FEMA is launching a new opportunity to fund resilience projects that will make communities safer from natural hazards. While this funding is not exclusively for coastal resilience, it is available for coastal community resilience.

The Safeguarding Tomorrow Revolving Loan Fund program will make $50 million available in capitalization grants to states to fund low-interest loans to local governments for resilience projects that will make communities safer from natural hazards. The program is funded by President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which invests $500 million in the program over five years.

The program will allow jurisdictions to reduce vulnerability to natural hazards, foster greater community resilience to climate change, and reduce disaster suffering. In particular, the new program will help homeowners, businesses, nonprofit organizations and communities fund hazard mitigation projects that reduce disaster risks.

Learn more here.

Guam Proclaims 2022 in Honor and Recognition of 50 Years of the CZMA

The Honorable Lourdes A. Leon Guerrero, Governor of Guam issued a proclamation at Guam's 7th Annual Assembly of Planners Symposium to honor and recognize 2022 as the 50th Anniversary of the Coastal Zone Management Act.

Sturgeon Bay Sites Make Preliminary List for NERR Natural Areas

Lands in Sturgeon Bay have made the list of preliminary recommended sites for the natural areas to be included in the proposed Bay of Green Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERR). NERRs are a national network of 30 sites across the coastal U.S., including the Great Lakes, that are designed to protect and study estuaries and their coastal wetlands. Established through the Coastal Zone Management Act, the reserves represent a partnership program between NOAA and the coastal states. NOAA provides funding and national guidance, and each site is managed on a daily basis by a lead state agency or university with input from local partners. For the Green Bay NERR, the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay is leading the designation process. Read more

Construction of New Uptown Natural Area to Begin September 9

The Chicago Park District announces the construction of a new Uptown Coastal Natural Area. The six-acre restoration project will transform the turf lawn into a thriving space for people and wildlife through the planting of Illinois native prairie and savanna wildflowers, grasses, and shrubs. The ecological restoration process will create a resting stop for migratory birds, absorb and filter stormwater, and establish a place for nature observation and respite in a section of the Uptown community area that is densely populated and highly urbanized. In addition, the project will reintroduce elements of the original 1930s design by renowned landscape architect Alfred Caldwell, which called for a “naturalistic effect” that relied on native trees, shrubs, and flowers in a layered and informally arranged manner.  In 2021, the Chicago Park District received a $116,110 grant federally funded by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and administered through the Illinois Coastal Management Program of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. The grant was matched by the Park District for a total investment of $232,220.  Read more

Coastal Geotools - Registration and Call for Abstracts 

Registration is now open for Coastal Geotools, which will be February 6 to 9, 2023, in Charleston, South Carolina. Submit your abstract by October 7, 2022 to present your projects to your peers. Register or submit your abstract here.

FEMA Publishes Support Materials for Emergency Management Partners

New support materials are available to governments to help them apply for a FEMA grant program providing funds to make them more resilient. The materials aid state, local, tribal and territorial emergency management to submitting more successful Hazard Mitigation Grant Program applications. Materials also help them reduce time it takes to receive awards. FEMA anticipates the guides will help HMGP funding reach more communities. The program provides funding to state, local, tribal and territorial governments so they can develop hazard mitigation plans and rebuild in a way that reduces or mitigates, disaster losses in their communities. When requested by an authorized representative, this grant funding is available after a presidentially declared disaster. Learn more here.

CERF 2023 Biennial Conference Call for Submissions Now Open

The Scientific Program Committee for the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation’s 27th Biennial Conference (CERF 2023) invites proposals for Scientific Sessions and Workshops. "Resilience and Recovery" is the conference theme. The Committee is seeking Scientific Session Proposals, Workshop Proposals, and Design Competition Team Proposals. The deadline for submissions is September 19, 2022. Learn more and submit 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 opens September 30, 2022 and closes on January 27, 2023. Learn more here.

NOAA releases Restoration Blueprint for Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary

NOAA’s Office of National Marine Sanctuaries released a proposed rule and a revised draft management plan for the Restoration Blueprint—a significant update to Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary’s management plan, boundary, regulations, and marine zones. NOAA will accept public comment on the Restoration Blueprint through October 26, 2022. There will also be multiple advisory council and public information meetings will provide opportunities for engagement and public comment. Learn more here.