Coastal Plain Tools and Resources

Coastal Plain Tools and Resources

We've compiled the best of the best tools and resources for coastal plain watershed managers all in one place. This includes: 1) supporting resources for the articles contained in the Watershed Protection Techniques special issue on coastal plain watersheds, 2) general coastal watershed resources, 3) technical reports and studies with a coastal focus, 4) coastal training materials that have been archived online, and 5) resources related to coastal hazards and vulnerability. If you would like to include an additional resource, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

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Supporting Resources for the Watershed Protection Techniques Issue on Coastal Plain Watershed Management

Coastal Watershed Resources

Coastal Reports and Studies

Coastal Training Materials

Coastal Hazards and Vulnerability

Supporting Resources for the Watershed Protection Techniques Issue on Coastal Plain Watershed Management

Characteristics of the Atlantic Coastal Plain describes the unique features of coastal plain watersheds

The U.S. Atlantic coastal plain province, as defined by Fenneman and Johnson (1946), borders the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico from Cape Cod down to the Mexican border and includes portions of 21 states. A more detailed description of the characteristics of the Atlantic Coastal Plain and its sections is provided in the Middle Tennessee State University's Geomorphic Regions of the United States online textbook.

The Effects of Watershed Land Use on Coastal Plain Water Resources summarizes findings from a literature review of impacts research conducted in the coastal plain

We reviewed forty-six research studies that evaluate the influence of land use change on the quality of aquatic resources in the coastal plain. We then compiled the results into a database with fields summarizing the basic elements of the study and key findings. These studies provide the basis for the subsequent articles describing practical management tools for the coast. Click here to view the study database.
A reference list for the forty six research studies is available here.

Practicing Watershed Protection in the Coastal Plain provides a snapshot of how the coastal plain is currently being managed

Watershed Planning Needs Survey of Coastal Plain Communities (registration required for free download) (Law, 2008). Summarizes the methods, results and analyses of a web-based survey developed and implemented by the Center to assess the needs and current practices of watershed planning in coastal plain communities. The information generated from the survey, designed around the eight tools of watershed protection, was used to identify the watershed techniques that are most commonly applied, the major gaps in watershed management, and examples of innovative programs and practices in the Coastal Plain.

Reversing the Trend of Coastal Sprawl: Smarter Land Use Planning for Coastal Watersheds deals with the application of land use planning in the coastal plain

Beach, D. 2002. Coastal Sprawl. The Effects of Urban Design on Aquatic Ecosystems in the United States. Pew Oceans Commission. PEW Oceans Commission. Arlington, VA.
Jacob, J. and Lopez, R. 2009. Is Denser Greener? An Evaluation of Higher Density Development as an Urban Stormwater Quality Best Management Practice. Journal of American Water Resource Association 45(6): 1533-1535.
Changing Land Use Patterns in the Coastal Zone. Managing Environmental Quality in Rapidly Developing Regions., G.S. Kleppel, M. R. DeVoe, and M. V. Rawson (Eds.). Springer Series on Environmental Management, Springer Science and Business Media, New York, NY.
Nisenson, L. 2005. Using Smart Growth Techniques as Stormwater Best Management Practices. EPA 231-B-05-002. United States Environmental Protection Agency, Washington, DC.

Conserving Critical Lands in Coastal Plain Watersheds deals with the application of land conservation in the coastal plain
Coastal Natural Resources Data and Studies

The NOAA Coastal Services Center Digital Coast website provides coastal land cover data, aerial photos, LIDAR and natural resources data, plus spatial tools and links to regional data resources for the coast
The US Fish and Wildlife Service wetlands publications repository includes some watershed and state level studies that may provide more detailed data on wetlands than the NWI
Florida Natural Areas Inventory provides data on conservation and biodiversity in Florida
NatureServe’s natural resources database
The National Biological Information Infrastructure site provides links to various biological data such as: LiDaR, coastal change maps, wetlands mapping, natural resource data, and State GAP Analysis

