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Funding Opportunities
Smart Coastal Growth Related Projects
American Samoa Coastal Community Awareness ProjectAmerican Samoa Coastal Management Program American Samoa is at a crossroads in meeting demands of a relatively high population growth (3.7 percent per year, 1998 Statistical Digest) and scarce developable land. As such, development pressures and the associated impacts are experienced on a daily basis. Growth-related difficulties are particularly evident in the persistently poor water quality of American Samoa's streams and surrounding oceans. The need to incorporate community involvement in managing environmental resources is the most pressing issue facing American Samoa. To address these growth-related difficulties, this project intends to develop a community-based Coastal Community Awareness Project. The project's goals are two-fold. First, this project will educate residents about the long-term impacts of unrestricted growth and development on water resources and water quality. Second, by building on American Samoa's strong cultural traditions, the project plans to kickstart grassroots initiatives equipped to tackle water quality issues through the local village structure. Funding for this project will help develop a community based coastal awareness project in partnership with a village, provide guidance and technical assistance in managing coastal resources, and further the implementation of sustainable resource management at the village level. Assessing The Knowledge and Attitudes of Coastal Residents and Local Decision-MakersEast Carolina University, North Carolina Managing the coast is largely a problem of managing people. Regulatory programs seek to produce results by limiting development and regulating use of coastal environments. What these efforts do not address are the knowledge and attitudes of coastal residents or local decision makers. To address this issue, a partnership of East Carolina University, the North Carolina Division of Coastal Management, and the North Carolina National Estuarine Research Reserve will survey coastal residents and coastal decision makers to determine their attitudes toward the natural environment and their understanding of the coastal area's basic nature and processes. This project will provide an empirical foundation that allows coastal decision makers to assess what similarities there are in the beliefs and attitudes of people who influence policy and the general public. Such information should allow coastal decision makers to develop more effective policy initiatives and more relevant educational programs. Coastal Land Use Techniques Training ProgramBerkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments (BCD COG), South Carolina Population increases and subsequent development of the coast in this area of South Carolina have highlighted critical coastal issues such as growth management, control of impervious surfaces, siting and maintenance of septic systems, and adequate access to and disbursement of recreational activities. With over 200 square miles of coastline and inland waterways, Berkeley, Charleston, and Dorchester counties recognize these and other relevant issues as crucial for local policy makers to both understand and account for in their land use decisions. Funding from this project contributed to development and implementation of a training program for local policy makers regarding coastal issues, the tools and techniques available to address these issues, and the legal aspects of using local government power. The Land Use Tools Workshop consisted of a half-day seminar for planning commissioners and a full-day land use tools seminar. Both seminars were well attended by representatives from each county and roughly half of the local municipalities. A survey of participants revealed that the workshop had been a beneficial way to address local concerns; thus, the BCD COG plans on bringing in more training sessions like this one to the region. Additionally, two reports were produced. The first, "An Assessment of the Intergovernmental Coordination Among Planners and Policy Makers in the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Region, SC," is an assessment of surveyed registrants on their efforts regarding environmental regulations and cooperation among local governments. The second, Land Use Tools: Definitions and Descriptions, is a reference book highlighting land use concepts, their pros and cons, sample regulation criteria, and a list of other useful references. Free copies of Land Use Tools are available upon request from the Berkeley-Charleston-Dorchester Council of Governments. Coastal Management Outreach, Education, and Training ProgramConnecticut Department of Environmental Protection The primary objective of this grant was to fund the establishment of a coastal management outreach, education, and training program in Connecticut's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). Now in its 20th year, the DEP's goal in this project was to reinvigorate local involvement in coastal management implementation, and to build upon the successes accomplished to date. Funding was used to develop training materials and provide workshops for Connecticut's 36 coastal municipalities' planning and zoning authorities and staffs. Additionally, a