Applications are being accepted until June 3 from coastal municipal and county governments to fund the engineering and design phase of a climate resiliency project that features a nature-based component such as a living shoreline or wetlands restoration.
The funding is through the Resilient Coastal Communities Program created to help local governments in the 20 Coastal Area Management Act, or CAMA, counties build capacity for resiliency, provide technical assistance and fund planning and implementation of strategic resilience projects. The state Department of Environmental Quality’s Division of Coastal Management facilitates the project announced by the state in October 2020.
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The program is broken down into four phases: phase 1 is community engagement and risk/vulnerability assessment; phase 2 is planning, project identification and prioritization; phase 3 is engineering and design; and phase 4 is project implementation.
In March 2021, the division awarded 25 communities for technical assistance in risk assessment and resilience planning work, which are phases 1 and 2 of the program.
Applications are now being accepted for phase 3 funding. The request for application is available online.
The division said it will host an informational webinar 2-3:30 p.m. Monday, April 25, to answer questions regarding the application. Register online for the webinar.
To be funded through phase 3, the project must be prioritized in the applicant’s Resilient Coastal Communities Program Resilience Strategy created during phase 1 and 2, or other existing plans that meet phases 1 and 2 planning criteria. Proposals for development of ordinances or policies to further resiliency in the community are also welcome.
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Applications from communities in Beaufort, Bertie, Brunswick, Dare, Carteret, Craven, Hyde, New Hanover, Onslow, Pamlico, Pender, and Tyrrell, the 12 Hurricane Florence-declared counties, must feature a nature-based component. Communities in the other eight counties are also encouraged to submit a project that includes a nature-based component.
Funding is to be prioritized for projects that create engineering and design plans toward a shovel-ready project that includes a nature-based component or create an ordinance or policy to further resilience goals.
The program is a component of the statewide North Carolina Resilient Communities Program, called for in the 2020 North Carolina Climate Risk Assessment and Resilience Plan.
The division received funding from the state legislature and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to develop and implement the program in coordination with the North Carolina Office of Recovery and Resiliency, The Nature Conservancy and North Carolina Sea Grant.
Additional information about the program can be found on the program website.