Tools for Natural Resources Inventories, Prioritization, and Site Level Planning

The Watershed Forest Management Information System is a spatial decision support system developed to evaluate and plan (1) forest conservation and nonpoint source pollution mitigation (2) forest road maintenance, and (3) silvicultural operations. It assists land managers with objectively evaluating the influence of these plans and activities (both positive and negative) on the landscape in order to maintain or enhance water supply and quality
The Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ Green Infrastructure Assessment is working to identify and prioritize the State’s green infrastructure: those undeveloped lands most critical to long-term ecological health. Reports that describe the methodology and resulting maps are available here
The Southeastern Ecological Framework Project is a GIS-based analysis to identify ecologically significant areas and connectivity in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Kentucky. The project report and data are available here
Habitat Priority Planner is a geographic information system (GIS)-based tool that uses land use and natural resource information to prioritize habitat conservation and restoration areas
The Landscape Fragmentation Tool maps the types of fragmentation present in a specified land cover type, which can assist with prioritizing habitat areas for conservation (e.g., larger forest patches are more likely to support greater numbers of interior forest species). While the LFT was designed to analyze fragmentation in forest, it can be used to map fragmentation in any land cover of interest
The Resource Lands Assessment is a GIS-based analytical approach for assessing the value of forests, farms and wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. It includes six models: Ecological Network, Water Quality Protection, Forest Economics, Prime Farmland, Cultural Assessment and Vulnerability. The original data sets can be reclassified and applied at different geographic scales depending on management needs, and are available here
The Forest Areas of Local Importance Study evaluated changes in tree canopy in Northeastern Georgia, identified and prioritized remaining critical forest area, and projected future impacts based on County land use
The Forests, Water and People Analysis uses maps produced in a geographic information system (GIS) to highlight the connection between forests and the protection of surface drinking water quality. The analysis developed maps for 540 watersheds in the Northeast and Midwest which can be used as one input in a natural resources prioritization. A report and GIS data available here
The Trust for Public Land provides Greenprinting services to communities around the country, working with individual land trusts, cities, counties, regional governments, or watershed groups to create GIS conservation opportunity maps with searchable project selection criteria to help advocates and conservationists identify the land most in need of conservation according to their natural resource protection and recreation goals. These tools are customized for every community and available here
The Community Resource Inventory enables you to develop a map of natural and cultural resources in your community using available statewide information. The resulting CRI can be used for community-level planning and can help you make decisions on the range of challenges from open space preservation to economic development.
The University of Georgia's MAREX CoastScapes Conservation Landscaping Program launched CoastScapes to provide earth friendly native plant landscaping. CoastScapes are environmentally sound native plant conservation landscapes that benefit the people, the local environment, and coastal Georgia. This online resource provides native plant, invasive plants, and water quality and conservation resources that include the USDA Plant Database and Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center search engines.

Economic Data to Support Coastal Resource Conservation

American Forests has conducted Urban Ecosystem Analyses for 30+ metro regions across the country. These GIS-based analyses measure tree canopy and calculate the value of the stormwater management and air quality benefits they provide. The report are available for a handful of coastal plain communities and available here
The American Farmland Trust’s Cost of Community Services studies are a case study approach used to determine the fiscal contribution of existing local land uses. Their particular niche is to evaluate working and open lands on equal ground with residential, commercial and industrial land uses. This document provides costs of community services from each study (some are in the coastal plain), as revenue to expenditure ratios for working lands (includes open space), residential and commercial lands
EPA’s Ecosystem Services Research Program is identifying and characterizing the services that ecosystems provide and identifying the value that these services represent to human health and well-being. The research will result in new tools and information to help decision makers evaluate the full costs and benefits of decisions which impact these ecosystems. Three areas of this work are relevant to coastal systems: 1) Research in the coastal counties of North and South Carolina; 2) Research in the Tampa Bay Estuary Watershed; and 3) Research on the value of wetland ecosystem services
The US Forest Service’s i-tree software is used to estimate urban tree canopy and place a value on the services it provides. Links to reports from i-tree analyses are provided here
Additional Forest Service publications on urban forest assessment and values are provided here

