Guidance Tool

The permitting process for shoreline modification projects is complex and it can be daunting to know where to begin. Check out New York Sea Grant’s NEW Guide to Permitting Shoreline Modification Projects in New York’s Tidal Waters for an overview of the process informed by federal, state, and local perspectives. It is intended for permit applicants using the New York State Joint Application for shoreline construction or modification, ranging from major to minor projects such as construction of floating docks, installing natural and nature-based features, bulkhead repair, development near a wetland, dredging, and invasive species removal.

This resource outlines six different federal mitigation funding programs. It provides an overview of available options and links to learn more information and apply.

The CTDEEP document provides information about the many ways individuals, property owners, and communities can help protect Connecticut’s tidal wetlands.  

Guidance and training modules for Connecticut Zoning changes to address climate vulnerabilities. On the website there are examples of zoning policies municipalities could modify and/or adopt to enhance local climate resilience. Where applicable, model ordinances and examples of where the policies have been adopted are included.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA’s) Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Framework, 3^rd Edition, is a guide and collection of resources for use in analyzing the impacts of climate change and extreme weather on transportation infrastructure. Its purpose is to identify key considerations, questions, and resources that can be used to design and implement a climate change vulnerability assessment. The processes, lessons learned, and resources outlined in the framework are geared toward state departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and other agencies involved in planning, building, or maintaining the transportation system. It includes suggestions and examples applicable to a wide range of applications, from small qualitative studies to large, detailed, data-intensive analyses. The resources included in the framework will be added to and updated over time.

Keep Forests Healthy: A Tool to Assess Resilience, Health & Productivity was developed by Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, and The Nature Conservancy Central and Western New York Chapter to enable landowners to assess how their forest may be affected by changing climate conditions. This tool can help landowners identify potential risks to forests and highlight forest management options that may increase the ability of a forest to cope with the pressure of changing conditions. The document identifies 16 characteristics that may increase or decrease the risk of harm to a forest in a changing climate, which can then be discussed with a professional to plan forest management activities.

The LINAP Embayment Water Exchange Study looked at how water exchange practices could affect the nitrogen impairments in embayments. A water exchange practice changes the amount, speed, or direction of water moving through an area. The results of the study show that water exchange techniques are not effective in large waterbodies like most of Long Island’s embayments. Often, the physical size of the water exchange practice is small compared to the large waterbodies to which they are applied, which means their impact is limited. Water exchange projects may be useful, however, for smaller Long Island waterbodies, where the volume of increased water exchange approaches the volume of the overall waterbody. The goal of the study was to provide communities with basic information on water exchange practices suitable for Long Island.

The Equitable Resilience Builder (ERB) is an application that supports communities in resilience planning with a focus on equity. It engages users in a guided process to inclusively assess local hazards, equity, and the resilience of built, natural, and social environment systems. Results can be used to collaboratively prioritize actions to build community resilience in an equitable way.

The Resilience Implementation and Strategic Enhancements (RISE) Local Assessment Tool helps you approach hazards and risks comprehensively; and assess and refine your laws and policies in a way that improves resilience and helps achieve desired community outcomes. The tool works by assessing two critical elements of building resilience:
the “how” – once identified, resilience-enhancing measures can be successfully integrated into existing land use laws, building codes, and planning policies; and
the “what” – gaps in policies and regulations that support resilience.

The New York State Stormwater Management Design Manual provides designers with a general overview on how to size, design, select, and locate stormwater management practices at a development site to comply with State stormwater performance standards.

The NYSDEC document is to provide guidance on the issuance of permits for living shorelines techniques in the Marine and Coastal District Waters of New York (the Marine District) and encourages the use of green or natural infrastructure.

The New York State Department of State worked with the Department of Environmental Conservation and other partners to create model local laws to help local governments be more resilient to sea-level rise, storm surge, and flooding. Cities, towns, and villages are invited to adapt model local laws to meet the resilience needs of the community with the assistance of their municipal attorneys.

This document developed in support of the NYS Community Risk and Resiliency Act 1) Describes natural resilience measures and how they can be used to mitigate the risks of flooding and erosion, 2) Provides definitions for different types of natural resilience measures and distinguishes among conserved, restored, nature-based and hard structural approaches, 3) Provides information on the value and benefits of using natural resilience measures, along with information on the co-benefits they provide, 4) Lists key factors to consider in the restoration, design and construction of natural resilience measures, and 5) Provides background to support the development of NYS agency guidance on natural resilience measures in the future

This fact sheet is intended to assist landowners in understanding the various shoreline management options and considerations for their shoreline.

The purpose of this fact sheet is to assist landowners in identifying and understanding the primary causes and processes responsible for erosion.

This guidance document is intended for stakeholders pursuing FEMA HMA grants for nature-based solutions to mitigate risks associated with flooding (riverine and coastal) and wildfire.

This toolkit describes “how” local government leads and partners can design more fundable projects by pulling specific policy levers, seeking key partnerships, using innovative accounting practices, inverting power structures, and rethinking and redesigning internal processes. It will help local government leads and partners operate within current finance and policy systems to better prepare themselves and their communities for climate resilience funding and finance.

The Coastal Science Navigator is intended to help users discover USGS Coastal Change Hazards information, products, and tools relevant to their scientific or decision-making needs.

10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Personal Nitrogen Pollution

CT state resource on living shorelines, with a few good fact sheets and pages about types of living shoreline techniques and permitting for our state. There is also a list of pilot projects in CT.

This website provides an overview of each chapter of Connecticut’s new Stormwater Quality Manual, which includes guidance on how to design, install, and maintain these types of practices.

