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:
New Podcasts on the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act and the Reinvesting In Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems Act
CSO's Derek Brockbank recently highlighted two important pieces of legislation on The Capitol Beach podcast.

On the first podcast, Derek speaks with Senators Bill Cassidy (LA) and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI), about their bill, the Reinvesting in Shoreline Economies and Ecosystems (RISEE) Act. The RISEE Act could play a pivotal role in directing how the U.S. funds coastal resilience by ensuring federal leasing revenue from offshore energy production is used to build coastal resilience in the states and communities closest to that energy production while and setting up the National Oceans and Coastal Security Fund as a “sister-fund” to the more inland-focused, Land and Water Conservation Fund. Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts.

On the second podcast, Derek speaks with Lora Snyder, House Natural Resources Committee Deputy Staff Director, about the Ocean-Based Climate Solutions Act (OBCSA). Introduced by Committee Chair Grijalva. OBCSA is an expansive bill that includes many titles related to coasts, oceans and the climate and is intended to shift the climate conversation to include oceans. Listen to the podcast here or wherever you get your podcasts.
In the States and Regions
Gulf Coast
For Louisiana's Coastal Tribes, 'Being at the End of the Earth is a Dangerous Place'
When Shirell Parfait-Dardar returned to her home in Dulac, she found that Hurricane Ida's unforgiving winds had ripped the roof off and blown the walls in. A dressmaker by trade, she discovered her sewing shop seemed to have been lifted off the ground, flipped upside down and smashed. "Every building on my property was destroyed," said the chief of the Grand Caillou/Dulac Band of Biloxi-Chitimacha-Choctaw, now staying with her mother in Thibodaux. Almost every member of her Native American tribe suffered the same fate. All four of the state-recognized tribes suffered tremendous loss from Ida, as well as several other tribes without any formal status such as the Grand Bayou Indian Village in Plaquemines Parish. Read more

Beaches in Walton County Deeply Eroded Due to Hurricane Ida
The Panhandle didn’t get the brunt of Hurricane Ida’s rains and winds, but Walton got some of her effects following powerful storms. The surf from Ida eroded the beaches, which were already depleted by the last three hurricane seasons. Along Blue Mountain Beach access, waves hit above 6 feet along the dune lines. Officials warn that beach erosion will continue to worsen from here. Read more
East Coast and Caribbean
Miami-Dade Rejects Coastal Walls, Looks Elsewhere For Hurricane Protection
A proposal to protect coastal Miami-Dade from hurricanes by running a tall concrete wall though Biscayne Bay and waterfront neighborhoods is — unsurprisingly — dead. The county on Monday formally rejected the plan, part of an instantly controversial $4.6 billion proposal from the Army Corps of Engineers that also included elevating thousands of private homes, flood-proofing thousands of businesses, planting mangroves and installing flood gates at the mouths of rivers and canals. Instead, the county will work with the Corps to come up with a new plan over the next year or so. While the public and political leaders liked many of the Corps’ original ideas to address the rising risks of storm surge, there was little support for the walls. Read more

It’s Not All About Hurricane Ida — Land Use and Climate Change Drive Philly Flood Risk
As the remnants of Hurricane Ida headed toward Philadelphia Wednesday, Leo Brundage had his eyes on the clock. High tide on nearby Darby and Cobbs creeks was coming sometime after 10 p.m., and the longtime resident of flood-prone Eastwick in Southwest Philadelphia was preparing for yet another ruinous stormwater surge. “I’ve been flooded nine times in the last 21 years,” said Brundage, an Eastwick native who has lived on Saturn Place, about 150 feet from the creeks, since the 1980s. “It’s almost like having post-traumatic stress disorder every time there’s a dark cloud in the sky.” Those floods include his first, in 1992, which he blamed on a new storm drain that poured runoff into the creek; terrible flooding in 1999, after Hurricane Floyd; two floods in 2004, the year of Hurricane Ivan; two more in 2010; and another in 2011, when Hurricane Irene tore up the East Coast. In August 2020, the aftermath of Isaias filled his home with water and mud and devastated the neighborhood. As a low-lying former marshland surrounded by waterways, Eastwick is particularly vulnerable to flooding, but it’s not the only neighborhood that has seen repeated indundations. Read more
Great Lakes
As the Shoreline Erodes, One National Park Tries to Adapt
On the southern end of Lake Michigan, Indiana Dunes National Park has seen the water levels rise five feet since 2014, hastened by human-made structures and an increase in storms brought on by climate change. Higher water marks mean more erosion to the sand dunes that have run through the area for thousands of years. The staff at Indiana Dunes National Park are working to educate visitors about the behavior of Lake Michigan and about how limiting development along the shore can actually help the dunes weather the changing climate. Read more

