The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing $500,000 in federal funding to the washington state department of ecology through the FY2023 bipartisan infrastructure law…

The national oceanic and atmospheric administration (NOAA) is providing $500,000 in federal funding to the washington state department of ecology through the FY2023 bipartisan infrastructure law coastal zone management habitat restoration and conservation competition. This funding will increase climate resilience of coastal communities within coastal counties through habitat restoration planning, engineering and design projects, habitat restoration implementation projects, and land conservation projects. Specifically, the washington state department of ecology will use these funds to advance a holistic vision for community climate adaptation and habitat restoration in padilla BAY, washington. IT will advance the currently funded samish restoration project in planning a design solution that delivers tidal marsh, tidal slough, and connectivity benefits while also improving road and dike infrastructure resilience through developing a numerical model for restoration design. A secondary goal builds on community discussion catalyzed by the current project to convene a broader resilience working group to address the sea level rise vulnerabilities of roads, dikes, agriculture, drainage, rural communities, and habitat along the eastern shore of padilla BAY, the samish river delta, and the southern and western shores of samish BAY.