The Coastal States Organization represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories, and Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes resource issues.

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Forecasters from NOAA’s National Weather Service updated the number of expected named storms to 13-18 (with winds of 39 mph or greater), of which 5-9 could become hurricanes (winds of 74 mph or greater), including 2-5 major hurricanes (winds of 111 mph or greater).

The adjusted ranges are for the entire season from June 1 though November 30, and are inclusive of the four named tropical storms that have already formed. On August 15th, Hurricane Erin became the first of the season. In the Atlantic basin, a typical hurricane season will yield 14 named storms, of which seven become hurricanes and three become major hurricanes.

The likelihood of above-normal activity is 50%, a 35% chance of a near-normal season, and a 15% chance of a below-normal season.

Read more about NOAA’s prediction here.

Through the Coastal Partnership Initiative, Florida’s Coastal Management Program provided funding for a living shoreline for the City of Miami Beach. Living shorelines have proven more resilient against hurricane damage.

In July, the Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program released the Coastal Flood Explorer, which allows residents to visualize flooding in their community using data from historic flood events such as Hurricane Isabel. This allows communities and the state to update flood plans and identify flood-prone areas for mitigation projects.

Through a Texas Coastal Management Program grant, researchers were able to study the impact of Hurricane Beryl on Texas’ beach-dune systems.

The Pennsylvania Coastal Zone includes the tidal waters of the Delaware River and its tributaries stretching from Morrisville to Chester, PA. Much of this area is marked by high population densities and heavy industrialization, including petrochemical facilities, which are linked to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) pollution. PFAS are synthetic chemicals found in various industrial and consumer products, including firefighting foams, cookware and food packaging. Consequently, various PFAS compounds are consistently detected in the surface waters, sediment and aquatic organisms of the Delaware River Basin, raising concerns about their bioaccumulation and toxicological effects on wildlife, ecosystems and human health. The DRBC has studied PFAS in the Delaware River Basin since 2004, with expanded sampling efforts beginning in 2020. To better understand PFAS concentrations and distribution in the PA Coastal Zone, the DRBC applied for and was awarded a Federal Coastal Zone Management Grant, administered by the PADEP and funded by NOAA. DRBC’s reports document the presence of PFAS in surface water, sediment and fish tissue in this stretch of the Delaware River Estuary and aim to better understand the sources of PFAS contamination, for example, wastewater treatment plants, landfills, industrial outfalls and urban and agricultural runoff. Read more here.

Recycling Shells for Baby Oysters Reaps Financial, Environmental Gains

Today oyster habitats are threatened by water pollution, dredging, lost wetlands, diseases, overfishing and damaged reefs. The NOAA restoration center has provided grants to some 70 oyster rehabilitation projects in 15 states. The nonprofit North Carolina Coastal Federation, founded in 1982, works to restore the state’s coastline and is involved in oyster restoration. Receiving state and federal grants and other funding, the Coastal Federation has invested nearly $36.2 million during the last 12 years in its oyster sanctuary program to create several hundreds of acres of habitat for oysters. The habitat created is a network of no-harvest oyster reefs for larvae to reseed the wild oyster population and also support harvested oyster reefs. In May, members of the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection’s Bureau of Marine Habitat and Shell Fisheries won the Governor’s Team of Excellence Award for the department’s shell recycling program. Started six years ago, the program has planted 240 tons of shells that have enabled 24 million baby oysters to live in Mullica River oyster reefs. “With the recent acquisition of grant funding through NOAA’s Coastal Zone Management Program, the program continues to expand by partnering with new restaurants and installing public shell drop-off locations, thereby increasing the number of shells collected and recycled,” noted a media release about the award. Read more here.

More than $11 million in grants has been awarded to the Naples Airport, Lee County Utilities and the city of Fort Myers as part of $150 million distributed via the Resilient Florida Program to strengthen coastal and inland communities against the impacts of flooding and hurricanes. “The Resilient Florida Program is turning planning into action,” said DEP Secretary Alexis A. Lambert. “These grants will equip Florida’s communities to better withstand impacts from flooding, storm surge and hurricanes, advancing on-the-ground efforts to safeguard Florida’s natural resources and infrastructure.” The local projects include over $5 million to the City of Fort Myers for the Wellfield Expansion and Flood Resilience Project, $3.5 million to Lee County Utilities for the Fort Myers Beach Water Reclamation Facility Restoration and Resilience Project, and $2.8 million to the City of Naples for the Naples Airport Authority Electrical Resilience Improvements. In addition to investments in physical infrastructure, the program also prioritizes coastal management solutions, including the use of hardened shorelines, wetland restoration and vegetative barriers, which also serve as invaluable natural defenses against storm surge and flooding. Since its inception, the Resilient Florida Program has invested more than $1.8 billion to enhance Florida’s coastal and inland resilience. For fiscal year 2025-26, Florida has committed more than $200 million toward statewide resilience. Read more here.

