Sarah Spiegler

Shoreline erosion and resulting property damage can occur quickly during a storm event or over decades with sea-level rise and from human activities, including repeated shoreline modifications, dredging, and boating. The need to protect coastal properties and infrastructure against erosion and damage has increased with human populations along coastlines, with traditional, “gray” approaches, such as shoreline hardening, often having negative ecological, geophysical, and socioeconomic impacts on coastal communities and ecosystems. As coastal hazards and exposure to these hazards continue to increase, stakeholders need access to data, information, and expertise that can help them make informed decisions about coastal protection. Further, an interdisciplinary approach implemented in partnership with stakeholders is needed to translate data and technical information in a framework and format that directly facilitates coastal protection decisions. This proposal will co-develop (1) a coastal protection design and siting framework; and (2) living shoreline training courses and certification program for stakeholders, including coastal property owners, engineers, and contractors. The coastal protection framework and training courses will be co-developed through a partnership between North Carolina Sea Grant, East Carolina University, Carteret Community College, the North Carolina Coastal Reserve, and the North Carolina Coastal Federation (NCCF), leveraging data and findings from USCRP and NC Sea Grant-funded projects, as well as input from a diverse group of coastal stakeholders.

The NC Sea Grant program is submitting this scope for work for funding to support the placement of three water level sensors in the coastal region of North Carolina. In fulfillment of this scope of work, the NC Sea Grant extension team will lead a prioritization/scoping of the three sites and lead the engagement with selected communities. NC Sea Grant has direct ties to state level resilience initiatives and networks and will use this knowledge to inform siting.

The North Carolina Sea Grant College Program integrates three university functions — research, education, and outreach — into a cohesive, innovative, program that addresses priorities of the state’s numerous coastal stakeholders. These stakeholders include but are not limited to: communities located along the 300 miles of oceanfront shoreline and those within the 20 counties designated by the Coastal Area Management Act; communities further inland and located in the watersheds that drain to the Atlantic Ocean; coastal and estuarine water- and landbased industries; and many others. North Carolina’s vast natural environmental resources including the 2.3 million acres of estuarine habitat are of important ecological, cultural, and economic significance for the entire state. North Carolina Sea Grant (NCSG) positions itself at this intersection of research, education, and outreach, working to ensure results are translated to actionable information in support of the varied stakeholders invested in the state’s coastal region. Taking discoveries, demonstrations, and experiential knowledge developed by experts and delivering those results to identified audiences is a model our program embodies. These efforts support improved understanding and appreciation of the watershed, near-shore, and coastal ocean environments and the sustainable use and development of their resources. We join other coastal and Great Lakes states in a national network of Sea Grant universities charged with meeting the needs of society in our home state, our regions, and the nation as a whole. In North Carolina, Sea Grant program activities began with an institutional planning and project grant in 1970. With the establishment of the 16-campus University of North Carolina system in 1972 and involvement of Duke University via a consortial arrangement, NCSG became the nation’s 12th recognized Sea Grant College in 1976. The UNC system has remained committed to Sea Grant throughout the program’s history, including state funding generously provided through North Carolina State University, supporting portions of cost-share match requirements for the federal award received from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

The North Carolina Sea Grant College Program integrates three university functions — research, education and outreach — into a cohesive, innovative, program that addresses priorities of the state’s numerous coastal communities. These include, but are not limited to: communities of individuals located along the 300 miles of oceanfront shoreline and those within the 20 counties designated by the Coastal Area Management Act; coastal and estuarine water- and land-based industries; the vast natural environmental resources including the 2.3 million acres of estuarine habitat that provide important ecological and cultural resources for the entire state. North Carolina Sea Grant (NCSG) positions itself at this intersection of research and outreach, working to ensure results are translated to actionable information in support of the varied stakeholders invested in North Carolina’s coast. Taking discoveries, demonstrations and experiential knowledge developed by experts and delivering those results to identified audiences is a model our program embodies. These efforts support improved understanding and appreciation of the near-shore and coastal ocean environment and the sustainable use and development of its resources. We join other coastal and Great Lakes states in a national network of Sea Grant universities charged with meeting the needs of society in our home state, our regions, and the nation as a whole.

This proposal describes three objectives and related projects in support of North Carolina’s resilience portfolio including extension, research, and communication priorities. All of these objectives support NC Sea Grant’s strategic plan, and the National Sea Grant College Program Strategic plan, and address the Resilient Communities and Economies, Healthy Coastal Ecosystems, and Environmental Literacy and Workforce Development focus areas. These objectives also support NC Sea Grant’s commitment to embed the values of diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and accessibility in our resilience extension priorities and efforts. Within these focus areas, we envision this work addressing the following outcomes: • Support community resilience and technical assistance to those that are the most impacted by a changing climate and land use and development patterns. • Provide guidance in planning and policy that moves beyond traditional hazard mitigation to holistic adaptation and resilience planning. • Support solutions that consider natural and nature based infrastructure for inclusion, working towards the intersection of community and ecosystem resilience initiatives. • Provide training and resources to position leaders to have productive conversations about changing coastal conditions and supporting resilient communities. • Provide student training opportunities and workforce development. • Provide opportunities for regional discussions to share lessons learned and best management practices for translating work done elsewhere to and from North Carolina.

The goal of this work is to initiate a paradigm-shift in the approach and interpretation of coastal marsh models to enhance natural resource management; one that will move from single model use to ensemble model application.