Finding a Land Trust

The Land Trust Alliance, an organization focused on strengthening land conservation efforts across America, includes a number of resources for communities, organizations, and individuals on their website. Additionally, the Trust for Public Land, which helps communities and government agencies identify land for protection and identify funds that might be used to protect that land, offers information on their website www.tpl.org

Funding Land Conservation

A list of funding resources for coastal land conservation is available here
Resources on using ecotourism to fund conservation, from The Nature Conservancy are here
List of funding programs by state from the Private Landowner Network are here
The Trust for Public Land’s Center for Conservation Finance

Designing Aquatic Buffers for the Coastal Plain deals with the application of aquatic buffers in the coastal plain

Bason, C. 2008. Recommendations for an Inland Bays Watershed Water Quality Buffer System. The Delaware Center for the Inland Bays.
Desbonnet, A., et al. 1994. Vegetated buffers in the coastal zone: A summary review and bibliography. Coastal Resources Center, Rhode Island Sea Grant, University of Rhode Island.
Wenger, S. 1999. A Review of the Scientific Literature on Riparian Buffer Width, Extent and Vegetation. Office of Public Service and Outreach, Institute of Ecology, University of Georgia. Athens, GA
Franzen, E., S. Wenger, L. Fowler, T. Myers and S. Glaze. 2006. Protecting Riparian Buffers in Coastal Georgia: Management Options. University of Georgia. River Basin Center. Athens, GA.
Rowe, K., J. Spangler and E. Franzen. 2007. Model Coastal Riparian Buffer Ordinance for Georgia’s Local Governments. University of Georgia. River Basin Center. Athens, GA.
The Ditch Project studies the science and management of nutrient losses from ditch-drained agroecosystems to work with governments and farmers address management practices

Managing Construction Site Runoff deals with the applciation of erosion and sediment control in the coastal plain

Developing Your Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan: A Guide for Construction Sites

Delaware Erosion and Sediment Control Handbook

Florida Stormwater, Erosion, and Sedimentation Control Inspector Certification

Regional Soil Loss Equation

Stormwater Phase II: Developing an Effective Municipal Stormwater Management Program For Construction Sites (Construction 101) Webcast

Virginia Erosion and Sediment Control Certification Program

Schueler, T. 2000 (a). “Muddy Water In, Muddy Water Out?” The Practice of Watershed Protection. eds. T. Schueler and H. Holland. Center for Watershed Protection. Ellicott City, MD. pp 305-314.

USEPA’s Construction Site Management Measure – III. Construction Activities

USEPA’s National Menu of Stormwater Best Management Practices

USEPA’s Stormwater Management for Construction Activities: Developing Pollution Prevention Plans and Best Management Practices

Adapting Stormwater Management Practices for Coastal Environments deals with the application of stormwater management in the coastal plain

Coastal Stormwater Supplement to the Georgia Stormwater Management provides updated guidance for better stormwater management in coastal Georgia
Stormwater Guidance for Coastal Plain of the Bay Watershed: Technical Bulletin No. 2." Stormwater Guidance fo the Coastal Plain of the Bay Watershed is a detailed report by the Chesapeake Stormwater Network outlining design criteria and guidance for stormwater practices for coastal areas
Runoff Reduction Method Technical Memo (Center for Watershed Protection and Chesapeake Stormwater Network, 2008). This memo uses extensive background research on BMP performance to determine the ability for the BMP to reduce the overall volume of runoff in addition to pollutant removal. The method also incorporates built-in incentives for environmental site design, such as preserving forests and reducing soil disturbance and impervious cove
Virginia Stormwater BMP Clearinghouse: Standards and Specifications has design criteria for LID stormwater practices, proprietery devices, traditional practices, and better site design guidance
US EPA’s Economic Benefits of Runoff Controls this report is to show that certain urban runoff management controls can be incorporated into a development in a way that provides aesthetic and economic benefits