Alabama – Causeway Project Will Help Protect Access to Dauphin Island

The Dauphin Island Causeway Shoreline Restoration Project is being done in three phases to enhance and protect the only access road from Dauphin Island to the Mobile County mainland. Phase 1 included building segmented breakwaters with the rock along 3-plus miles of the Causeway, with the northern section running from Bayfront Park to Jemison’s Bait Shop and the southern section from Heron Bay Cutoff to Cedar Point. Phase 2 includes taking dredge material from work being done on the Mobile Ship Channel and the turning basin and placing it between the Causeway and breakwaters. A sand berm will also be constructed next to the breakwaters for additional containment and a mimicking of the natural habitat. Phase 3 includes planting native grasses and creating tidal creeks after the marsh platform is established. The gaps in the breakwaters will allow tidal flow and provide nursery habitat for species like shrimp, crabs and a variety of fish species. The vegetation is expected to take three to five years to become fully established. “This would not be possible without multiple partnerships and the beneficial use program (dredge material) moving forward. We couldn’t have done this without the beneficial use material by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. We got it for a dollar per cubic yard. If it hadn’t been available, and if the Corps did not place it themselves, I don’t know if this project would be possible. The availability of the material at a low cost was the key component of this project moving forward,” said Tina Sanchez, Mobile County Environmental Services Director. Read more here.

State organizations, Tribal Nations, and multiple partners have joined forces to address changing weather patterns impacting coastal and inland communities along Minnesota’s North Shore. Although Minnesota has long pursued climate mitigation and management, a NOAA grant enabled these organizations to formalize relationships and strengthen their combined work. The Northland Climate Resilience Collective (NCRC) now includes 17 partners across northeastern Minnesota. Together, they aim to build a coordinated response and work on shared priorities and projects. They’re fostering relationships and dialogue among Tribal Nations, state agencies, community governments, regional cities, and other key players. Julie McDonnell of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) Lake Superior Coastal Program told WTIP that the goal extends far beyond simply surviving extreme weather or climate change. “Not only do we want to be able to withstand the potential impacts that are coming our way,” McDonnell said, “we want to be able to not only withstand it and bounce back, but we want to be able to thrive even with the changes happening.” Read more here.

EGLE Grant Will Help Expand Operations at the Port of Monroe

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) is awarding a $1 million Brownfield Redevelopment Grant to a project that will improve the Port of Monroe, allowing it to take in more cargo and be better prepared for emergencies. The port opened in 1940 and expanded operations over time. It is currently lacking infrastructure needed to handle international containerized cargo. The current $16 million redevelopment plan calls for three major improvements; Construction of a second wharf to handle and inspect larger international cargo under U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection policies; construction of a readiness slip for the port’s tugboat and for emergency boats used by the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection, and the city of Monroe; and improvements to the turning basin, a large area where freighters can turn around and where the port receives liquid asphalt. The improvements will make the Port of Monroe the first maritime container terminal in Michigan. A study of the previous improvement project completed at the port in 2017 found that it spurred more than $6 million in economic activity in the first year and the creation of more than 700 jobs. Read more here.

The Bureau of Statistics and Plans’ Guam Coastal Management Program will be hosting the 10th Assembly of Planners Symposium on Aug. 19 and 20 at Hyatt Regency Guam. This year’s two-day symposium will have the theme, “Guam’s Coastal Zone Policies: Balancing Growth and Conservation, Strengthening Coastal Policy through Codes, Ordinances and Effective Enforcement.” Issues to be covered include; Closing the loop, integrating application review committee recommendations into the building permit process; Prioritizing aquifer protection through infrastructure projects and planning; Protecting the health and sustainable yield of Northern Guam’s Lens Aquifer. Derek Brockbank, executive director of the Coastal States Organization, will provide an update on the future of federal coastal funding in 2025. Read more here.

What Are Oregon’s Tidal Wetlands Worth?

In May, the Oregon Coastal Management Program at DLCD released its draft 2026-230 Program Enhancement Assessment and Strategy, which describes tidal wetland and estuary planning as one of three strategy priorities. Tidal wetlands along the Oregon coast are vital transition zones between river and sea, helping to reducing flooding and buffer communities against sea-level rise. Thes ecosystems also improve water quality, sequester vast amounts of carbon, moderate water temperature, and provide exceptional wildlife habitat for species such as salmon that have commercial, recreational, and cultural value. But community-driven initiatives to help quantify the benefits of specific tidal wetland habitat protection and restoration projects can be complex. To help determine the value of Oregon’s tidal wetlands, researcher Graham Shaw, in partnership with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation and Pew, created a guide that includes a step-by-step process for quantifying the benefits that tidal wetland restoration projects provide. Read more here.

