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:
Restoring Wisconsin Point
Credit Tom Bridge
The Wisconsin Point peninsula along Lake Superior is a haven for outdoor enthusiasts and a living heritage site for the descendants of its Native American settlers. Following three years of work, much of it led by tribal groups, the point’s restored areas cover an acre of dunes, 85 acres of forest, and 150 acres of sensitive coastal habitat. Also, the lakefront, parking, and bathrooms now comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The City of Superior led the project in partnership with the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program, and NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management provided $1.5 million in funding through the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative.

Learn more about this restoration effort here!
Photo Credit: Tom Bridge
2020 National Coastal and Estuarine Summit
Restore America’s Estuaries and the Coastal States Organization co-host  The National Coastal and Estuarine Summit . We bring together the coastal restoration and management communities for integrated discussions to explore issues, solutions, and lessons learned in their work. The Summit explores cutting-edge issues in coastal restoration and management and highlights the latest research through interactive sessions, plenary speakers, and poster presentations.  Learn more .

The Poster Session call for proposal deadline is  July 17, 2020 .
In the States and Regions
East Coast and Caribbean
Charleston’s Peninsula Could be Walled in Under New $1.75B Flood Prevention Plan
Charleston’s peninsula could become a walled city again for the first time in centuries if the results of a flooding protection study come to full fruition. The preliminary plan — the results of 18 months of work by the Army Corps of Engineers — is the preferred path forward of seven different options the Corps considered. It would encircle much of the peninsula with a wall running almost 8 miles to keep out hurricane surge. Read more

D.C.'s Department of Energy & Environment Proposes Major Changes to Flood Hazard Regulations
The Department of Energy & Environment (DOEE) in Washington, D.C., has announced its intent to propose significant changes to its flood hazard regulations at Title 20 DCMR Chapter 31. These changes are designed to make the District more resilient in the light of climate change, sea level rise, extreme rainfall events and various National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) models that depict significant flooding in portions of the District by the year 2100. The DC Flood Risk Tool is a user-friendly map that shows the 100- and 500-year floodplains as well as areas of the District that are susceptible to sea level rise and various levels of storm surge. Read more
Great Lakes
Grand Haven to Spend $200K to Remove Old Wells Revealed by Beach Erosion
Four century-old shoreline wells revealed by Lake Michigan erosion will be removed from the beach at Grand Haven State Park this summer. The Grand Haven City Council accepted a $224,000 bid Monday from a Zeeland-based well company to remove the 30-foot wells. The wells were used by the city to draw drinking water in the 1930s, and were retired after about 20 years. Read more

Preparing for High Water on Lakes Erie, Ontario
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Buffalo District, is preparing to respond to lakes Erie and Ontario high water within the limits of its Regulatory, Emergency Management, Program and Project Management, and Operations and Maintenance programs. Read more
West Coast and Pacific
A U.S. tribe’s uphill battle against climate change
For several years, Fawn Sharp has seen her tribe on the coastline of Washington state lurch from crisis to crisis: rising sea levels have flooded the Quinault Indian Nation’s main village, and its staple sockeye salmon in nearby rivers have all but disappeared – a direct hit to the tribe’s finances and culture. Now Sharp, the 49-year-old president of the Quinault, plans to move the tribe to higher ground, restore the fishery, and diversify its economy. The projects are foundering, she says, because of a lack of federal money to help Native Americans adapt to climate change. Read more

Advancing Del Mar’s Sand Replenishment Program
City of Del Mar, CA, is advancing a program to streamline the placement of high-quality sand on the city beaches and has released an environmental document for public review. Sand replenishment is one of Del Mar’s top strategies for addressing sea level rise. Read more
Gulf
BP, Partners Have Spent $71 Billion Over 10 Years on Deepwater Horizon Disaster
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion and blowout set into motion what was easily the biggest waterborne oil spill in history. It also led to what has likely been the most expensive cleanup and natural resource restoration effort ever seen. Over the last decade, BP and its drilling partners have put at least $71 billion into mitigating the disaster’s effects. Read more

