New Project Supports Coastal Resiliency and Planning

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Katie Mosher, kmosher@ncsu.edu, 919-515-9069

The North Carolina Division of Coastal Management has received more than $1.1 million as one of 27 new grants from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund. The funds will enhance the resilience of North Carolina’s coastal communities and natural resources by supporting local planning and pre-construction activities.

The award will enable Overcoming Local Barriers to Implementation and Getting to Shovel Readiness, a collaborative project with partners that also include the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, North Carolina Sea Grant, and The Nature Conservancy. Funding also will support the development of a habitat resilience plan for the division’s Rachel Carson Reserve in Carteret County, as well as engineering for two projects that will protect the reserve and the neighboring Town of Beaufort.

“The Division of Coastal Management is focused on improving the resilience of our communities and natural resources to coastal storms and flooding,” said Division Director Braxton Davis. “We are grateful for the financial support for these projects, which will help local governments prioritize and plan for strategic infrastructure investments, and to have shovel-ready projects prepared when future funding opportunities arise.”

Frank Lopez, extension director for North Carolina Sea Grant and North Carolina’s Water Resources Research Institute, says his team is pleased that North Carolina Sea Grant is among the partners. “This critical project will help participating coastal communities plan to increase their resilience to natural hazards and prepare priority projects to reduce risk,” Lopez says.

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s Emergency Coastal Resilience Fund supports projects that build coastal resilience by addressing barriers, restoration and enhancement programs. The grant will be matched with $830,000  that will provide grants to local governments for resiliency planning, engineering, and permitting activities to develop shovel-ready projects.

Additional details about the local government grants, including eligibility, funding levels, allowable activities, and match requirements, will be published this summer. Subscribe to the Division of Coastal Management Interested Parties list for updates and announcements.  

adapted from a news release from the North Carolina Department of Environmental Quality

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