SCDRP Newsletter: June 5, 2025 | |
Collaboration Corner & Partner Announcements 📣
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Opportunity Alert!
Dr. Olivia McAnirlin and Dr. Matthew Browning, co-directors of the Virtual Reality and Nature Lab at Clemson University, are writing an NSF grant proposal that aims to help wildfire-prone communities prepare using virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence (AI).
They are seeking elected officials, emergency managers, planners, insurers and developers from large, high-risk areas who may be interested in piloting or shaping the project and writing a letter of support. See below for a description of the project and request:
If funded, we will be developing VR simulations tailored to 15+ communities across the U.S., designed for use in local emergency planning and training. Our vision is that these simulations will be powered by real-world fire modeling data and digital twins of actual communities, enhanced with AI to make the imagery and neighborhoods look and feel like real neighborhoods. We will then mail out kits with up to 10 VR headsets and user-friendly software on a tablet for free to emergency managers, policymakers and industry partners (i.e., insurance companies) to allow their communities to vividly experience what a wildfire might look like as it spreads into their own community.
Right now, we’re collecting short letters of support from local, state and federal governmental agencies, emergency managers, companies, community leaders, HOAs, elected officials and any others who see value in this vision (a template is provided). Having multiple letters from a variety of organizations and communities is super important to show NSF reviewers that this work has real-world relevance and demand! You can also schedule a 15-minute call with Matt, the project’s lead, to ask any questions or learn more (but availabilities are only available through next Tuesday June 10th). You can book this optional meeting on Matt’s Calendly. Alternatively, we will answer any questions by email! Finally, we would love for you to share this message with others who may be interested in supporting the work of bringing wildfire preparedness and training to life through AI and VR.
We hope we hear from you soon. Letters or expressions of interest are invaluable for this to become a reality but must be received within two weeks (by June 18th) to be shared with the grant reviewers.
For more information: Email nature@clemson.edu, or scdrp@secoora.org for an introduction.
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Request for Proposals
Consultant for Resiliency and Long-Term Recovery Training (Request for Proposals) (Proposals due 6/27)
The South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development (SCACED) seeks a qualified consultant or consulting firm to assist in the delivery of in-person and virtual training designed to lay the foundation of understanding community resilience and assist in project-based long-term recovery after Hurricane Helene and Milton in South Carolina's rural counties. This training is part of SCACED's South Carolina Long Term Recovery & Resiliency Collaborative, which aims to support the establishment of Resiliency/Long Term Recovery Councils in ten rural counties in South Carolina.
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North Carolina Inclusive Disaster Recovery Network (NCIDR) Press Conference to Spotlight Unmet Recovery Needs in Western NC and Call for Additional Funding
June 9, 2:00 PM- 2:30 PM EDT
North Carolina Legislative Building, Raleigh, NC or Livestream
The event will highlight ongoing, unmet recovery needs in Western North Carolina and urge state lawmakers to invest further in disaster recovery systems as the Atlantic hurricane season begins. The 30-minute event will feature 4–5 speakers, including survivors and community leaders from both Western and Eastern North Carolina. Together, they will call for targeted action to address critical gaps in housing assistance, economic support, and emergency management infrastructure.
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FEMA Review Council: Stay Updated and Submit Ideas
You can track the work of the FEMA review council at this link. You can watch a video of the first meeting, and submit ideas/suggestions to the council under the “Contact Us” link.
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Session 2 of SCDRP's new workshop series entitled Pathways to Resilience: Learning from Leaders, Connecting with Peers is tomorrow at 12 pm!
This series, which is an extension of the SCDRP Mentorship Program, will provide students, early career professionals, and others who are new to the field of resilience with an opportunity to learn from experts in the field (mentors) in a virtual small group setting. Read mentor bios and access the full workshop schedule here.
