The Georgia Coastal Management Program recently announced the selection of 21 projects to receive Coastal incentive Grants for the upcoming year. A total of $982,080 in grant funds was awarded in this grant cycle. Projects include construction of new public access sites, educational programs, community development and planning projects, and targeted research.
Planning for coastal hazards and disaster resiliency is a topic of keen interest to many coastal community managers. In keeping with this expressed need, CIG funds will support three projects targeted at developing disaster resiliency in Garden City, Bryan County and Brantley County. Two recently completed projects provide tools that these communities can use in their planning processes. Scientists at Skidaway Institute of Oceanography recently completed the Coastal Hazards Portal, http://gchp.skio.usg.edu ( http://gchp.skio.usg.edu/ ), a web-based collection of 14 major data sets, which allows a user to view multiple layers of information to assist in a variety of planning functions. In addition, the University of Georgia, River Basin Center completed a three year study of Sea Level Rise, the results of which are located at http://www.rivercenter.uga.edu/research/climate/slr.htm.
Public Access to Georgia’s natural resources is an important goal of the Coastal Incentive Grant Program. Last year five access projects – three trails, one fishing pier and one boat ramp – were completed. This upcoming year will result in increased river access through a floating dock installation on the South Newport River and the development of a plan to build a public marina at Cattle Hammock on the North Newport River.
Projects will begin on October 1, 2012 and be completed within a year.
Grants awarded for 2012 include: Planning for Disaster Resiliency – Garden City; Septic Tank Inventory in McIntosh and Liberty Counties – UGA Marine Extension Service; Impact of Coastal Hazards on Georgia’s Marshes – Savannah State University; Plant Survey of Lower Ogeechee River – University of Georgia; On-site Sewage Management System Inspection and Local Code Reform – Chatham Health Department; Coastal Hazards: Know the Facts – UGA Marine Extension Service; Rails to Trails – Camden County; Effects of Sea Level Rise and Increased Storm Frequency on Georgia’s Estuaries – UGA Research Foundation; Georgia Coastal Research Council – UGA Research Foundation; Wildlife Conservation in Coastal Landscapes – UGA Research Foundation; Comparison of artificial and Natural Intertidal Oyster Reefs in Georgia – UGA Marine Extension Service; Improving Habitat Classification, Hazard Mitigation and Navigation in Coastal Georgia with a Bathymetric Sonar System – Skidaway Institute of Oceanography; Plan for Cattle Hammock Marina – Liberty County;GIS Database Resiliency Planning – Bryan County; Stormwater Management Plan – City of Thunderbolt; Social Vulnerability Index – UGA Research Foundation; Fire Prevention Program – Brantley County; Interpretative Signage at Marine Aquarium – UGA Marine Extension Service; Interpretative Signage at Cay Creek Nature Center – City of Midway; Tools for Sustainability – Department of Community Affairs; Floating Dock for South Newport River – McIntosh County.
Grant awards are contingent upon approval of Georgia’s annual application for funds through the Coastal Zone Management Act administered by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Approximately one-half of Georgia’s federal Coastal Zone Management funding is passed through as sub-grants through the Coastal Incentive Grant Program. Eligible recipients include local governments in the 11 county coastal area -- Effingham, Chatham, Bryan, Liberty Long, McIntosh, Wayne, Glynn, Brantley, Charlton and Camden Counties, state-affiliated research and educational institutions, Regional Commissions and State Agencies (except DNR).
For more information about upcoming Coastal Incentive Grant funding or to view reports from previously funded projects, contact Susan Snyder Reeves, Grants Manager, 912-264-7218.
