While we're waiting on Congress to pass a budget for the fiscal year that started last October 1st, I wanted to give a shout out to SAGE - a multifaceted program that that has brought federal and state agencies and stakeholders (that's folks like you) together to promote knowledge of the full suite of tools available to increase coastal resilience.
[Time out: I have been told that "resilience" is a bad word in DC because some people equate it to global warming, which said folks deny is happening. I'm not headed there. I'm a simple realist. As I write, there are reports of high tides that may cause flooding on the East Coast over the next few days. Then I have vivid memories of being chased out of New Orleans by a hurricane. And I take those simple observations and conclude that anything that helps protect people, property, and the environment from events like these is resilience.]
If we're on the same page so far, then I urge you to SAVE THE DATE. There will be a May 18th SAGE webinar on "Habitat Restoration Approaches to Improve Community and Ecosystem Resilience". It's the first in a series of free SAGE webinars featuring Richard O. Bennett, Ph.D., Regional Scientist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who will discuss Habitat Restoration Approaches to Improve Community and Ecosystem Resilience. Watch the SAGE website for details (and also check out the info you can get about this unique program).
FWS (also know as Fish & Feathers to a few) got over $100 million post-Superstorm Sandy for 31 projects to mitigate storm damages and improve the resiliency of coastal habitat and infrastructure. Projects focus on marsh restoration as well as beach and dune restoration. You can get the scoop on specific project examples and the metrics used to assess their performance by registering for the webinar.
If you have information we can put on the WaterLog website about natural and nature-based approaches to achieving coastal resilience, please send it to me.
Many thanks to Kelly Barnes of the Corps of Engineers Institute for Water Resources for bringing the SAGE program to our attention!
Last and NOT LEAST, please follow me on Twitter to get the latest information from your nation's capital and around the country about coastal resilience. My handle is @HDMarlowe. Have a great weekend!
Howard Marlowe