We have a few spots left for today's session! Email us if you are interested in joining. Remaining spots will be distributed on a first-come-first-serve basis.
| | Resilience News & Updates | | Join us! Discover SCDRP Membership options and benefits by clicking below: | |
See Below for Job Opportunities, Upcoming Webinars/Events, Funding Opportunities, and Helpful Resources!
| | Job Opportunities, Internships, and Fellowships | | |
Community Development Planner, City of Kinston, NC (Closing 6/13)
Kinston, NC
$59,425.60 - $82,596.80 Per Year
Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Virgin Islands Climate Change Trust Fund (Closing 6/30)
British Virgin Islands
$120,000-$180,000 per year
Okeefenokee Regional Development Manager, Okefenokee Swamp Park and Okefenokee Adventures (Priority deadline 6/30)
Hybrid in the Okefenokee region, GA
$58,000–$65,000 per year
Program Operations Associate at Climate Resilience for All
Remote
$75,000 per year
Digital Content Manager at Ocean Conservancy
Hybrid in AK, CA, DC, FL, MD, OR, VA, TX, WA, and WV
$82,000 per year
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Senior Scientist and Director of the South Carolina Limnology Research Center-Water Research
Elloree, SC
Up to $130,000.00 per year
Chief Program Officer, National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL)
Remote
$120,000 - $140,000 per year
Internships, Fellowships, and Early Career
Seasonal Biological Science Technician, National Park Service (Closing TODAY! 6/5)
Biscayne National Park, FL
$25.49 - $33.15 per hour
ENVIRONMENTAL SPECIALIST I (Closing 6/13)
West Palm Beach, FL
$46,350.00 per year
Early Career Geotechnical Engineer, WSP
Asheville, NC
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Readiness and Environmental Protection Integration: 2026 REPI Challenge Request for Proposals
The 2026 REPI Challenge will focus on safeguarding strategic missions across the United States and its territories to restore trust in the military, rebuild our military, and reestablish deterrence. This year, the REPI Program may provide up to $20 million in funding for activities in the vicinity of DOD installations and ranges that support the 10 U.S. Code (U.S.C.) § 2684a, 10 U.S.C. § 2679, and 16 U.S.C. § 670c-1 statutory authorities by preventing land use conflicts (including unwanted foreign investment), alleviating environmental restrictions, and enhancing military installation resilience.
Eligible applicants vary depending on the authority being leveraged for a REPI project, but they may include states, local governments, Indian Tribes, private organizations through cost-sharing agreements, and heads of Federal departments and agencies through interagency agreements. Applicants for the 2026 REPI Challenge must demonstrate how the project will preserve readiness and defense capabilities, protect our warriors’ access to open testing and training areas, and reduce risks to critical infrastructure across defense communities.
Pre-proposals due July 3, 2025
Norman Foundation Grants
We support efforts that strengthen the ability of communities to determine their own economic, environmental and social well-being, and that help people control those forces that affect their lives. These efforts may:
- promote economic justice and development through community organizing, coalition building and policy reform efforts;
- work to prevent the disposal of toxics in communities, and to link environmental issues with economic and social justice;
- link community-based economic and environmental justice organizing to national and international reform efforts.
The Foundation provides grants for general support, projects, and collaborative efforts. We also welcome innovative proposals designed to build the capacity of social change organizations working in our areas of interest. Priority is given to organizations with annual budgets of under $1 million.
Closing Soon:
| | | | | | Scholarships and Student Funding Opportunities | | |
Foreverglades Research Enhancement Grants - Everglades Foundation
Application Deadline: June 6, 2025
2025 Aylesworth Scholarship Award, Florida Sea Grant
Application Deadline: June 9, 2025
Ocean Exchange 2025 Collegiate Call for Solutions
If you're working on a breakthrough idea that supports ocean or coastal resilience, apply for a chance to pitch at Ocean Exchange’s event in Ft. Lauderdale, Oct 26–28, and win one of three $10,000 awards. Open to undergraduate, graduate, and recent grads from a recognized postsecondary educational institution in North America. Register here.
Deadline: September 17, 2025
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Reef Resilience Network MPA Enforcement Toolkit
The new MPA Enforcement Toolkit assembles leading strategies, expert advice, and success stories from marine managers to provide foundational knowledge on monitoring, control, surveillance, and enforcement (MCS&E) systems.
2025 Coral Disease & Disturbance Annual Newsletter: A collaboration between the NOAA Coral Program, Florida Sea Grant, and the U.S. Coral Reef Task Force Coral Disease & Disturbance Working Group, this newsletter includes updates, challenges, and accomplishments related to coral disturbances from around the country. The newsletter aims to share information and highlight major needs facing America’s coral reefs and the dedicated group of professionals working to protect them.
NOAA Coral Reef Watch Current Global Bleaching: Status Update & Data Submission
This page provides a status update on the current global bleaching event.