Keeping Waste In Its Place: Preventing and Controlling Non-Stormwater Discharges deals with the management of non-stormwater discharges in the coastal plain

NOAA's Clean Marina Program
EPA's illicit discharge detection and elimination program webpage
NSF International provides a list of wastewater treatment technologies meeting the NSF/ANSI standard 245 for nutrient reduction
EPA fact sheets on wastewater treatment options

Watershed Stewardship in Coastal Communities deals with the application of watershed stewardship in the coastal plain

US EPA. 2003. Getting in Step: A guide for conducting watershed outreach campaigns. US EPA, Office of Water, Washington, D.C. Available at: http://www.epa.gov/owow/nps/toolbox/print/getnstepguide.pdf
Groner, Stephen. 2003. Using Technical Data and Marketing Research to Change Behavior. Proceedings from National Conference on Urban Stormwater: Enhancing Programs at the Local Level, February 17-20, 2003. U.S. EPA Office of Water, Washington DC. http://www.epa.gov/nps/natlstormwater03/15Groner.pdf
McKenzie-Mohr, Doug, and Smith, William. 1999. Fostering sustainable behavior: an introduction to community-based social marketing. New Society Publishers, Gabriola Island, B.C. http://www.cbsm.com/public/images/FosteringSustainableBehavior.pdf
USEPA Nonpoint Source Outreach Digital Toolbox contains many resources to help develop stormwater runoff education for the public
Community Based Social Marketing Website has searchable articles, case studies, and strategies as well as the Fostering Sustainable Behavior book contents
Tools of Change: Proven Methods for Promoting Health, Safety and Environmental Citizenship has case studies, planning guides, and specific tools to help take action

Coastal Watershed Resources

A Prescription for the Future by The Interagency Working Group on Harmful Algal Blooms, Hypoxia, and Human Health is a comprehensive report that discusses the coastal waterways, pressures and pollutants to these waterways, and the links to human health.
An Ocean Blueprint for the 21st Century: Final report of the US Commission on Ocean Policy (2004) The document provides recommendations on a new national ocean policy.
Cooperative Institute for Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology’s (CICEET’s) Transforms scientific data into practical management tools for coastal managers that are contained in the coastal toolkit.
Coastal States Organization (CSO) Provides a collaborative voice for coastal states on policy issues related to coastal management.
National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) Coral Reef Conservation Fund Provides competitive funding for the prevention of coral reef degradation and reef habitat restoration.

Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO) Program

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

Coastal Climate Adaptation Provides additional examples of coastal risk and vulnerability assessments.
Coastal Inundation Toolkit Provides an overview of causes of inundation and tools and resources for identifying and mapping hazards and vulnerabilities
Coastal Services Center (CSC) The Coastal Services Center works with private and public sector partners to address coastal issues
Coral Reef Conservation Program Working to manage and understand coral reef ecosystems through a partnership between the National Ocean Service, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research, and the National Environmental Satellite, Data and Information Service.
Digital Coast Provides data, tools, training and information to coastal resource management professionals.
National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science (NCCOS) Provides research, monitoring, assessments, and technical assistance to meet NOAA’s coastal stewardship and management responsibilities.” There are five NCCOS centers, each with research labs:

