July is Habitat Month and NOAA Fisheries Service is highlighting "Healthy Habitat, Resilient Infrastructure” throughout the month!

NOAA's Community-Based Habitat Restoration grant program is a critical tool for Coastal Zone Management programs. For example, the California Coastal Conservancy, one of California's three CZM agencies, received one of these grants to develop a plan to restore native oysters in San Diego Bay using natural structures as habitat that also serve as a buffer and protect adjacent shorelines from sea level rise and erosion. CCC then leveraged funding from the USFWS Coastal Program, Port of San Diego, and in-kind support from other partners to implement the South Bay Native Oyster Living Shoreline Project installing over 300 reef balls to create oyster habitat and protect South Bay from rising sea levels.

Learn more about this project here.

Coastal State Organization is pleased to announce the hiring of Lisa Schiavinato as a full time Managing Director for the Coastal States Stewardship Foundation (CSSF). CSSF is a partner organization to CSO, dedicated to supporting our nation’s ocean and coastal resources, and is fiscal sponsor for three Regional Ocean Partnerships. Lisa brings a broad range of experience to this role. She has expertise in ocean and coastal law and policy, program management, grant management, and nonprofit leadership.

Prior to joining CSSF, Lisa worked with Sea Grant programs in Louisiana, North Carolina, and California and with nonprofit organizations across Southern California. Lisa holds a B.A. in Political Science from the University of South Florida and a law degree from the University of Florida Levin College of Law. Lisa is based in California, but she was raised in the Sunshine State of Florida where her fascination for all things ocean and coastal began.

Join CSO's Executive Director, Derek Brockbank, in a five part podcast series to learn about the basis of the act, why it’s important, how it’s changed, and more.

All five episodes of the series are now available! Listen to all of them here or wherever you get your podcasts!

The National Marine Fisheries Service has released a draft Equity and Environmental Justice Strategy. The draft Strategy addresses agency policies and plans, research, and outreach. NOAA requests input on identifying underserved communities, eliminating barriers, and integrating equity and environmental justice into operations, programs, and policies. NOAA is accepting feedback on the draft through August 31, 2022. Read the draft here and submit feedback here.

NOAA is soliciting nominations for members of the Ocean Research Advisory Panel of the Ocean Policy Committee (OPC), a Cabinet-level interagency body mandated by Congress to coordinate ocean, coastal and Great Lakes science and technology and management policy across Federal agencies. NOAA is seeking nominations for members who represent the views of (1) ocean users, State, Tribal, territorial or local governments, academia, and such other views as the Co-Chairs of the Ocean Policy Committee consider appropriate; and (2) members eminent in the fields of marine science, marine technology, and marine policy, or related fields. Nominations are due August 15, 2022. Learn more here.

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. The Blueprint responds to an urgent need for more resource protection to address increasing uses and threats to the ecosystems of the sanctuary. These proposals synthesize lessons-learned from more than 40 years of on-the-ground science, management, education, and community engagement. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary protects the only barrier coral reef in the continental United States and the largest documented contiguous seagrass community in the Northern Hemisphere, as well as ecologically interdependent mangrove forests, hard-bottom habitat, and maritime heritage resources. 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.

The U.S. Postal Service is releasing a new stamp series to celebrate the 50th anniversary of hte National Marine Sanctuaries. The 16 stamps showcase the abundant wildlife, scenic beauty, and underwater treasures that can be found throughout the National Marine Sanctuary System. Learn more here.

FEMA and AARP released two new resources: a new Guide to Expanding Mitigation: Making the Connection to Older Adults and a Disaster Resilience Tool Kit that will help local community officials protect older adults in their community. The Guide to Expanding Mitigation: Making the Connection to Older Adults discusses how older adults are disproportionately affected by natural hazards and provides recommendations and tips to reduce that risk. The guide is for emergency managers, planners, local officials, and other community stakeholders that serve or advocate for older adults. The Disaster Resilience Tool Kit helps local community leaders develop strategies that reduce risk and disaster impacts on older adults and create places that work better for people of all ages. Learn more and download the report here and the tool kit here.

The USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub and the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS) released "Strategies for Adapting Great Lakes Coastal Ecosystems to Climate Change." The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NIACS led a binational team of more than 20 regional managers and scientists who contributed their expertise and time over the course of three years to develop this resource with funds provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. This tool bridges the gap between general climate science concepts and local conditions. It provides natural resource planners, practitioners, and managers a menu of tangible strategies and approaches for adapting to climate change they can integrate into planning, implementing, and monitoring on-the-ground projects in Great Lakes coastal ecosystems. Learn more here.

NOAA's Office of National Marine Sanctuaries will be accepting photo submissions from May 27th through September 5th, 2022 for the Get Into Your Sanctuary Photo Contest. All photographers are welcome, regardless of skill level, and the organization will be accepting photos in four categories: Sanctuary Views, Sanctuary Life, Sanctuary Recreation, and Sanctuaries at Home. The winning photographs will be announced in October to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the National Marine Sanctuary System. Learn more and submit your photos here.

DUE TODAY: NFWF Announces America the Beautiful Challenge 2022 Request for Proposals

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), through anticipated cooperative agreements from the Department of the Interior (DOI), Department of Defense (DoD), and the Department of Agriculture’s U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), is pleased to announce the launch of the America the Beautiful Challenge (ATBC) 2022 Request for Proposals (RFP). The ATBC vision is to streamline grant funding opportunities for new voluntary conservation and restoration projects around the United States. This Request for Proposals is a first step toward consolidating funding from multiple federal agencies and the private sector to enable applicants to conceive and develop large-scale, locally led projects that address shared funder priorities spanning public and private lands. In year one of the ATBC approximately $85 million will be awarded in nationwide funding to advance the America the Beautiful Initiative and its goals to connect and restore the lands, waters, and wildlife upon which we all depend. Proposals are due TODAY. Learn more here.

The Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) is a partnership of the five Gulf States, federal agencies, academic organizations, businesses, and other non-profits in the region to goal is to significantly increase regional collaboration to enhance the environmental and economic health of the Gulf of Mexico. They have announced a Request for Proposals for green infrastructure projects that will improve community resilience and reduce water pollution in one of the following areas: Aransas, Nueces, and San Patricio Counties in Texas (Corpus Christi and surrounding areas); Brazoria, Chambers, Galveston, Harris and Jefferson Counties in Texas (Houston and surrounding areas); or Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes in Louisiana (Lake Charles and surrounding areas). Up to $41,000 is available for a 12 month project; matching funds are not required. Applications are due by July 29, 2022. Learn more and apply here.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a Notice of Intent to begin the public scoping process to consider designating a national marine sanctuary in the Hudson Canyon area approximately 100 miles off the coast of New York and New Jersey. A sanctuary designation would conserve the area’s ecosystems, promote sustainable use, and create new opportunities for scientific research, ocean education, and recreation. NOAA is accepting public comments on this Notice of Intent through August 8, 2022. There is one remaining virtual public scoping meeting on August 3, 2022. Learn more about the proposed sanctuary, and public scoping meetings here.

The NOAA RESTORE Science Program announced the 2023 funding opportunity. The funding opportunity provides natural resource managers, researchers, and other stakeholders with the chance to compete for funding to conduct a collaborative, previously planned research project that informs a specific management decision impacting natural resources in the Gulf of Mexico. Letters of Intent are due August 15, 2022. Full proposals are due November 15, 2022. Learn more and see the full funding announcement here.