NOAA in the Southeast and Caribbean - YouTube : Recordings of the NOAA Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team (SECART) 2025 Hurricane Awareness Webinar Series are now posted.
Grant Proposal Development Resources from NOAA Office for Coastal Management
| | Workshops, Trainings, and Events | | |
Just added:
NOAA in the Caribbean Partners Meeting
June 16-18, 2025, Virtual
Upcoming events:
Evolving Geodigital Data: Opportunities, Challenges & Disruptions
The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
June 11, 2025, 1:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Virtual
Environmental Justice & Climate Protection Conference 2025, Science for Georgia
June 12 & 13, 2025, Valdosta, GA
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Calls for Information, Comments, Surveys, Applications:
SASMI Project Identification Survey This questionnaire is a tool to identify and gather information about potential Salt Marsh conservation, protection, and restoration projects along the Georgia Coast.
Scholars for Conservation Leadership Program - Land Trust Alliance
This professional development program offers a range of opportunities for rising college seniors to:
Learn about career tracks and career development directly from practitioners who represent a wide spectrum of professional roles and institutions in this sector.
Pair with mentors from the land conservation community who can offer advice and assistance to students as they navigate the Scholars Program and beyond.
Participate in Rally: The National Land Conservation Conference, the largest gathering of conservation practitioners in the country, including workshops, seminars, trainings and networking events.
Build community with a cohort of other students from across the country interested in exploring a career in this sector.
Qualify to apply for a paid, year-long fellowship (post-graduation) with a land conservation organization to gain on-the-job experience at a critical time in their academic and early career.
Applications close June 6.
The Coastal Resources Division (CRD) of the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is seeking qualified applicants to serve on a committee that advises CRD’s Georgia Coastal Management Program (GCMP). Current vacancies include: 1 Local Government (county commission or city council, staff or designee, appointed by the local government it represents). The deadline to apply is 4:30 p.m. Friday, June 13, 2025.
Applications now open for the The Continuum Ocean Enterprise Studio and Incubator (Seaworthy Collective)
This program offers U.S.-based BlueTech startups tailored support to develop ocean data solutions, backed by NOAA scholarships.
This year, the Studio and Incubator will exclusively support US-based startups developing ocean data technologies and services, in alignment with the priorities of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Ocean Enterprise Initiative.
This 3-month program activates our community to contribute to and grow scalable companies and impact. We build cohorts of two types of participants:
- Current founders growing their existing early-stage startups
- Aspiring founders co-creating a new startup with Seaworthy.
We aim to support 5 to 7 existing early-stage startups and co-create 1 new startup for each cohort. NOAA supported scholarships (a $25,000 value) enable NO COST or equity requirements for each participant.
Apply by June 26, 2025
Call for Papers - Co-production and Coastal Resilience Collection in Estuaries and Coasts - NOAA RESTORE Science Program
The NOAA RESTORE Science Program has partnered with researchers from Florida State University and the RESTORE Act Center of Excellence for Louisiana to propose a special collection on co-production and coastal resilience in the journal Estuaries and Coasts. The submission window for the collection is now open through August 31, 2025.
The University of the Virgin Islands (UVI) is seeking applicants and internship partners for the new Professional Science Master (PSM) degree as part of UVI’s Marine and Environmental Science program (MMES).
NOAA’s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) is gathering input from users of tidal datums and coastal tools, like flood forecasting models and inundation maps, on the upcoming National Tidal Datum Epoch (NTDE) update. This quick, 3-minute survey will help NOAA understand how these changes may affect coastal practitioners and guide the creation of resources to better support communities facing coastal flooding and other challenges. Your feedback will be valuable in shaping tools to meet the needs of those working along our coasts.
The Southeast Regional Climate Center (SERCC) requests feedback on "Expanded Caribbean Section of Southeast Quarterly Impacts and Outlook Report"
The American Society of Adaptation Professionals invites its members and organizations with experience in environmental justice and community advocacy to sign-up to provide technical assistance for communities impacted the most via the EPA Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Centers (“TCTAC”) Program.
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The mission of the Southeast & Caribbean Disaster Resilience Partnership (SCDRP) is to serve as a trusted regional network to build professional skills, facilitate knowledge-exchange, advance equitable climate adaptation approaches, promote strategies for accelerating natural disaster recovery, and facilitate strong and diverse partnerships across professional sectors.
If you have any questions, please email us at scdrp@secoora.org.
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