded, with a $2.97 million cost. Including the first iteration of the study, the total cost will be $5.97 million. Read more


More Than $2 Billion Approved for Unprecedented Louisiana Coastal Restoration Project

The Mid-Barataria Sediment Diversion, Louisiana's largest-ever project to rebuild coastal land, was approved on Wednesday to receive $2.26 billion to move forward with construction, with work expected to begin on the unprecedented plans later this year.

The decision was issued by the federal-state panel that oversees BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill restoration efforts in Louisiana. The money will come from settlement proceeds related to the 2010 spill. Read more

Great Lakes

Wisconsin Awards $5.3 Million in Harbor Maintenance Grants

Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, together with the state's Department of Transportation (WisDOT), announced grants totaling $5.3 million for seven harbor maintenance and improvement projects to promote waterborne freight and economic development. Created in 1979, Wisconsin’s Harbor Assistance Program helps harbor communities maintain and improve waterborne commerce. Applications are reviewed by the Harbor Advisory Council, which includes members from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, University of Wisconsin (UW) Sea Grant, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and alumni from the Great Lakes Maritime Research Institute. Read more


Ohio, Michigan Behind On Goals To Reduce Phosphorus Runoff Into Lake Erie, Report Says

Ohio and Michigan are behind their goals of reducing phosphorus runoff into Lake Erie and significant changes are needed to attack the problem, according to a new study led by the Alliance for the Great Lakes and the Ohio Environmental Council. Ohio, Michigan and Ontario in 2015 committed to a 40% reduction in total phosphorus inputs into Lake Erie by 2025, in an effort to mitigate the problem of harmful algal blooms in the western basin of Lake Erie, which extends east from Michigan to about Huron, Ohio, but progress toward that objective has not kept pace. But based on the current rate of funding and adoption of conservation practices “there is no pathway for Michigan and Ohio to meet the 40% nonpoint source phosphorus reduction goal,” according to an overview of the report released Tuesday. Nonpoint pollution is that which cannot be traced to a specific, clearly identifiable source, such as a pipe from plant discharging into a stream, but rather has many broadly diffused sources, such as farms that contribute runoff into a stream. Read more

East Coast and Caribbean

Closing off Biscayne Bay with Massive Gates? New Ideas to Protect Miami from Storms

Coming up with ways to protect Miami-Dade County from the stronger storms and higher seas of the future has generated more questions than answers over the last few years. The county’s latest concept could stir up even more controversy. It involves closing off most of Biscayne Bay from the Atlantic Ocean with natural and man-made barriers— a stronger dune system along the beach that would tie into massive storm surge gates at major ocean inlets, including potentially blocking off most of the currently open ocean under one bridge along the Rickenbacker Causeway. This is the county’s second go-round with the Army Corps of Engineers, which has been tasked with coming up with a comprehensive solution to a complex problem: Protect people and property in the vulnerable coastal county without breaking the bank, hurting the environment or upsetting residents. At least too many of them. Read more


How Rising Tides Are Impacting Coastal Virginia's Rural Communities

Coastal flooding is common across the Hampton Roads region. Data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration show sea levels at Sewell's Point are up roughly eight inches since 1970. "It's been rising that entire time, but it's been rising faster in recent history," said Molly Mitchell, a marsh ecologist with the Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences. "The high years are higher than they used to be, and the low years are higher than they used to be." Underwater roads and intersections are easy to spot during flooding events in urban areas, like Norfolk and Virginia Beach. But these issues are felt on a different scale, depending on where you live. Mitchell said Guinea's unique geographic location factors into the toll sea level rise is taking on the community. With a population density of roughly one-third of the region's urban centers, Guinea sits on the right side of what's called the "Suffolk Scarp." Read more

Events & Webinars

March 8, 2023


March 9, 2023


March 13-16, 2023


March 15, 2023


March 21-23, 2023


March 28, 2023


March 31-April 1, 2023


April 3-6, 2023


May 7-11, 2023


May 31-June 3, 2023


June 26-29, 2023


October 16-19, 2023


October 23-25, 2023


November 12-16, 2023

Announcements

2023 National Coastal Resilience Fund RFP Now Open

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), in partnership with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the U.S. Department of Defense, Occidental, Shell, and TransRe is now soliciting Pre-Proposals for the 2023 National Coastal Resilience Fund. NFWF will award up to $140 million in grants to create and restore natural systems in order to increase protection for communities from coastal hazards, such as storms, sea- and lake-level changes, inundation, and coastal erosion, while improving habitats for fish and wildlife species. NFWF prioritizes projects that are community led or incorporate direct community engagement and benefit underserved communities facing disproportionate harm from climate impacts. Pre-proposals must be submitted through NFWF’s Easygrants system no later than Wednesday, April 12, 2023. An informational webinar has been scheduled for Thursday, March 2, 2023 3:00-4:30 p.m. ET to provide an overview the National Coastal Resilience funding opportunity. The Request for Proposals is available here. Applicants are strongly encouraged to participate and can register for the webinar here.


