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Volume 2, Issue
3 |
February
2010 | |
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IN THE
ZONE is a service from
the Maryland Department of Natural Resources'
Chesapeake &
Coastal Program that delivers
timely information, tools and resources to those who
live, work and play in Maryland's coastal
zone. |
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CCP SPOTLIGHT: Smart Slope is NEWEST
recipient of Maryland's Innovative Technology
Fund
CCP Spotlight is a
feature of the In the Zone e-mail service that
highlights programs that have been developed by the
Chesapeake & Coastal Program or through partnership
and support from federal, state and local partners
helping to advance coastal management in
Maryland.
 Smart Slope, LLC is the newest
recipient of Maryland's Innovative Technology Seed Capital
Fund. Smart Slope produces and sells
concrete retaining wall modules designed to be planted
creating fully landscaped
walls.
The modules
are made with post-consumer recycled materials that use
50 percent less concrete than traditional retaining
walls, helping to reduce heat island effects and
stormwater runoff. Erosion control and nutrient
absorption are also increased, and Smart Slope's local
production can contribute to LEED points being earned on
projects. Their key innovation is the ability to
create the concrete modules locally and
cost-effectively, eliminating the need to transport the
heavy components long distances.
On inland sites, the vegetation in Smart
Slope retaining walls provides a better environmental
alternative than traditional hardened non-vegetated
walls while performing the required structural
functions.
The
Innovative Technology Fund is established with the goal
of accelerating Bay restoration through the improvement
of water quality in new and innovative ways.
In a September 2007 report to the Maryland DNR,
the Environmental Finance Center at the National Center
for Smart Growth Research and Education (EFC)
suggested that the "Bay states should develop venture
capital programs that foster innovative and cutting edge
technologies..." as a way of financing Bay restoration
and ensuring that the States are always on the cusp of
the most cost-effective and efficient best management
practices (BMPs). The State addressed
both of EFC's recommendations for investment by
partnering with two of the University of Maryland's well established
programs:
- Research and Development, Maryland
Industrial Partnerships (MIPS) addresses the need for additional
research and development, and
- MTech Ventures
Chesapeake Bay Seed Capital Program (MTech) supports
fledgling companies in industry and technology related
to Bay restoration and protection.
If
you are a business or researcher interested in
applying for assistance, or if you have questions about
the Innovative Technology Fund, please e-mail Sarah Lane with the Chesapeake &
Coastal Program. To learn more about Smart Slope,
visit http://www.smartslope.com.
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CCP
LAUNCHES NEW ONLINE GRANTS MANAGEMENT SERVICE
"CCP
Grants Online" Is Now Accepting
Proposals
 CCP
Grants Online
is the new online grants management service offered by
the Chesapeake & Coastal Program. The
service was developed to enable CCP staff, funding
applicants and project managers to better manage their
grant processing and reporting. This service will allow
us to move from a system that has been largely
paper-based to one that is primarily web-based,
streamlined and customized to meet our program's needs
for data storage, organization and reporting. Most
importantly, this service will be efficient and easy to
use not only for our program staff, but also for the
users requesting and managing projects and funds through
this online program. Automation of the steps involved in
this grant process will be the biggest advantage to this
service. Once all phases are up and running, CCP Grants Online will
allow for complete management of your project from
submission of your initial project proposal to final
project reporting.
If
you would like to be considered for funding, but do not
think your project matches up with one of our open RFPs,
please create a profile and indicate that you would like
to submit a Letter of Intent. CCP staff will use your
Letter of Intent to match you with the appropriate
funding source if available, or will try to recommend
other resources that may be available.
Click here to access CCP
Grants Online
and begin setting up a profile. If you have any questions,
you can contact the Chesapeake & Coastal Program at
410.260.8732 for
assistance. |
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FINANCIAL
AND TECHNICAL
ASSISTANCE AVAILABLE THROUGH COASTAL
COMMUNITIES GRANTS
Deadline to
Submit Proposals Through "CCP Grants Online" is March
19, 2010
Through
Maryland's
Coast-Smart Communities Initiative, the
Chesapeake
& Coastal Program is helping local communities
identify and implement strategies to protect life and
property vulnerable to coastal hazards and climate
change. From hands-on training and planning tools
to financial resources, the Chesapeake & Coastal
Program is ensuring that local communities have the
tools that they need to identify and take the necessary
actions to become ready, adaptive and resilient to the
impacts of climate change. Through Coastal
Communities grants, in partnership with the National
Ocean
and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Chesapeake
& Coastal Program is offering competitive grants to
local communities of up to $75,000 for coastal hazards
and sea-level rise response planning. Funding has
been used to assist local communities invest in computer
models, to implement land use plans and to establish
development codes and ordinances. The State will
accept proposals through March
19, 2010.
Funding
will be provided on an annual basis, however successful
partnerships may receive continued support for up to
three years in order to achieve the project's outcomes
and result in a program change. In addition to
supporting local communities reduce their vulnerability
to sea level rise and/or climate change, funds will be
available to assist local communities address nonpoint
source pollution impacts or to develop mechanisms to
preserve and restore natural or cultural
resources.
Click here to download the request
for proposals.
To
respond to the RFP you will need to visit CCP's new
online grants management service, CCP
Grants Online, to create a profile and begin
entering your proposal.
Communities interested
in applying for assistance, or with questions about the
Coastal Communities grants or RFP, should e-mail Chris Cortina with the Chesapeake
& Coastal Program or call
410.260.8774. |
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Watershed
Assistance Grant Program ACCEPTING
Applications
 Local
governments, communities and non-governmental
organizations are invited to apply for the next round of
watershed assistance grants for watershed planning and
design. The next application deadline for these grants
is April
2, 2010.
