Collaborating through the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Geological Survey, Federal Emergency Managment Agency, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the University of California Santa Cruz developed Coral Reef Restoration for Risk Reduction (CR4): A Guide to Project Design and Proposal Development.

The Guide is designed to help local project champions to develop coral reef restoration proposals for federal hazard mitigation funding. Coral reef restoration projects are a nature-based solution that reduce flooding and erosion and promote coastal adaptation and resilience.

Read the Guide here.

Pennsylvania Announces Funding to Protect Lake Erie

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) announced today that seven projects received Coastal Zone Grants totaling more than $280,077. The grants, which are aimed at protecting and restoring the Lake Erie Coastal Zone, will be used toward projects that will benefit this critical habitat and ecosystem. “The Lake Erie Coastal Zone is a phenomenal resource to curb environmental threats such as pollution and climate change,” said Acting DEP Secretary Ramez Ziadeh. “Each year, Coastal Zone projects help our efforts to ensure the sustainability of these habitats.” Read more

BGSU Studying Fertilizer Alternative To Combat Harmful Algal Blooms

Research into harmful algal blooms (HABs) in Lake Erie previously has determined the chief culprit is too many nutrients in the watershed due to agricultural runoff, yet the process of preventing HABs is riddled with complexities. In western Ohio, a Bowling Green State University (BGSU) geochemist, however, is exploring a promising way to mitigate nutrient overflow into the lake using material from the lake as a farm soil amendment. Dr. Angelica Vazquez-Ortega, an assistant professor in the BGSU School of Earth, Environment and Society, is the principal investigator who obtained more than $1 million in grants to study the effects of dredged lake sediment as a promising possible alternative to commercial fertilizers. Read more

'Emergency Berm' Helped Beaches During Ian, Nicole

While crews finish final details of a widespread St. Johns County beach repair project, county officials are considering work next year to undo erosion from Tropical Storms Ian and Nicole. Finishing touches are being done now on a separate $34 million beach project that began last year to help 11.5 miles of deteriorated shoreline scattered between the Duval County line and the southern end of Crescent Beach. The work, called the FEMA Dune Enhancement Project, was meant to create an “emergency berm” to defend the shoreline temporarily while agencies developed long-term protection plans.

While it was only designed to handle common problems like the bad weather that engineers label a “five-year storm,” Hammond said the work prevented a lot of beach losses by absorbing eroding waves from both Ian and Nicole. Read more

The $52 Billion Plan To Save New York’s Low-Lying Areas From Sea Level Rise and Storm Surges

Sea levels are projected to rise an alarming six feet or more along U.S. coastlines by the end of the century. In this scenario, most of the communities surrounding Jamaica Bay would be inundated every day by high tides. The situation is already urgent. Nearly 2.5 million New Yorkers live in the 100-year floodplain, which means they have a 1% chance of experiencing a major disaster every year. The city has also lost a majority of its sand dunes and coastal marshlands, which historically provided natural buffers to rising sea levels and storms and protected residents in low-lying neighborhoods. Property values located in the city’s floodplain have reached more than $176 billion, about a 44% increase since Sandy, according to a recent report by the city’s comptroller. Rising tides and more frequent storms will put up to $242 billion at risk of coastal flooding by the 2050s, a 38% increase from today’s market value. In Queens, property values in the floodplain have hit more than $60 billion, about a 43% increase since Sandy. And up to $72 billion in property value will be at risk of coastal flooding by the 2050s. Nearly every month during the highest tides, the streets of communities like Hamilton Beach, Howard Beach and Broad Channel are flooded by the waters of Jamaica Bay. Federal officials are working on a complex and costly plan to try and protect the region from storm surges and floods. Read more

Accepting Applications: NOAA Coastal Management Fellowship Program

NOAA is recruiting candidates for the 2023 Coastal Management Fellowship Program. This program's mission is to provide on-the-job education and training opportunities in coastal resource management and policy for postgraduate students and to provide project assistance to state coastal zone management agencies. The two-year fellowship positions start in August 2023 and are available with the coastal programs in Connecticut, Maine, U.S. Virgin Islands, and Washington, and with the Coastal States Organization. Applications are due January 27, 2023. Learn more about eligibility requirements, descriptions of the projects, and guidance on how to apply here.

