State Coastal Programs & Habitat

State Coastal Programs & Extreme Natural Events

The Blue Economy depends on the vibrant workforce, thriving industry, advanced infrastructure, and unparalleled natural resources of the nation’s coastal zone. Across the nation, the challenges confronting coastal communities are vast and complicated. To ensure our coastal zones continue to enrich and sustain the Blue Economy, robust, adaptive, and efficient coastal management is necessary.

An exemplary state-federal partnership since 1972, the Coastal Zone Management Program (CZM Program) provides the effective management, beneficial use, protection, and development that the coastal zone needs. States and Territories take the lead to manage coastal resources using their expertise and firsthand experience working on local issues, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) provides guidance, funding, and program support.

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Millions of Americans work, play, and live along our nation’s beautiful shorelines. But life on the coast can be frequently disrupted by severe storms, earthquakes, chronic flooding, fluctuating water levels, and erosion. These hazards cause major economic harm to businesses, natural areas, and public infrastructure. America is searching for better ways to protect coasts, but there is no “one size fits all” solution. Each coastal community has its own physical, social, legal, and political characteristics, so solutions need to be tailored to their unique conditions.

The state coastal management programs established under the proven and successful Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA) help communities address their coastal threats. This report illustrates the CZMA’s successful approach with 14 stories from communities across the country. Strong statewide coastal management creates resilient shorelines. The CZMA generates that strength. Thus, greater investment in this program will have national benefits. The CZMA must be central to America’s strategy for protecting coastal communities.

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Developed through a collaboration between CSO and the Association of State Floodplain Managers, the CRS Green Guide is a web resource that connects local officials to actionable, plain-language information about 25 green elements in the 2017 CRS Coordinator’s Manual. These elements have beneficial impacts beyond flood-risk reduction such as improving water quality, restoring natural floodplain functions, creating recreational opportunities, and decreasing damage to infrastructure. The Green Guide provides:

• A plain language introduction to the CRS and best practices
• Element profiles with
  • Implementation requirements
  • Best practices for maximizing points
  • Co-benefits beyond risk reduction
  • Degree of difficulty to implement
  • Information on stackable credits
• Success stories from communities across the nation
• Resource links to tools, manuals, and trainings

Adapting to changing coastlines is an unprecedented planning challenge as coastal hazards, including those associated with climate change, influence all areas of resource management. Tools have been developed to aid in understanding coastal hazards and to facilitate the planning and implementation of adaptation strategies. State CZM Programs operate as trusted information brokers at the nexus between national resources and local needs. Here we provide seven recommendations for how to overcome the challenges identified with tool discovery, lack of trust, and the coarse spatial resolution of national tools. We also recommend leveraging CZM Program connections because they have the knowledge and expertise to identify solutions and disseminate information. While the recommendations presented here were taken from the perspective of state CZM Programs regarding coastal tools, the lessons learned may provide valuable insight into the tool development process for other resource management fields.

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In 2018, 10 of the 34 participating states and territories celebrated their 40th anniversary of joining the National Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program. While the challenges faced by each state program are as different as the coastlines they manage, the lesson we can learn from the work they have done in the last 40 years is singular. CZM Programs, which operate at the nexus of federal, state, and local government, are essential to the sustainable management of our Nation’s coasts. To create this poster, we  interviewed 7 of the 10 coastal programs that celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2018. These are their stories.

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