A Look at the US Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program

October 4, 2020

The Capitol Beach is back with another great episode!

Samantha Brooke and Chris Darnell with the US Fish and Wildlife Service Coastal Program join Derek Brockbank on the Capitol Beach. One of the lesser known programs at USFWS, the Coastal Program is voluntary - as opposed to regulatory - program that provides communities technical and financial support for local coastal projects and planning. Being the agency focused on fish and wildlife, their support is focused on habitat enhancement and helping "critters", but they support projects whose primary purpose can be flood risk reduction, recreation or something else. They also discuss the National Coastal Wetlands Conservation Grants program, a competitive grant program for coastal states, territories and tribes funded through excise taxes on fishing and boating sales. The deadline for the 2021 grant cycle is June 26, 2020.

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Derek Brockbank

Derek Brockbank is Executive Director of Coastal States Organization (CSO), which represents the nation’s Coastal States, Territories, and Commonwealths on ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes issues. With two decades of experience in Washington DC on coastal adaptation policy and organizational development, Derek is connecting state coastal management programs with federal agencies and resources in order to address the greatest coastal challenges facing society. He previously served as executive director for the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA) where he led the strategic planning and outreach, government affairs, and development goals of the nation’s leading organization advocating for beach and coastal restoration. Prior to starting with ASBPA, Derek worked as campaign director for a coalition effort to restore the Mississippi River Delta and Coastal Louisiana, and was part of a gulf-wide campaign to pass the RESTORE Act, securing billions of dollars for Gulf Coast restoration. This followed up on his work with National Wildlife Federation on climate adaption. Derek grew up in New York City and got his coastal education from an early age playing on the beaches of Long Island, and kayaking and fishing in Peconic Bay.