The United States Economic Development Administration has announced the Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for its Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 Disaster Supplemental Grant Program. This program makes approximately $1.45 billion available to areas that received major disaster declarations in the calendar years 2023 and 2024 for economic recovery activities. Funds can support both construction and non-construction projects. State and local governments, Native tribes, higher education institutions, public or private non-profit organizations that work with local government, economic development organizations, and public-private partnerships for public infrastructure are eligible. The EDA will fund up to 80% of the project with higher percentages available for severely distressed applications and Tribal organizations. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis until funds are spent for Readiness and Implementation path projects, while Industry Transformation grants will be due March 3, 2026. For more information, contact Rania Campbell-Bussiere.

[NEW] Funding Opportunity: FWS Coastal Program FY25

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Coastal Program is a community-based program that helps coastal areas with technical and financial support to address complex conservation challenges of priority coastal ecosystems. This support is mainly provided through cooperative agreements with conservation partners and landowners, including state and Tribal agencies. The goal is to restore and protect fish and wildlife habitats on both public and private lands. Coastal Program staff work with partners, stakeholders, and other Service programs in important areas for conservation. Applications are due September 30, 2025. Learn more here.

2025 National Estuaries Week Photo Contest

NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management is hosting a photo contest to celebrate National Estuaries Week from September 20 to 27, 2025. Send them your best photos from the National Estuarine Research Reserves that display the beauty of the reserves, critters that live there, and the people who work and play there. Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges and will be featured in their social media campaign during National Estuaries Week. Learn more here.

Funding Opportunity: Fiscal Year 25 Community Assistance Program

The Community Assistance Program – State Support Services Element (CAP-SSSE) program provides funding to states to provide technical assistance to communities in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) and to evaluate community performance in implementing NFIP floodplain management activities. Designation, duties and responsibilities of State Coordinating Agencies are found in 44 CFR 60.25. These regulations identify the states commitment to the minimum floodplain management criteria and to demonstrate the capability and responsibility to implement the program. In this way, CAP-SSSE helps to; ensure that the flood loss reduction goals of the NFIP are met, build state and community floodplain management expertise and capability, and leverage state knowledge and expertise in working with their communities. Learn more here.

Request for Proposals: 2025 Climate Resilient Fisheries Engagement Grants

To foster climate resilient fisheries and fishing communities around the world, the Blue Convergence Fund aims to fund projects and support engagement that advance (1) our understanding of climate resilient fisheries and (2) climate resilient fisheries management practices and strategies around the world. This request for proposals (RFP) will support science-based efforts and collaborations that use existing knowledge to catalyze climate resilient fisheries practices and strategies. Specifically, this RFP will support projects where new research is not the primary focus, but rather activities that bring people together to promote knowledge exchange, the uptake of research into management, network building, and planning and implementation. Projects should be 18-24 months in duration with a maximum total budget of $150,000 USD. Proposals are due September 4, 2025. Learn more here.

Bow Seat’s True Blue Fellowship

The True Blue Fellowship offers peer-mentorship, capacity building, and funding of up to $2,500 USD to youth who are developing projects that address ocean, waterways, and/or climate issues through a creative arts lens. The Fellowship is free to enter and open to youth ages 13 – 24 worldwide, whether as individuals, classes, groups, clubs, or organizations. Applications are due September 1st. Learn more here.

Study: United States of Plastics Report Examines State Progress Against Plastic Pollution

The Ocean Conservancy’s “United States of Plastics” report offers a tool for advocates and decisionmakers in each state to assess their progress against plastic pollution and identify opportunities for local action. A study by Ocean Conservancy in 2024 found that nearly 80% of Americans consider plastic pollution to be the most pressing problem for the health of our ocean. The United States is the number one generator of plastic waste worldwide and a major producer of virgin plastic. The “United States of Plastics” report analyzes laws to address plastic pollution in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. and assigns a score to each on a five-point scale. Read more here.

NOAA Webinar Series: Sargassum Research, Management, and Impacts

NOAA’s Southeast and Caribbean Regional Collaboration Team is launching a five part webinar series to raise awareness about key issues surrounding sargassum. Each webinar will highlight different aspects of sargassum research, management, and its impacts on coastal communities and ecosystems. The goal of this series is to foster knowledge-sharing and regional collaboration across affected areas as impacts continue from recent sargassum inundation events. See the NOAA website for details and registration.

Funding Opportunity: Port Infrastructure Development Program

The US Department of Transportation has announced up to $500 million in funding for the Fiscal Year 2025 Port Infrastructure Development Program. State governments, County governments, Native American Tribal governments, special district governments, and city governments are eligible to apply. The deadline is September 10, 2025. Learn more here.

202-800-0580 | cso@coastalstates.org | www.coastalstates.org