USACE to Hold Public Scoping Meetings on Corpus Christi Channel Deepening Project
The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers Galveston District published a notice of intent to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for Port Corpus Christi’s proposed channel deepening project. To ensure that all of the issues related to this proposed project are addressed, the Corps will conduct public scoping meetings, at which agencies, organizations, and members of the general public present comments or suggestions with regard to the range of actions, alternatives, and potential impacts to be considered in the EIS. Read more
Events & Webinars
Announcements
10 Years After Deepwater Horizon Report
Oceana has released a  new report  examining the cause and impacts of the catastrophe; how those impacts are still being felt today; and whether the disaster changed the government and industry’s approach to offshore drilling. Oceana’s report shows that decades of poor safety culture and inadequate government oversight laid the conditions for the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster. A decade later, the report outlines that these conditions have not improved and that expanding this industry to new areas puts human health and the environment at risk. Before the coronavirus pandemic, fishing, tourism and recreation in East and West Coast states supported more than 2.6 million jobs and contributed nearly $180 billion in GDP.

NOAA Live! Educational Webinars for Students
 While you are home, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Regional Collaboration Network in conjunction with Woods Hole Sea Grant and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, is offering this series on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11 EDT during school closures. The series started on March 16 and will go through June 12th, 2020. Each webinar features a different NOAA expert/topic and a moderated question and answers session throughout so that you can get a peek at what our NOAA scientists do in all the various NOAA offices. These webinars are geared toward grades 2-8 and allow students to connect with scientists. Webinars are streamed via GoToWebinar, are between 45-60 minutes in length, and are recorded. Information on upcoming webinars and recordings of previous ones are available here .

NOAA Photo Contest: Coastal Management in Action
Coastal management comes in many shapes and sizes. From ensuring public access to balancing development with natural areas, coastal management keeps our coasts thriving. For the fourth annual coastal management photo contest, NOAA's Office for Coastal Management wants to see your photos of coastal management in action. Show off your natural infrastructure projects, beautiful beaches you work to protect, recreational uses, and more! Find inspiration from the list of nine categories. Submit photos to the fourth Coastal Management photo contest . Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges and will be featured in the office's social media campaign during the month of May. Submit your photos here by May 8, 2020 .

NASA Citizen Science Coral Mapping App
NASA is calling citizen scientists of all ages to help map endangered coral. The Neural Multi-Modal Observation and Training Network, also known as NeMO-Net, is a new gaming app. Players use 3D images to identify and classify coral while virtually cruising the seas on a research vessel called the Nautilus. The end goal is for all the players’ input to be pooled together, producing the highest resolution global map of coral reefs. Scientists will use this map to figure out how to better protect shallow marine systems. Learn more and get the app here .

New Edition of DOI Newswave Now Available
NEWSWAVE is an award-winning quarterly newsletter from the Department of the Interior featuring ocean, Great Lakes and coastal activities across the Bureaus. NEWSWAVE reports on important news and accomplishments for our ocean and coastal resources. In each issue we share new Interior initiatives, exciting science discoveries, policy updates, relevant events and valuable contact information. Special features highlight unique programs, capabilities or resources from the Arctic Ocean to the Remote Pacific Islands. The Surfing Bison feature highlights Interior web pages that will help you find more in-depth information on a wide range of ocean, Great Lakes and coastal topics. Read it here .

Coastal & Estuarine Research Federation Regional Workshops
CERF announces the availability of funding to support regional workshops in collaboration with CERF’s Affiliate Societies on high priority scientific and management issues of regional importance. These pilot workshops are intended to explore ways in which the Affiliate Societies and CERF can work together to translate and apply coastal and estuarine science to important regional issues. Workshops should take place between August 2020 and June 2021. Proposals are due May 1, 2020 . Learn more here .

FEMA BRIC Materials and Public Comment Period
FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program has released the new Building Resilience Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC)  Proposed Policy Guidance  to the Federal Register. A 30-day comment period is now open until  May 11 . Comments may be submitted online directly  to the  Federal eRulemaking Portal . The FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance Program has also released the  BRIC  grant program  Stakeholder Feedback Summary  and a condensed stakeholder feedback   fact sheet . This summary is compiled from stakeholder feedback garnished through the 2019 stakeholder engagement process.

Long Island Sound Futures Fund 2020 Request for Proposals
The Long Island Sound Futures Fund (LISFF) is seeking proposals to protect and restore the health and living resources of Long Island Sound (Sound). Approximately $3 million is expected to be available for grants in 2020. The program is managed by National Fish and Wildlife Foundation in collaboration with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Long Island Sound Study (LISS), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Proposals are due June 2, 2020. Learn more here.
Job Openings
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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