Accepting Applications: NOAA Knauss Fellowship

NOAA is accepting applications for the 2024 Knauss Fellowship Program. The Fellowship, named after one of Sea Grant's founders and former NOAA Administrator John A. Knauss, matches highly qualified graduate students with "hosts" in the legislative and executive branch of government located in the Washington, D.C. area, for a one year paid fellowship. Learn more and apply here.

FEMA Released Notice of Funding Opportunity for STORM Act Program

Beginning Feb. 1, FEMA will accept applications for the Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund (RLF) grant program that aims to foster greater community resilience and reduce disaster vulnerability and suffering. The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law invests $500 million in the Safeguarding Tomorrow RLF program over five years. For the first year of the program, FEMA will make $50 million available in capitalization grants to eligible states, as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia, to fund low-interest loans. Fifteen Tribal Nations that received a major disaster declaration between Jan. 1, 2016, and Jan, 1, 2021, are also eligible for this first round of funding. Learn more here.

FEMA Released Updated Resources to Support State Mitigation Planning

The State Mitigation Planning Policy Guide is the official interpretation of the mitigation planning requirements in Title 44 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 201. The policy states what must be in a mitigation plan and does not explain how states should update their plans. To meet this need, FEMA updated its State Mitigation Planning Key Topics Bulletins. They give advice on how to meet the requirements in the Guide. The bulletins supplement the Guide with “how-tos” and resources about the entire planning process. They are organized around the four major steps in the mitigation planning process. Learn more and read the bulletins here.

Duke University Released New Report on Coastal Management Policies

Duke Universiity's Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment and Sustainability released a new report which analyzes coastal habitat policy in six US states—California, Florida, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Texas, and Washington. The report aims to identify promising policy approaches for improved protection and restoration of oyster reefs, mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrass. Read the report here.

Call for Nominations to New Marine and Coastal Area-based Management Advisory Committee

NOAA has announced the establishment of a new Marine and Coastal Area-based Management Advisory Committee to advise the agency on science-based approaches to area-based protection, conservation, restoration, and management in coastal and marine areas, including the Great Lakes. The scope of the Committee’s advice will include, but not be limited to, efforts consistent with the America the Beautiful initiative. Nominations and applications for the inaugural membership can be submitted until January 17, 2023. Learn more here.

FEMA Announces FY22 BRIC and FMA Notice of Funding Opportunities.

FEMA announced the FY22 Notice of Funding Opportunities (NOFO) for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) programs. The funding level for BRIC has increased to $2.3 billion for FY22, with FMA funding increasing to $800 million. BRIC’s non-financial Direct Technical Assistance program will also increase to at least 40 communities (from 20) for the FY22 cycle. The application period closes on January 27, 2023. Learn more here.

NOAA Adaptation Sciences (AdSci) Program FY2023 Funding Competition: Island Resilience

The NOAA Climate Program Office Adaptation Sciences (AdSci) Program is now accepting proposals for research projects beginning in Fiscal Year 2023. Through the FY2023 competition, NOAA’s AdSci Program is soliciting proposals for interdisciplinary and participatory research activities that address island-identified resilience needs in the Caribbean and Pacific; with an emphasis on projects that result in: (1) contextually relevant and usable information about climate impacts, vulnerabilities and solutions; (2) the evaluation, identification and strengthening of the adaptive capacities of institutions, communities, sectors and islands; (3) and/or the integration of climate information in adaptation planning, action and long-term resilience strategies. Full Applications are due by January 31, 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.