training manual was developed to replace the "Coastal Policies and Use Guidelines" originally published by Connecticut's DEP in 1979. The "Connecticut Coastal Management Manual" was developed as a tool for coastal land use agents, boards and commissions, developers, consultants, and individuals seeking to understand how to apply Connecticut's coastal standards and policies. It addresses such topics as coastal hazard mitigation; protective buffers and setbacks from sensitive resources; the need to increase public access to marine and tidal waters; and the reduction and control of pollution from various nonpoint sources. Click here to learn more about Connecticut's program or to request a copy of the manual. Coastal and Ocean Technology Demonstration, Verification, Evaluation and DeliveryNorth Carolina State University The development of new technologies for environmental stewardship, assessment, and prediction is rapidly increasing. Few of these technical innovations, however, make it into routine use due to limitations such as researchers' lack of experience in commercializing their findings and problems convincing potential users that the product can meet its claims. By demonstrating, verifying, evaluating, and delivering innovative technologies to coastal resource managers and regulators, this project made the latest, best, and most efficient technologies available to formulate science-based decisions and policies. Specifically, the project provided a sound scientific basis for demonstrating and evaluating technology performance, facilitated acceptance of innovative technologies by local, state, and federal managers, and increased the potential for commercial availability of innovative technologies. Ultimately, the project aimed to develop a mechanism to "pull" coastal and ocean technologies developed by universities, government agencies, and other organizations into routine use more efficiently and expediently. Coastal Corridor GIS Mapping Project: Land Use Build-Out AnalysisGreater Portland, Maine Council of Governments Population increase and development in New Hampshire's coastal watershed have raised concerns about the cumulative impacts of development on water quality, water quantity, and habitat. New Hampshire's land use decisions are made at the municipal level. Few municipalities have professional staff to develop and implement land use policies that will protect environmental quality. To address the needs of coastal communities, the New Hampshire Coastal Program assembled a new organization in 1999 called the Natural Resource Coalition. The coalition provides many services, including developing educational programs, providing technical assistance, and facilitating regional problem solving. This project will allow the Natural Resource Coalition to provide development-related services to a pilot region in the New Hampshire coastal watershed. As such, the coalition will develop a regional "Dealing with Growth" presentation for its municipalities, facilitate regional discussions on current and preferred management systems, and will assist the region's development of a smart growth work plan. Dealing with Growth: New Hampshire's Coastal Quality of Life at RiskNew Hampshire Coastal Program Population increase and development in New Hampshire's coastal watershed have raised concerns about the cumulative impacts of development on water quality, water quantity, and habitat. New Hampshire's land use decisions are made at the municipal level. Few municipalities have professional staff to develop and implement land use policies that will protect environmental quality. To address the needs of coastal communities, the New Hampshire Coastal Program assembled a new organization in 1999 called the Natural Resource Coalition. The coalition provides many services, including developing educational programs, providing technical assistance, and facilitating regional problem solving. This project will allow the Natural Resource Coalition to provide development-related services to a pilot region in the New Hampshire coastal watershed. As such, the coalition will develop a regional "Dealing with Growth" presentation for its municipalities, facilitate regional discussions on current and preferred management systems, and will assist the region's development of a smart growth work plan. Developing an Aggressive Outreach Program Targeting Growth and Related Pollution IssuesU.S Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Program The Virgin Islands are facing a crisis situation regarding the state of their environment. The marine and terrestrial ecosystems are closely interrelated and heavily impacted by both population density and growth. With a landmass of only 130 square miles, unchecked development is rapidly altering the Islands' fragile watersheds. Unfortunately, many factors (zoning, subdivision planning, and land use planning/practices) affecting nonpoint source pollution have not been adequately addressed. In efforts to expand nonpoint source educational outreach, the Virgin Islands Coastal Zone Management Program will conduct research on smart growth initiatives, ideas, and practices to determine their usefulness in reducing nonpoint source pollution in the Virgin Islands. All ideas and practices that can be adapted to work within the Virgin Islands' constraints (like