2014-2015 ASSISTANCE PROGRAM FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE’S COASTAL ZONE COMMUNITIES Resilient New Hampshire Coasts: No-Cost Assistance with Planning for Coastal Flood Hazards and Climate Change Impacts Dear Community Leader, You are invited to apply for no-cost assistance with planning for coastal flood hazards and climate change impacts. Two communities will be selected for this project using the application on the following pages. Applications are due by February 14, 2014. With assistance from the project team, communities participating in this project will: Develop a local action plan to adjust to our changing climate and extreme weather events by identifying measures to protect people and infrastructure and manage natural resources. Review information to inform local salt marsh restoration and protection strategies, if applicable. Gain hands-on experience with a web-based coastal hazards viewer tool specific to NH. The two selected communities will be announced by March 1, 2014. Initial meetings with the selected communities will vary in start time. The first community may hold initial project meetings as early as late spring 2014, while the second community will begin in early fall 2014. The project team recognizes that there are many current efforts targeted to the coastal watershed, and will work to ensure coordination and synergy while avoiding duplication of effort. On behalf of the project team, we look forward to hearing from you, Chris Keeley New Hampshire Sea Grant chris.keeley@unh.edu (603) 862-6707 Amanda Stone UNH Cooperative Extension amanda.stone@unh.edu (603) 862-1067 This project is funded under the Coastal Zone Management Act by NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management in conjunction with the New Hampshire Coastal Program. The assistance is provided from a collaborative team at the University of New Hampshire, UNH Cooperative Extension, NH Sea Grant, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, NH Fish & Game, and NH Dept. of Environmental Services, with in-kind support from the NH Coastal Adaptation Workgroup. APPLICATION: New Hampshire Coastal Program’s “Resilient New Hampshire Coasts” Project 1 Eligible communities This opportunity is for New Hampshire’s Coastal Zone communities, as defined by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration. Communities eligible for assistance include: Dover Durham Greenland Hampton Hampton Falls Madbury New Castle Newington Newmarket North Hampton Rollinsford Rye Seabrook Stratham Participation requirements Communities will need to provide time for one-hour meetings, held monthly, for approximately six months. The project team will need assistance from community members to prepare for this project. Thus, specific duties of the community from the community include: Assemble a Local Working Group with representation from municipal boards and other appropriate groups (e.g. lake associations, subcommittees, residents, businesses, etc.) to work with the project team. Attend initial meeting between project team and the Local Working Group to discuss the details of the project, your needs and goals, and the time frame for the project. Host a project kick-off meeting with a presentation by UNH of the local climate assessment, identify priorities for planning and outreach, and help recruit community members and businesses to approximately 5 monthly action planning meetings. Participate in 1-2 mini workshops to test-drive and provide input on web-based Coastal Viewer interface and application(s) of associated technical information about natural hazards (e.g., maps, photos, fluvial erosion hazards, model outputs, culvert assessments). APPLICATION: New Hampshire Coastal Program’s “Resilient New Hampshire Coasts” Project 2 Community Application for Resilient New Hampshire Coasts We encourage you to submit this application electronically. It is available for download at http://www.tinyurl.com/rnhcapp Town: ______________________ Name of contact person: ________________________________ Town Department, Board, Committee or other affiliation of contact person: __________________________________________________________________________________ (e.g. conservation commission, planning board, select board, etc.) Mailing Address: ___________________________________________________________________ Phone (Day): ________________ (Evening): ________________ E-mail: ____________________ Please respond to the following questions. 1. Listed below are examples of the types of outcomes this project can provide to your community. Please indicate the top three outcomes that are of the greatest interest to your community. □ Developing strategies to address barriers to salt marshes forced inland due to sea level rise □ Public outreach about climate adaptation and community resilience □ Updated regulations that take extreme weather and climate change into consideration (e.g. stormwater regulations) □ Developing a strategy for community preparedness for extreme weather □ Assessing your community’s vulnerabilities to high intensity coastal storms and flooding □ Other (please explain) 2. Given the selections made above, please briefly provide more detail about the assistance you are requesting and the goals you hope to achieve, including specific planning or regulation updates (up to 1 page). For example, consider identifying specific neighborhoods, roads, or other resources in your community that you feel are vulnerable to coastal flooding and that you would like to address with this project. 3. Note: previous conservation or restoration efforts with salt marsh habitat is not required. However, if your community has engaged in previous efforts focused on preserving salt marshes, please attach a description of these efforts (up to 1 page). Reference plans or policies as needed. APPLICATION: New Hampshire Coastal Program’s “Resilient New Hampshire Coasts” Project 3 Check other organizations/groups/projects your community is currently working with on related projects and/or will be working with in 2014. □ Local or regional Land Trust □ Plan NH □ Master Plan update □ Lake, river or watershed association □ Regional Planning Commission □ Other climate-related projects (specify): □ Hazard Mitigation Plan update □ Local Emergency Operations Plan update □ Open Space or Conservation Groups □ Planning Board subcommittee(s) (e.g zoning revisions, master plan, etc.) □ Other Activities (list and describe briefly): 4. Please check the community boards and/or other groups who have engaged with and are actively supporting this application and provide a contact name and phone number/e-mail address for each: □ Conservation Commission _________________________________________________ □ Planning Board _________________________________________________ □ Zoning Board _________________________________________________ □ Board of Selectmen _________________________________________________ □ Town or City Council _________________________________________________ □ Open Space Committee _________________________________________________ □ Board Subcommittee _________________________________________________ (e.g. zoning revisions, master plan, etc.) □ Lake/River/Watershed groups □ OTHER (give details): _________________________________________________ _________________________________________________ 5. The communities selected will begin projects at different times. Please circle your preferred project duration: Spring through Fall 2014 Fall 2014 through Spring 2015 Applications are due by Friday, February 14, 2014. Please email application to chris.keeley@unh.edu OR mail to Chris Keeley, NH Sea Grant, 122 Mast Road, Lee, NH 03861. Selected communities will be announced in late February 2015. APPLICATION: New Hampshire Coastal Program’s “Resilient New Hampshire Coasts” Project 4