Coastal Management Fellowship

2017-2019 Fellowship Project Summaries

Connecticut: Emily Hall, from Duke University and nominated by North Carolina Sea Grant, was matched with the Connecticut Coastal Management Program to work with Connecticut’s coastal management program, a statutory advisory committee, partners, and stakeholders to integrate and finalize a marine spatial planning document for Long Island Sound.

Maryland: Jackie Specht, from Rutgers University and nominated by New Jersey Sea Grant, was matched with Maryland’s Chesapeake and Coastal Service to understand the challenges, options, and practices for beneficial reuse of dredge material; identify opportunities to enhance community resilience with this material in Maryland; and develop a policy document and decision-support tool for beneficial reuse of dredge materials on Department of Natural Resources lands.

Massachusetts: Sean Duffey, from the University of Rhode Island and nominated by Rhode Island Sea Grant, was matched with the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management to protect critical ecosystem services by designing and applying a method to prioritize habitats at risk and inform robust policies and strategies that will increase the resilience of important resource areas.

New Hampshire: Vidya Balasubramanyam, from the University of Missouri and nominated by New Hampshire Sea Grant, was matched with the New Hampshire Coastal Program to inform the development of the New Hampshire Tidal Shoreline Management Plan by identifying sites suitable for living shorelines and developing a strategy to increase understanding of how these approaches can preserve important environmental services.

Oregon: The fellow from the University of Washington and nominated by Washington Sea Grant, was matched with the Oregon Coastal Management Program to create updated geographic response plans for the Oregon coast that incorporate new natural resource data and a new understanding of spill response techniques, and that are easier to update in future years through formalization of an automated approach to development.