fragile ecosystems, limited habitable land, and severe weather) will be thoroughly researched and presented in a variety of media. A handbook, brochures, and pamphlets will be developed, printed, and distributed to homeowners, the building industry, and local governments. Additionally, three PowerPoint presentations will be developed to reduce nonpoint source pollution: one introducing nonpoint source pollution and its effects locally, another focusing on smart growth ideas and practices that can be implemented on a watershed-wide basis, and the last showing developers how to utilize smart growth principals on development sites. Developing a Model Curriculum for the Public Trust DoctrineCoastal States Organization, Inc., Washington, D.C. As state and local coastal managers nationwide struggle with conflicts over the use of the shore and navigable waters, an effective management tool, the Public Trust Doctrine, remains poorly understood and largely unutilized. The doctrine charges each state with the responsibility for managing public trust resources (tidal and submerged lands, tidal and navigable waters, and the resources contained within). In efforts with this project, the Coastal States Organizations aimed to promote a better understanding and utilization of the Public Trust Doctrine as a foundation for coastal management and a fundamental tool in allocating finite coastal resources. Funding was used first to develop a curriculum and adaptable format for workshops on the Public Trust Doctrine. The second component of the project implemented the curriculum in a series of workshops to train government officials in the practical application of the Public Trust Doctrine to coastal management. After many workshops and evaluations, "The Public Trust Doctrine: A Model Curriculum," was completed and published in August 2000. The curriculum was then distributed to coastal zone and submerged land managers. The Coastal States organization hopes to put an electronic version of the curriculum on itsWeb site in the future. For more information regarding the curriculum, contact the Coastal States Organization. Development Costs and Benefits of Coastal Growth PatternsBerkeley, Charleston, Dorchester Council of Governments, South Carolina The Growth Options Partnering Committee, a regional committee of several governmental and non-governmental partnerships studying the negative impacts of growth, would like to identify the fiscal costs and benefits private real estate developers will experience as a result of implementing different patterns of development. This project will demonstrate to the Growth Options Partnering Committee, local governments, and the development and real estate communities that developing coastal lands in an efficient, responsible manner will profit the developer equally, if not more greatly, than if the same lands were developed in an indiscriminant manner. Funding for this project will be used to perform a growth costs study using spatial data and geographic information systems technology in a designated area which will allow better analysis of development patterns and management of land use. The results will be used to encourage local governments to amend their land use and development ordinances to, at a minimum, allow the developer the flexibility to implement the more efficient development pattern, and, at best, require the developer to implement some or all of the elements of the more profitable development pattern. Once implemented, it is expected this development pattern will provide numerous environmental and socioeconomic benefits to the entire community, as well as net fiscal benefits to the developer. Development of a Maryland Coastal Bays Sensitive Areas Management PlanMaryland Department of Natural Resources Balancing resource protection with water-based activities has been identified as a priority in Maryland coastal bays. Maryland's Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan notes that the presence of too many boats and personal watercraft in sensitive areas is posing a threat to natural resources, and specific action is needed to identify resources, evaluate risks, and develop appropriate management tools to mitigate threats. Efforts are already underway to map and identify the sensitive resources; however, specific management options have not been determined. This project is a continuation of the Maryland Coastal Bays Sensitive Areas Initiative developed to address the specific management options needed to reduce resource impacts from water-based activities. In association with the Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program and the Maryland Coastal Bays Program, this project intends to create a management plan that will provide preferred alternatives for balancing sensitive aquatic resources with water-based activities in Maryland's coastal bays. In addition, the creation of the management plan will increase public awareness of the sensitive resources in the coastal bays and promote the involvement of stakeholders in the sensitive areas initiative. GIS Application to Assist Local Decision Makers in Coordinating Watershed Planning With Land UsePurdue University, Indiana Indiana is experiencing between 2-3 percentpopulation growth annually. Most often this growth is occurring through sprawl onto agricultural lands. The