National Data Buoy Center Provides information on wind, wave, and other weather related data from buoys located around the world.
National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS) Consists of a network of protected ecological regions that are managed for long term research, water quality monitoring, education and coastal stewardship.
National Marine Fisheries Service Provides science-based conservation and management to manage healthy marine resources and ecosystems.
National Ocean Service (NOS) “To provide science-based solutions through collaborative partnerships to address evolving economic, environmental, and social pressures on our oceans and coasts”
National Ocean Service Special Projects State of the Coast, Spatial Trends in Coastal Socioeconomics (STICS), NOAA Incident Coordination Center GIS, and Coastal Population Report
Hazard Assessment Tools Help users quickly identify potential hazards for a location
Ocean and Human Health Initiative (OHHI) Investigates the relationship between human health, coastal condition and environmental stressors to improve human and ocean health.
Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) Provides leadership and guidance to state and territory coastal programs and estuarine research reserves.
OCRM Smart Growth Provides guidance for application of smart growth principles in coastal and waterfront development. Includes overview of unique coastal development challenges and opportunities along with tools and resources to use.
Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Tool Provides a process for conducting hazard identification, social and environmental vulnerability, and mitigation opportunity analyses as well as a storm surge visualization tool
Sea Grant Sea Grant is a nationwide network administered through NOAA of 32 university based programs that work with coastal communities.

US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA)

Climate Ready Estuaries Coastal Toolkit Compiles a variety of resources for learning about climate change impacts and adaptation including examples of vulnerability assessments for coastal areas and data for modeling and mapping climate change scenarios
Coastal Watershed Factsheets
National Estuary Program
Oceans and Coastal Protection Division (OCPD)
Reducing Stormwater Costs through Low Impact Development (LID) Strategies and Practices
Wetlands, Oceans, and Watersheds (OWOW)

Coastal Reports and Studies

National

American Forests Urban Ecosystem Analyses American Forests is assessing urban forests across the country using “Citygreen.”
National Estuarine Eutrophication Assessment “Effects of nutrient enrichment in the nation's estuaries: A decade of change”
National Research Council (NRC). 1997. Striking a Balance: Improving Stewardship of Marine Areas. National Academy Press. Washington, D.C.
National Research Council (NRC). 2000. Clean Coastal Waters: Understanding and Reducing the Effects of Nutrient Pollution. National Academy Press, Washington, DC.
NatureServe’s Natural Resources Database hosts a portal for accessing species and ecosystems publicly available biodiversity data in the Western Hemisphere
The Economic Value of Coasts and Estuaries by Restore America’s Estuaries internationally renowned experts summarized the state of our coastal economic value knowledge
The National Biological Information Infrastructure “Provides links to various biological data such as: LiDAR, coastal change maps, wetlands mapping, natural resource data, and State GAP Analysis”
USEPA’s Ecosystem Services Research Program is working in these three coastal systems: Research in the coastal counties of North and South Carolina : Research in the Tampa Bay Estuary Watershed; and Research on the value of wetland ecosystem services identifies the human health ecosystem services and their value
USEPA’s National Coastal Condition Report II (2005) “This report is the second in a series and describes the ecological and environmental conditions in U.S. coastal waters.”
USEPA’s National Estuary Program Coastal Condition Report – NEP CCR Presents the condition of 28 estuaries covered by National Estuary Program based upon monitoring data
US Fish and Wildlife Service Wetlands publications repository includes some watershed and state level studies that may provide more detailed data on wetlands than the National Wetlands Inventory (NWI)

Regional and Local

Adapting to Shoreline Change: A Foundation for Improved Management and Planning in South Carolina (2010). Final report of the shoreline change advisory committee. Advisory panel driven effort to identify research needs, and formulate policy options for South Carolina’s estuarine and beachfront shorelines
Coastal Waccamaw Stormwater Education Consortium: Providing Public Education, Outreach and Involvement to Coastal Communities engaged members from local municipalities participate to help meet federal stormwater requirements for public stormwater education and outreach and illicit discharge detection.
Ferry Mon = Ferry-based Monitoring of Surface Water Quality in NC local researchers team with Ferry system to monitor the water
Florida Natural Areas Inventory provides data on conservation and biodiversity in Florida
Resource Lands Assessment GIS-based analytical approach for assessing the value of forests, farms and wetlands in the Chesapeake Bay watershed
The Forest Areas of Local Importance Evaluated changes in tree canopy in Northeastern Georgia, identified and prioritized remaining critical forest area, and projected future impacts based on County land use. Measures tree canopy and calculates the value of the stormwater management and air quality benefits they provide for select coastal plain communities
Tidal Creeks Project: Understanding our Waterways land development affects on tidal creeks and share project results with local managers and regulators
SC Estuarine and Coastal Assessment Program (SCECAP) monitors the condition of the state’s estuarine habitats and provides periodic reports to coastal managers and the public.

