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This information was just put out by Lauren Long - Coastal Conservation Specialist, NOAA Office for Coastal Management
"Interactive tools, such as CanVis and the Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper, allow coastal managers to assess vulnerabilities and visualize natural infrastructure ideas. Additionally, a suite of training products is available to guide communities throughout the planning process; the instructor-led Introducing Green Infrastructure for Coastal Resilience covers fundamental concepts and practices, while the six-step publication, “A Guide to Assessing Green Infrastructure Costs and Benefits for Flood Reduction,” provides a practical approach to understanding the costs associated with this type of planning. Natural infrastructure techniques have proven advantages, but the process can seem daunting. Instead of getting overwhelmed, use these Digital Coast resources to guide your efforts. You can find examples of communities that have benefited from our tools and training online." Digital Coast Stories and ImpactsData and Tools in Action Using Data to Build Better Beach Dunes Altered dune systems diminish coastal defense, making coastal communities extremely vulnerable to “nor’easters.” Using NOAA data to analyze the beachfront can help communities assess a dune’s effectiveness as a storm surge barrier and, in turn, plan accordingly. That’s exactly what these New Jersey communities did. Survey Says…Training Works Graduates of the Digital Coast Academy—the training resources available on the Digital Coast—have been known to make a difference. Throughout the country, they have used skills they learned to build better coastal communities. In fact, a recent survey revealed that the overwhelming majority of respondents said they gained knowledge and skills that they would apply in their jobs. Read more about the survey results and success stories, and visit the Digital Coast Academy to create a success story of your own. Additional UpdatesDon’t Let a Diverting Dolphin Stop Your Meeting There’s nothing worse than making progress in a meeting only to have it stopped short by a dominating personality or constant complainer. Learn how to handle these situations with NOAA’s Dealing with Disruptive Behaviors mobile tool. Get tips to help prepare for any type of situation. Be a Part of Improving the Digital Coast Website The Digital Coast was just revamped, but we never stop trying to improve. Help us assess changes to the site. Contact us if you would like to participate in our usability testing. Training Calendar See what trainings are coming up in the Training Calendar.
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Check out this video from The Pew Charitable Trust about Charleston's flood reduction program, including their efforts to include natural/nature-based solutions. http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/multimedia/video/2017/after-the-storm-charlestons-blueprint-for-risk-reduction-after-hurricane-hugo This is the type of large scale green infrastructure program SAGE loves to promote!  SAGE encourages mangrove restoration and planting to increase coastal resiliency, but it turns out that mangroves are really good at carbon sequestration - yet another reason to protect and encourage mangrove growth on our coasts! Mangroves optimized: How to make coastal habitats sequester even more carbon by Brandon Keim | May 3, 2017 "Of all the carbon buried in the floors of Earth’s oceans, most of it is found in the narrow strip of tidal marshes, seagrass beds, and mangroves along their edge. Known as blue carbon ecosystems, these vegetated coastal habitats “occupy only 0.2% of the ocean surface, yet contribute 50% of the total amount of carbon buried in marine sediments,” write researchers, led by Deakin University ecologist Peter Macreadie, in the journal Frontiers in Ecology in the Environment." For the rest of the article click here.  A new article has just been published that SAGE members should definitely read because it covers a lot of the topics we are discussing and trying to cover in our own work using the SAGE resiliency gradient.
The Effectiveness, Costs and Coastal Protection Benefits of Natural and Nature-Based Defences -
From <http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0154735 When we talk about sea level rise we tend to concentrate on how the coast will look different and how our infrastructure is going to have to adapt, but what about the fact that many, many people are going to be displaced in the process of retreat? Check out this article about a new study that tries to predict where the people will go. What do you think?
"Where will U.S. climate migrants go? by Sarah DeWeerdt | Apr 18, 2017 - Millions of people in coastal areas around the world are at risk of losing their homes due to sea level rise from global warming. But that’s only half the story, according to University of Georgia geographer Matthew Hauer. “Sea level rise is currently framed as a coastal hazard, but the migratory effects could ripple far inland,” Hauer writes in a study published yesterday in Nature Climate Change. The study is the first to try to predict where people moving away from inundated areas might go." - Anthropocene published by Future Earth  "We need multidisciplinary teams of folks including plant/ecosystem ecologists for these natural solutions to work better... So, efforts like SAGE are just that much more important to build multidisciplinary teams and efforts." - Ariana Sutton-Grier, SAGE member
Recently two interesting blogs came across the SAGE desk about the importance of careful plant management when implementing green infrastructure: DESIGNED TO FAIL: HOW GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE STANDARDS CREATE CONDITIONS FOR FAILED PLANTINGS - NOT TREATING PLANTS AS DYNAMIC SYSTEMS IS THE CULPRIT. MUNICIPALITIES NEED TO TURN TO EXPERTS IN PLANT COMMUNITY DESIGN. - Thomas Rainer Recommended Species for Green Infrastructure in the Caribbean - José Juan Terrasa-Soler Check out the new book, The Ostrich Paradox. In the book, the authors examine and explain why people consistently underprepare for disasters. They also introduce a Behavioral Risk Audit, a systematic approach for improving preparedness by addressing six biases (myopia, amnesia, optimism, inertia, simplification, and herding) that lead individuals, communities, and institutions to make errors. The key takeaway: If we are to be better prepared for disasters, we will need to learn to be more like ostriches (who, in fact, never bury their heads in the sand)!
This book should be an excellent resource for private and public sector leaders, planners, and policy-makers who want to build more resilient communities. To see more, visit: http://wdp.wharton.upenn.edu/book/ostrich-paradox/  2/2 Robert Pirani Program Director, NY - NJ Harbor & Estuary Program, Hudson River Foundation - Restoration and Adaptation in the NY-NJ Harbor
SAGE member Maya Buchanan, "a Ph.D. candidate at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs concentrating in in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy (STEP), has received an Outstanding Student Paper Award from the American Geophysical Union (AGU). Her winning presentation at the fall 2016 AGU meeting was titled “Amplification of flood frequencies with local sea-level rise and emerging flood regimes.” Click here for more information on Maya's award.
The Nature Conservancy in cooperation with several large companies have worked on environmentally-sound business practices that align with and protect natural processes. The work has proven that using green infrastructure can be part of good business strategy and can lead to better outcomes for companies. Download TNC's Green Infrastructure Case Studies to review some of these collaborations. Some conclusions from the different projects:
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