increased development and resulting land use changes have a significant impact on water quality and water quantity. In Indiana, watershed planning is in its infancy. Where watershed plans do exist, there is often a disconnect between the watershed plan and the corresponding land use plans. The overall objective of this project is to develop a mechanism for linking land use planning with watershed planning at the local level in the Lake Michigan Watershed of Indiana. Funding for this project was used to provide access to global information system (GIS) analysis and visualization tools that allow local decision makers to better understand the implications of planning decisions. GIS maps illustrating the watershed-level results of possible development scenarios were developed for three pilot areas. These GIS maps were incorporated into training for both locals and a distance education program. Moreover, the project facilitated development of a guide that teaches others to carry such an analysis. Implementing a Coordinated Approach to Growth Management for Hancock County, MaineHancock County Planning Commission, Maine Located in the coastal Acadia region of Maine, Hancock County is in critical need of a workable, integrated approach to community planning and development. Regional efforts in growth management have occurred on an adhoc basis, and towns in Hancock County typically come together to deal with a particular issue, often in reaction to a crisis situation. The solutions thus tend to be short-term and, at times, very costly. There is no current mechanism to coordinate these various efforts and move away from crisis management and specific functional area plans toward broader-based, longer-term planning. A paradigm shift has begun to occur, however, and this project offers Hancock County a timely opportunity to take regional growth management to a higher level. To address the need for more regional long-term planning, this project will establish a regional policy development mechanism and process, create a strategic regional policy framework for growth and development, and build broad-based support for the acceptance and implementation of the regional policy framework. This will be accomplished through developing and implementing community stakeholder outreach and consensus building, building an understanding of conditions confronting coastal Hancock County, formulating regional policies, gaining public support through a county-wide symposium, and planning for implementation strategies. Information for Management of the Rock Islands, PalauPalau Conservation Society The Rock Islands are an important economic and cultural resource for Palau; they provide food for 75 percent of Palau's resident population and are the base of Palau's tourism-driven economy. Beyond their local importance, the Rock Islands are also an important site for biodiversity conservation on a regional and global scale. Recognizing the cultural, economic, and environmental importance of the Rock Islands to Palau and to the world, the States of Koror and Peleliu have declared the area a Management and Conservation Area. Both states have jointly recognized that measures currently in force are not adequate to support long-term sustainable management and work is in progress to develop a long-term and comprehensive management plan for the area. This project will contribute to the long-term goal of sustainable management of Palau's famed Rock Island region by providing essential scientific information required to develop the long-term management plan for the area. This will be accomplished by conducting resource inventories of four key sites, developing monitoring frameworks for these same four sites, and conducting a study of subsistence harvest activities. Land Suitability Analysis ProgramNorth Carolina Division of Coastal Management The North Carolina Coastal Area Management Act requires each of the 20 coastal counties to prepare a local land use plan and update that plan according to guidelines established by the Coastal Resources Commission. As part of these plans, local governments are required to analyze land suitability for development. Many local governments do not have the capacity to do a thorough analysis or to create land suitability maps, and the Division of Coastal Management has no suggested methodology for conducting such an analysis. Because of these limitations, the land suitability analyses in local plans vary greatly. The Division of Coastal Management and the North Carolina Center for Geographic Information and Analysis will complete a pilot project creating an interactive program based in ArcView that will allow local governments to create land suitability maps. The pilot project will focus on Pender County and include development of a companion manual on land suitability analysis in general, and this project in particular. As part of the project, a public demonstration plan aimed at local elected officials and planning staff will also be developed. Leadership Training for Coastal Management Professionals1000 Friends of Florida In its work with coastal managers to promote long-term planning in Florida's communities, 1000 Friends recognized their management constituencies' need for training in leadership and communication skills. Professionals in the coastal management and scientific fields often are not exposed to administration, planning, or communication training. As a result, the outcome of tasks such as in-house problem solving, meeting facilitation, and structuring meetings for results are inefficient and less productive than could be. With funding from this project, 1000 Friends completed a needs assessment of the professional skills of coastal managers. The assessment focused on the areas of structuring input, problem solving, consensus building, involving the public, and internal processes. 