RAND Released New Study on Improvements to FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Grants

RAND has released a new study looking at how the BCA process under FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs could be simplified to be more inclusive of lower-resourced communities. Learn more and read the study here.


Winners of the 2023 New Hampshire Coastal Adaptation Workgroup Rising Tides Photo Contest

After receiving 70 entries, the New Hampshire Coastal Adaptation Workgroup is excited to announce the winners of the 2023 Rising Tides Photo Contest. This year, 29 photographers captured images in 11 coastal watershed communities. Members of the public were invited to vote online for the photos in each of the four contest categories that best showcase the changes caused by high tide flooding and the resilience of communities, infrastructure, and ecosystems in New Hampshire. See the winners here.


New Report on Restoring Wetlands and Floodplain Function

The Natural Floodplain Functions Alliance (NFFA) and the Wetland Mapping Consortium (WMC) are pleased to announce the release of their jointly developed report, Strategies and an Action Plan for Protecting and Restoring Wetland and Floodplain Functions. This report is the result of a multi-year initiative and a series of workshops that were developed to identify barriers to greater integration of wetland and floodplain management efforts and strategies for overcoming those barriers for nature-based solutions. The overall goal of the initiative was to support greater climate resiliency and, in turn, safer and healthier communities for all Americans. The strategies and recommendations included in the report are intended to provide a launching pad to reignite federal leadership and support for a unified national program and action plan for protecting and restoring the natural and beneficial functions of wetlands and floodplains. Read the report here.


BOEM Announces Proposed Rule to Increase Protection of Marine Archaeological Resources

In order to better protect shipwrecks and other cultural resources on the seabed from harm due to offshore energy activities, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is proposing regulatory changes to its marine archaeology reporting requirements for activities proposed on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). A notice of proposed rulemaking and request for comment was published in the Federal Register for a 60-day comment period ending on April 17, 2023. Learn more and find instructions to comment here.


EPA Announced Availability of $100 Million through Inflation Reduction Act for Environmental Justice Grants

The EPA announced the availability of approximately $100 million for projects that advance environmental justice in underserved and overburdened communities across the country. EPA has published two Requests for Applications for this funding through the Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem-Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement Program and the Environmental Justice Government-to-Government (EJG2G) Program. Applications for both are due April 10, 2023. Learn more about these programs here.


FEMA Announces NOFO for Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF Program

FEMA has released a Notice of Funding Opportunity for the Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund Program. Applications are due April 28, 2023. Learn more here.


Request for Information: Framing the National Nature Assessment

The US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is seeking input from the public to help inform the framing, development, and use of the National Nature Assessment. The USGCRP welcomes comments on the definition of nature, what questions the assessment can help answer, potential audiences and engagement processes, trends and projections, and relevant information sources. Comments are due March 31, 2023. More information on how to respond to this request, including guiding questions, can be found here.

Job Openings

In The States

Ohio Department of Natural Resources, Office of Coastal Management - Natural Resources Engineer


Washington Department of Ecology, Shorelands & Environmental Assistance - Regional Section Manager


Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Office of Coastal Zone Management - CZM Coastal Habitat & Water Quality Specialist


Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Office of Coastal Zone Management - Coastal Resilience Grant Specialist


Hawaii Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands - Planner IV


Hawaii Office of Conservation and Coastal Lands - Planner V


Texas General Lands Office, Coastal Field Operations - Natural Resources Specialist I


Texas General Lands Office, Coastal Resources Program - Project Manager


Florida Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Resilience and Coastal Protection, Resilient Florida Program - Environmental Specialist III


California Coastal Commission - Multiple Coastal Program Positions


Martin Count, Florida Department of Public Works, Coastal Division - Coastal & Resilience Coordinator


In The Agencies

Lynker supporting NOAA Office for Coastal Management - Coastal Management Specialist (Multiple Positions)


NOAA National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science - Director


EPA Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds - Deputy Director


USACE Galveston District, Engineering and Construction Division - Geologist (Coastal)


USACE Portland District, Engineering & Construction, Hydraulic and Hydrology Branch - Civil Engineer (Hydraulics)


USACE Wilmington Water Resources Section, Engineering Branch - Civil Engineer (Hydraulics)


USACE Jacksonville District, Engineering Division, Coastal Design Section - Civil Engineer


Office of the Director of National Intelligence ORISE Fellow - Ocean Tides and Ocean Tide Loading Parameters


In NGOs, Industry, and Academia

Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System - GIS Innovation Developer


Delaware Sea Grant - Coastal Ecology Specialist


Audubon - Coastal Program Manager


National Wildlife Federation - Northeast Coastal Resilience Program Manager


National Wildlife Federation - Regional Executive Director, Great Lakes Region


Ocean Conservancy - Indigenous Stewardship Fellow



Ocean Conservancy - Climate Science Coordinator


Ocean Conservancy - Senior Policy Analyst, Renewable Energy

Job Boards


Office for Coastal Management State Programs


Sea Grant Careers Page


SEVENSEAS Media

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.
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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