Special Improvement District to Support Property Owners Experiencing Erosion
Euclid and 12 municipalities in Lake County have incorporated a SID to help homeowners on the lakefront pay for erosion control. This particular SID was created after SB 51 passed in 2018. The bill added shoreline improvement projects to the list of public projects that can be financed by a special improvement district. To form the SID, one property owner in need of erosion control services can petition their city, township or village to help finance and construct projects to protect properties against erosion. The petition must be approved by the governing body of the city or municipality before the SID is established. Property owners in the SID will then sign a second petition to request the construction to begin and be financed through the program. The Ohio Department of Natural Resources assists with engineering and design work of the projects, according to Scudder Mackey, the chief of the Office of Coastal Management. ODNR ensures the necessity of the project, it's impact on water quality, the environment and surrounding properties. Mackey said the SID can be a very useful program because it can offer assistance to multiple adjacent properties along the shoreline instead of just one at a time. Read more
West Coast and Pacific
Coastal Signs Reflect Culture, Educate Beachgoers
Signs reflecting cultural art that also provide important water safety information and reef-protective guidelines have been installed at eight local beaches. The Bureau of Statistics and Plans’ Guam Coral Reef Initiative unveiled the first of the signs on Friday at Gov. Joseph Flores Beach Park, also known as Ypao Beach. The remaining signs will be installed at Gun Beach, Matapang Beach Park, Tepungan Beach Park, Agat Marina, Merizo Pier and Talofofo Bay Beach Park. The signs, which were designed by local artists, will have QR codes that translate information into Japanese, Korean and Chinese. Read more

Research, Education Hub On ‘Coastal Resiliency’ Will Focus On Earthquakes, Coastal Erosion and Climate Change
The National Science Foundation has funded a multi-institutional team led by Oregon State University and the University of Washington to work on increasing resiliency among Pacific Northwest coastal communities. The new Cascadia Coastlines and Peoples Hazards Research Hub will serve coastal communities in Northern California, Oregon and Washington. The hub’s multidisciplinary approach will span geoscience, social science, public policy and community partnerships. The Pacific Northwest coastline is at significant risk of earthquakes from the Cascadia Subduction Zone, an offshore fault that stretches more than 600 miles from Cape Mendocino in California to southern British Columbia. The region also faces ongoing risks from coastal erosion, regional flooding and rising seas due to climate change. The newly established Cascadia CoPes Hub, based at OSU, will increase the capacity of coastal communities to adapt through community engagement and co-production of research, and by training a new generation of coastal hazards scientists and leaders from currently underrepresented communities. Read more
Events & Webinars
Announcements
Upcoming NOAA Office for Coastal Management Trainings
The NOAA Office for Coastal Management is offering the following upcoming trainings to build social science skills for coastal managers:
  • Social Science Basics: Using Social Science for Stakeholder Engagement, September 27, 2021, 2 to 5:00 p.m. Eastern. Register here.
  • Social Science Basics: Writing Effective Survey Questions, September 28, 2021, 2 to 4:00 p.m. Eastern. Register here.
  • Economic Guidance for Coastal Management Professionals, September 30, 2021, 2 to 3:30 p.m. Eastern. Register here. 

Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowship
Any U.S. citizen who will complete a master’s or other advanced degree at an accredited U.S. university between August 1, 2020, and July 31, 2022, is eligible to apply for the Coastal Management and Digital Coast Fellowships. A variety of degrees are applicable to the fellowship because the projects are new and different each year. Previous fellows have had degrees in environmental studies, natural resource management, marine affairs, marine science, geology, public affairs, communications, social sciences, and regional land management. The most important prerequisite is an interest in coastal issues. Application packages must be submitted to the Sea Grant program office in the state where you earned your degree by January 21, 2022. Learn more about the Fellowships and how to apply here.

Social Coast Forum 2022 Call for Abstracts
The Call for Abstracts for the Social Coast Forum is now open! Presentations and discussions at the Social Coast Forum 2022 will focus on applying social science data, tools, and practices to address climate change in coastal communities. Submit an abstract today, of 300 words or less, to present in person at the event in Charleston, February 1-3, 2022. Abstracts are due September 27, 2021. Learn more and submit your abstract here.

Seminar Series: Perspectives On Urban Flood Resilience
Urban flooding is of particular concern as human populations concentrate in urban areas, which are often located in coastal or flood prone areas. CUAHSI is hosting a seminar series which brings together scholars from a variety of perspectives and fields to share their research on urban flooding, recommendations for how to lessen future impacts or approach challenges, and highlight areas of needed research and collaboration. This series seeks to reach scientists at all stages of their careers, policy makers, and urban flood practitioners to establish connections between members of different fields, shed light on interdisciplinary research and methodologies, and to define calls to action for both research and practice. Join the series Wednesdays this fall from September 8th - October 13th at 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. ET. Learn more here.

FEMA Seeks Public Feedback on Community Rating System
FEMA published a notice in the Federal Register seeking public comment on the National Flood Insurance Program's Community Rating System. Public comment will be accepted through September 22, 2021 via the Federal eRulemaking Portal, Docket ID: FEMA-2021-0021. This notice is to better align understanding of flood risk and flood risk approaches and to incentivize communities to manage and lower their flood risk. The agency is evaluating the Community Rating System’s potential to ongoing support of, state, local, tribal and territorial community goals and needs around floodplain management. FEMA will host a series of virtual public meetings to explain the process and how to provide information for public comment. Register for the public meetings here. Learn more about the Community Rating System and how to submit comments here.

Margaret A. Davidson Graduate Fellowship
It’s an exciting two-year fellowship program that will place one graduate student at each of the 29 national estuarine research reserves. Through a research project, fellows address a key reserve management need to help scientists and communities understand coastal challenges that may influence future policy and management strategies. The research reserves represent the apex of estuary science. At these coastal sites, fieldwork, research, and community engagement come together to create the scientific advances that change our communities and our world. Applications are due December 10, 2021. Learn more and apply here.
Job Openings

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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.
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