1000 Friends then developed and designed workshops and a suite of hands-on, user-friendly workshop materials, and subsequently held a series of seminars to train mid-level coastal management professionals. Permit Tracking SystemNorth Slope Borough Planning Department, Alaska The North Slope Borough Planning Department will develop a database for the North Slope Borough Permitting Department that interacts with the tax assessing and geographic information system databases. Ultimately, nonsensitive or nonconfidential information will be made available via the Internet by the North Slope Borough. Enabling this feature while conforming to Federal Geographic Data Committee standards encourages greater interaction between government entities, researchers, and the public. Oregon Coastal Shorelands Access InventoryOregon Department of Land Conservation and Development Oregon, similar to other coastal states, is experiencing an increase in demand for public access to shorelands, coupled with a gradual reduction in the number of access sites. Due to the lack of a comprehensive inventory and information gaps regarding the status of access sites, Oregon has not been able to quantify this trend. With funding for this project, the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, in conjunction with other state agencies, local governments, and public interest groups, created a database inventory and geographic information system (GIS) of coastal shoreland access points. The database and GIS products are being used as tools to improve the management of public access sites by state agencies and local governments. The GIS information on shorelands was distributed via CD-ROM to Oregon's coastal cities and counties. In addition, the public can view the database inventory through an interactive Web site called "The Oregon Coastal Access Information System." This comprehensive inventory highlights pedestrian, vehicle, and visual access points and incorporates site information on location, ownership, access type, management, facilities, landscape features, and services. Click here to learn more about the project or to try finding a public beach access through this new system. Protecting and Restoring Coastal Areas in New York CityCouncil on the Environment of New York City Training Student Organizers Program In an attempt to improve the long-term health of New York City's coastal areas, the Council on the Environment carried out this project to motivate youths and adults to become involved in a number of citywide coastal restoration, protection, and improvement projects. The first component of the project trained over 400 students from nine schools to organize 14 coastal restoration projects. In carrying out the project, the students involved and communicated with over 4,500 citizens. Individual projects included beach and park cleanups and public information campaigns. The second component trained students throughout the course of the project in such citizenship skills as fundraising, outreach, and public speaking. A third and final project component was aimed at adding to existing water quality monitoring efforts in the NY/NJ Harbor Estuary and urban creeks, Jamaica Bay, and the East and Hudson Rivers by teaching students to both perform and train others in water testing. View the Council on the Environment's final report on their project or visit the Council on the Environment of NYC home page. Protection of Clean Water: Educating the Public through Their ChildrenLow Country Institute, South Carolina Beaufort County, South Carolina, is a region of water; 113 of its 631 square miles consist of high-salinity sounds, estuaries, and tidal creeks. Beaufort County is also an area of unprecedented growth. To deal with growth and its related impacts on water quality, Beaufort created the Special Area Management Plan. Although Beaufort now has the information needed to protect its water resources and local government support, it still requires broad-scale citizen support to implement proper restrictions on development. The Low Country Institute has received funding to engage the citizens of Beaufort County in the protection of their water resources. By educating the citizenry, this project will generate support for recommendations of the Clean Water Task Force and the Special Area Management Plan. First, the Low Country Institute plans to generate support by educating children who, in turn, will educate their parents on the importance of water resources. Secondly, the project will attempt to educate a wider citizen audience via media coverage of students' projects. In addition, volunteers from local retirement communities will be trained to assist students with their water quality measurement and assessment projects. Spatially Integrated Coastal Permitting SystemNew Jersey Meadowlands