Coastal Training Materials

Ecosystem Based Management Tools Network “Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) is an innovative management approach to address these challenges. It considers the whole ecosystem, including humans and the environment, rather than managing one issue or resource in isolation.”
Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) Tool Demonstration Webinars and Past Recordings

National Estuarine Research Reserve System Coastal Training Program Provides up-to-date scientific information and skill building opportunities to individuals who are responsible for making decisions that affect coastal resources
NEMO University (National Education for Municipal Officials University “National conference of the NEMO Network Held every 18 months (or so), the focus of the conference is on providing opportunities for NEMO program leaders, partners, funders and NEMO friends to network with one another, share successful approaches and learn about new technologies and techniques.”

Coastal Hazards and Vulnerability

Tools for Predicting and Mitigating Coastal Hazards and Climate Change Impacts

Modeling coastal hazard impacts

ASA’s Inundation Toolbox Predicts coastal inundation by applying storm surge model predictions to local topography datasets to generate maps
HAZUS-MH Estimates physical damage, economic losses, and social impacts from floods, hurricane winds and earthquakes
Land Use Portfolio Model Links financial portfolio theory with natural hazard, land use, mitigation and emergency preparedness information to estimate risk to a community from natural disasters at the regional scale and identify cost-effective risk reduction policies
SLOSH Estimates storm surge heights and winds resulting from actual and possible hurricanes. The model is run by the U.S. National Hurricane Center, and graphical output is provided.

Modeling climate change impacts

Climate Assessment Tool Works with the BASINS 4.0 watershed modeling system to modify historical weather data to create climate change scenarios for assessing the influence of climate variability and change on water quantity and quality.
Climate Wizard Provides easy-to-use, web-based visualization for historic and predicted temperature and rainfall maps worldwide
MAGICC and SCENGEN Coupled tools for investigating climate change and its uncertainties at global and regional levels. MAGICC predicts changes in greenhouse gas concentrations, temperature, and sea level resulting from anthropogenic emissions. SCENGEN uses these results to produce spatially detailed information on future changes in temperature, precipitation and mean sea level.
SLAMM Simulates the dominant processes in wetland conversion and shoreline modification during long-term sea level rise and predicts wetland distributions under accelerated sea level rise.

Assessing and mitigating climate change impact vulnerability

Coastal Resilience Web Mapping Tool Developed for Long Island, New York by a coalition led by The Nature Conservancy. This tool uses SLOSH, the Community Vulnerability Assessment Tool (part of the Risk and Vulnerability Assessment Tool), HAZUS, and additional GIS analyses to address both coastal hazard mitigation and conservation goals for the region. The tool helps local officials and coastal managers design, build, and discuss potential scenarios for sea level rise, storm surge, community vulnerability, and conservation. It then helps them identify solutions that meet both ecosystem protection and community resilience goals.
CRiSTAL Helps planners and managers understand links between livelihoods and climate in their project areas, assess a project’s impact on community-level adaptive capacity, and adjust projects to increase adaptive capacity and reduce vulnerability to climate change
SimCLIM Helps assess the impacts of and adaptations to climate variability and change including extreme events and sea-level rise. Coastal hazard and climate change modeling and vulnerability assessment tools can also be used to provide powerful decision support tools that address multiple ecosystem based management objectives.

Coastal contact:

Sadie Drescher Watershed Planner
Center for Watershed Protection
8390 Main St., 2nd Floor
Ellicott City, MD 21043
(P) 410-461-8323