A Coastal Georgia protection plan, directed by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and Marine Extension Service/ Georgia Sea Grant this fall received a Superior Outreach Programming Award (SOPA), the highest honor bestowed by the National Sea Grant.
The Tybee Island Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan was developed in partnership with the College of Environment and Design and the Lamar Dodd School of Art.
The SOPA award recognizes superior leadership, teamwork and accomplishment by Sea Grant extension personnel engaged in an exceptional outreach program.
“Throughout the development of the Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plan, stakeholders have been engaged through town hall meetings, Web postings and presentations at city council meetings, and the response has been both enthusiastic and encouraging,” Tybee Island Mayor Jason Buelterman said in his letter of recommendation for the award. “As residents of a barrier island on the front lines of sea level rise, we have all become more attuned to the reality of what is happening and the need to act quickly to protect our community for future generations.”
To be completed in early 2015, the plan will outline adaptation actions for the City of Tybee Island over a 50-year planning horizon. Tybee‘s proximity to the ocean makes the island susceptible to storm surges and tidal effects. As sea levels continue to rise, more attention is being given to how those increases will affect communities, infrastructure and homes within the coastal area. The plan aims to support the city in mitigating the problems sea level rise will likely cause in the coming decades.
The Tybee Island project was funded by the National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration Sea Grant Program’s Coastal Communities Climate Adaptation Initiative grant.
Although the project is ongoing, the work with Tybee Island is already serving as a model for other coastal communities throughout the South, including St. Marys, Ga.; Hyde County, N.C.; Monroe County, Fla.; and, the City of Islamorada, Fla.
More than 3,000 people, including 70 graduate students, have been reached through this project, which is will be presented to the Tybee Island City Council fort approval upon its completion next year.
Community partners and advisers on the Tybee Island project have included Catalyst Adaptation Partners, LLC; Tybee Island elected officials and department heads; Chatham County-Savannah Metropolitan Planning Commission; and, Georgia Department of Natural Resources Coastal Resources Division.
In 2013, Tybee Island and Chatham County won the Four for the Future award from Georgia Trend Magazine and UGA Public Service and Outreach for their sea level rise planning efforts.
