NOAA Announces $32M in funds for Coastal Resilliance

Above - sunrise over Ogunquit, Maine Monday, August 14th.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, and the Department of Commerce announced $32M for coastal management and estuary research reserves to support climate adaptation and coastal community resilience.

$20M of the funds will go to state and territory coastal management programs, which aims to address coastal issues in 34 states on all coastlines and the Great Lakes. According to the program, "while state partners must follow basic requirements, the program also gives states the flexibility to design unique programs that best address their coastal challenges and regulations. By leveraging both federal and state expertise and resources, the program strengthens the capabilities of each to address coastal issues."

The remaining $12M in funds are to support 30 sites of the National Estuarine Research Reserve System. Estuaries are usually found where the river meets the ocean and are habitats made of Brackish, or salt & fresh water. These 30 sites span across 24 states, including the Pacific, Gulf and Atlantic Coasts along with Lake Huron and Erie.

The funding is earmarked for the following, according to NOAA,

• Implementing state and reserve priority projects and initiatives that increase the resilience of coastal communities and align with the objectives of the Coastal Zone Management Act.

• Implementing priority, high-impact restoration and conservation projects in coastal ecosystems nationwide.

• Increasing staffing capacity needed to support coastal community resilience, nature-based infrastructure and conservation projects, including planning, partnership building and project implementation.

For the full press release from NOAA, click here.