Providex guidance and tools to help Connecticut municipalities and institutions comply with the MS4 general permit.

The New York State Department of State (NYS DOS) developed the Statewide Shoreline Monitoring Framework to provide clear and consistent information to those planning projects to improve their shoreline resiliency.

Inclusive community engagement is essential for successful environmental decision-making. The New York State Climate Smart Communities Program seeks to guide local governments in their community engagement efforts, particularly for inclusion of Disadvantaged Communities (DAC). Only through the leadership of those most affected by the climate crisis and environmental pollution can environmental and climate justice be achieved.

Healthy ecosystems provide a wide range of benefits, from recreational opportunities to storm surge protection. These benefits are often referred to as ecosystem services. Understanding how changes to the ecosystem may affect these benefits should play a role in the community’s decision making process. This page provides a guide to learning more and key NOAA Digital Coast resources useful for this task.

This website and the associated tools can be used by planners and engineers to help understand how rising sea levels, more intense storms, and heavy rainfalls affect stormwater systems, and to generate reports that can be used to inform planning.

New York Sea Grant (NYSG) created a new “Protecting Coastal Bluffs of Long Island” Sign (pdf) that is available for municipalities, community groups, homeowner associations and property owners to print and install next to your bluff. NYSG has created a post card version of “Protecting Coastal Bluffs of Long Island” (pdf) available for distribution.

This booklet from the EPA and CDC summarizes why extreme heat is on the rise, how it might affect people, and outlines steps to prepare for extreme heat events to reduce health risks.

This document offers foundational learning opportunities for the emergency management community and beyond. By sharing communication techniques, climate information, data resources, and guidance for connecting with experts, this resource helps advance the integration of climate change considerations into actionable efforts before, during, and after disasters.

Guide that lists various beach-related actions/activities, permitting pathways, and other considerations

Provides information about coastal hazard management in Connecticut including steps for developing plans and responses.

A centralized source of information for municipal officials, coastal property owners, state coastal managers, and the general public on coastal hazards in Connecticut.

This Guide provides planning tools, regulatory information, and best management practices to jumpstart shellfish restoration-based project planning.

Resource guide for CT shellfish and aquaculture. It provides information and tools about all things shellfish and aquaculture in Connecticut with sections for businesses, consumers, recreational shellfishing, and shellfish restoration.

Includes information about preparing for, and implementing green infrastructure with helpful links to other fact sheets and resources.

An overview of the processes that cause bluff erosion and how to mitigate erosion.

The primary goal of this guide is to help communities identify and engage the staff and resources that can be used to implement nature-based solutions to build resilience to natural hazards, which may be exacerbated by climate change.

This guide gives community leaders five main strategies to carry out Nature-Based Solution projects: 1) Building Strong Partnerships, 2) Engaging the Whole Community, 3) Matching Project Size With Desired Goals and Benefits, 4) Maximizing Benefits, and 5) Designing for the Future. This is not a technical guide for planning, constructing or funding NBS. It covers the value of each strategy and suggests how to move forward with NBS projects.

This toolkit features legal and policy tools, best and emerging practices, and case studies to support learning and decision making around managed retreat and climate adaptation. It is meant to be used by state, territorial, and local policymakers in U.S. coastal jurisdictions

Guidance for coastal property owners, buyers, contractors, or real estate professionals to understand if a shoreline structure, construction, or repair requires a permit.

lists native trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses, sedges, reeds and herbaceous plants suitable for planting along the banks of a river, stream or other body of water.

Aimed at municipalities, this website provides workshop materials and legal issue fact sheets on topics relating to climate adaptation, including living shorelines, flooding, liability, shoreline boundaries, and more.

Helps shoreline homeowners choose appropriate landscaping options including plant species.

Website (also available as a PDF) to help coastal property owners evaluate threats to beaches and dunes and consider potential solutions. It includes background information on dune systems, and how to identify shoreline erosion.

List of native plants that will grow well in Connecticut’s coastal zone. Includes wildlife and pollinator benefits.

A guide listing the trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges, reeds and herbaceous plants best for the banks of rivers, streams or other bodies of water (a companion to: A Planting Guide for Riparian Sites Along the Connecticut Coast)

Provides resources that help Connecticut’s municipal leaders fill gaps in local
extreme heat planning including
1. Communication templates
2. Cooling center best practices
3. A diverse collection of policy and planning actions
4. Advice on creating a heat response plan
Also provides Connecticut-specific information on how extreme heat impacts the
health of residents, especially vulnerable people, and extreme heat safety tips.

A policy guide to help formulate position statements, legislative recommendations, and other policy-based actions, and to recommend program funding at the federal and state government levels.

This policy guide identifies specific ways in which the drafting, public engagement, application, mapping, and enforcement of zoning regulations can be changed to dismantle the barriers that perpetuate the separation of historically disadvantaged and vulnerable communities.

A policy guide to that outlines the hazard mitigation planning process, including consideration of how to enhance awareness of risks and efforts to improve community preparedness, health, resilience, and sustainability in the face of both natural and human-caused hazards. The guide also discusses adaptation, response, and recovery—including decisions about whether and how to rebuild following a disaster.

This guide is designed to assist decision makers and coastal professionals with applying and integrating the information in the 2022 Sea Level Rise Technical Report, produced by the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazard Scenarios and Tools Interagency Task Force, into local sea level rise planning and adaptation decisions.

Website includes guidebook, fact sheets and open funding opportunities available under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The goal is to help partners across the country know what to apply for, who to contact for help, and how to get ready to rebuild.