Commission $70,800 The New Jersey Meadowlands Commission and the NOAA Coastal Services Center have entered into a cooperative agreement to develop a permit processing system that can provide an effective single electronic interface for government agencies to deliver smoother and customized services to citizens. This system will provide a "road map" that determines the exact steps required that are tailored for a particular location and development type based on the regulatory requirements of each government agency. This Web-based system will simplify the long process of compliance requirement identification. By simply clicking on a map or entering a few individual development preferences, the required steps for obtaining permits will be automatically generated along with all the necessary data and forms. The research and development of this project will be generalizable, and therefore, can serve as a reference model that can be adopted by other agencies and services in New Jersey and throughout the nation. The NOAA Coastal Services Center will be responsible for providing quality control support regarding federal wetland related mandates, regulatory documents, and related permit services. Center employees will help lead the development of the graphical user interface and help ensure that high spectral and spatial resolution remote sensing images are satisfactorily integrated using Internet Map Server Technology (ArcIMS). They will also provide a minimal to moderate level of support with Java and Visual Basic programming languages. Town of Brunswick Rural Smart Growth StrategyTown of Brunswick, Maine Brunswick is strategically placed among several regional watersheds with a range of distinct coastal features. Despite a well-defined growth boundary surrounding Brunswick's urban core and efforts to direct growth to designated zones, much of the recent growth in the town has occurred in rural areas with open space allocations limited to the minimal ordinance requirements. This project will develop a locally-supported growth management plan, based on eco-regional coastal habitat priorities, which improves habitat connectivity and water quality protection and helps prioritize which open space lands are permanently protected. Protection of open space lands will be accomplished through either well-designed open space subdivision development in rural coastal watersheds or direct municipal or land trust land acquisition. This is a growth management partnership with the Maine State Planning Office, the Maine Chapter of the Nature Conservancy, the Brunswick Topsham Land Trust, and the Town of Brunswick. Wellfleet Harbor Mapping Project: GPS Data Collection and Maps, Natural and Man-made FeaturesTown of Wellfleet, Massachusetts As a narrow strip of peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and Cape Cod Bay with 44 miles of shoreline, Wellfleet's coastal resources are its defining characteristic. As important components of these coastal resources, the Wellfleet Harbor and connecting waters of Wellfleet Bay offer a combination of resources, activities, and marine industry that is unique for its diversity, beauty, and, more recently, for the rapidly increasing intensity of use these attributes have attracted. Effective resource management is essential to the harbor's future, as the town faces a number of difficult choices in seeking to balance environmental, social, and economic factors. This project will build a comprehensive resource map of Wellfleet's coastal region using geographic information systems (GIS) to track physical structures, human activities, habitats, etc. Funding for this project will support a temporary position to create an electronic database containing the location of natural and man-made features in Wellfleet Harbor. Ultimately, this database will be used to generate maps in a GIS that will greatly assist the town in making management decisions, including development of long range management plans, and will clarify a number of issues for the general public. Other partners in this project are the Cape Cod National Seashore, Massachusetts Audubon, and the Cape Cod Commission. Western Lake Superior NEMO Pilot ProgramLake Superior Research Institute, Wisconsin Nonpoint source pollution has been identified as the leading cause of pollution to the western Lake Superior basin. This type of pollution results from cumulative, incremental impacts of individual behaviors and local land use policies. In attempts to solve this problem, the Lake Superior Research Institute will first help local land use officials understand the impacts of nonpoint source pollution on their lives, communities, and natural resources. The institute will then provide these officials with the support needed to engage in proactive, watershed-based planning in the western Lake Superior basin. This funding will allow the institute to adapt Connecticut's Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials to the western Lake Superior basin, provide technical support, and develop a coordinated bi-state resource network. Through these efforts, the institute will provide information, educational opportunities, and resources that will enable local governments in the Lake Superior watershed of Minnesota and Wisconsin to create an economically and environmentally sustainable community. |