The Watershed Assistance Grant Program is a partnership
between the State, the Chesapeake
Bay Trust,
the US EPA and NOAA.
Qualifying
projects will support the State's goal to restore water
quality in our rivers and Bays and help meet the
Maryland's
two year milestones. Governor O'Malley announced a suite
of ambitious 2-year milestones in May to accelerate
Maryland's
on-the-ground efforts to reach its current nutrient
reduction goals by a newly established end date of 2020.
The Governor made the announcement at the 26th meeting
of the Chesapeake Executive Council, the
multi-jurisdictional partnership that coordinates
regional Bay restoration programming.
The
Watershed Assistance Grant Program is a major component
of the Watershed Assistance Collaborative, a partnership
that advances and promotes readiness of communities to
apply for restoration and protection grants from State,
federal and/or private agencies.
To date,
the program has provided more than $300,000 for
watershed planning and design grants.
Click here to view the full press
release. For more information e-mail Carrie Decker with the Chesapeake
& Coastal Program or call her at
410.260.8723.
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CHESAPEAKE & ATLANTIC COASTAL BAYS TRUST
FUND REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS WORKSHOPS
March
19 in College Park, March 23 in
Queenstown
 The
Watershed Assistance Collaborative will hold two
workshops in March for all interested applicants to the
State of Maryland's
Trust Fund. The workshops will cover
specific information about what will be in the new Trust
Fund RFP, what has changed from the first round, what a
great proposal should include and an overview of
technical resources available.
The
workshops will be held on March 19 at the 4-H Center in
College
Park,
and on March 23 at the Wye
Research
Center
in Queenstown. Both workshops start at
10
a.m.
and run to 12
p.m.
Registration will be open by March 3 and a
Webinar registration will be available for those who can
not attend in person.
For
more information, please e-mail Jennifer Dindinger with UMD Extension
or call her at 410.827.8056, x126.
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REGISTER NOW FOR THE 14th ANNUAL MEETING OF
MARYLAND TRIBUTARY TEAMS
"2010, From Voluntary to
Regulatory ...Using
the Bay TMDL to Make a Difference"
The
14th Annual Meeting of Maryland's Tributary Teams will
be held on March 6, 2010 at the Maryland Department of
the Environment Montgomery
Park Building
in Baltimore,
MD.
This
year's Annual Meeting will focus on the Bay wide TMDL
currently in development, with presentations covering
the TMDL process and content, the Watershed
Implementation Plans, Modeling and Monitoring and
Financing and Funding. Interactive
sessions will include the local implementation plans,
local funding opportunities, trading, stormwater and
more.
Click here to register. Display/exhibitor
spaces are available. Please e-mail Claudia Donegan for more information.
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COURSE OFFERING:
Planning
for Climate Change Using a Green Infrastructure
Approach: Coastal Communities in the Chesapeake
Bay Watershed
Planning for Climate Change
Using a Green Infrastructure Approach is a course
being offered by the Conservation Leadership Network, a
partnership with NOAA, DNR, Northern Virginia Regional
Commission and The Conservation
Fund. The course will be
held April 26-28, 2010 at the National Conservation
Training Center (NCTC) in Shepherdstown, WV.
Using
coastal communities in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed as
examples,
participants will have the opportunity to plan for
potential climate change impacts (storm surge/sea level
rise, changes in precipitation and temperature) using a
green infrastructure approach as a guide for developing
effective adaptation and mitigation strategies. Through
hands-on class projects using data layers for two
coastal communities and lectures from cutting edge
experts and on-the-ground practitioners, participants
will learn and experience first-hand how Green
Infrastructure can facilitate climate change
planning.
This is a
pilot offering and seats are limited!
The course
will focus on coastal communities in the Chesapeake
Bay, therefore,
preference will be given to those professionals living
in and/or focusing their work on the Bay
watershed.
Click here to register. The registration
deadline is April
1, 2010.
Click here to download the course
flyer.
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CCP
POLAR BEAR PLUNGE TEAM RAISES OVER $3,800 FOR SPECIAL
OLYMPICS
Despite 3:00 p.m. Plunge Cancellation, Team Takes
"Alternative
Plunge"
Committed
and determined DNR
and CCP staff members, colleagues, family and friends,
turned out for the 2010 Polar Bear Plunge despite a snow
storm, terrible driving conditions, below freezing
temperatures and the rumor of a cancelled 3:00 p.m.
plunge. After raising $3,800 in sponsorships to
plunge into the icy Chesapeake,
the team followed through with their commitment to get
to Sandy
Point
for the festivities, but learned just before the
scheduled 3:00
p.m.
plunge that is was cancelled. A little
disappointed, but refusing to let down their generous
supporters, the team regrouped back at the parking lot
to devise an "alternative plunge." Dressed in their swim
gear (and some in team swim caps), Team CCP dashed
nearly a quarter of a mile through a snow covered field,
out and around a huge tree and back. A few brave
souls finished the run off with snow angels before
trying to bundle up again.
Team CCP would
like to thank the generous sponsors who helped us reach
and exceed our fundraising goals. Altogether, the
overall event raised over $3.4 million dollars! We
had an absolute blast and plan to try to getting in the
water again next year.
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 Please feel free to contact us
with any comments, questions or ideas for future IN THE ZONE
e-mails. Sincerely,
Your Chesapeake & Coastal Program
Team
Maryland Department of
Natural Resources |
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A
publication of the Maryland Coastal Zone Management Program
pursuant to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Award No.NA09NOA4191070. This publication is funded (in part)
by a grant/cooperative agreement from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The views expressed herein
are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the
views of NOAA or any of its
sub-agencies.
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