Welcome to the Alaska Coastal Management Program (ACMP) A Primer for Managing Your District Coastal Management Program

Where Do You Begin???

“Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop.”  Start at the Beginning: Review Guidebook 1: Introduction to the Alaska Coastal Management Program (in need of updating, but still a good overview of the ACMP)  Review this year’s Required Tasks Grant Agreement from the Division of Community Advocacy (DCA), Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development.  Mark your calendar for important due dates identified in Attachment A of your ACMP grant agreements.

Some Important Questions To Be Answered …

What Kind of Coastal Resource District Do You Serve?

Coastal Resource Districts (Districts) provide local participation in the ACMP. A number of different types of political jurisdictions can become coastal districts. Is your district a municipal district or a CRSA?  Municipal Districts are political jurisdictions including:  municipalities  boroughs  first class cities, or  second class city with planning authority.  Coastal Resource Service Areas (CRSAs): service areas in the unorganized borough organized exclusively to participate in the ACMP.

What are You Expected to Do?

The Minimum Required Tasks of a Coastal District Coordinator include: (outlined in Attachment A of your Required Tasks Grant Agreement)  Administer grants  Participate in the state coordinated consistency review process  Monitor Compliance  Do public education and outreach  Review state and federal coastal management documents

Municipal Coastal Coordinators  Coordinate local consistency review  Enforce local permits  Ensure that local authorities do not conflict

Who Can Help?

 Your Peers: other District Coastal Coordinators who have served in the trenches for many years.  Your ACMP Team: Each Coastal Coordinator is assigned to a person working at:  The Department of Natural Resources, Office of Project Management & Permitting (OPMP) A Coastal Resource Specialist and  The Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development, Division of Community Advocacy (DCA) A Coastal/Community Planner

Your OPMP Coastal Resource Specialist can:  Help you interpret your district plan policies  Assist you through the planning process when you are in the midst of revising your district plan or developing a special area plan.  Put you in touch with OPMP Project Review Coordinators who can help you with projects under state-coordinated review

Your DCA Planner can:  Help you with your grant application  Discuss special project ideas with you  Help you manage your coastal program/grant(s)  Help you meet fiscal and performance reporting requirements  Assist you in developing municipal tools under Title 29 of the Alaska Statutes to implement your district plan

$$ Money Matters $$: Funding a District Coastal Management Program

Money matters! Money provided by the ACMP to Alaska’s coastal communities matters very much.  In smaller municipalities, coastal management dollars fund part or all of a staff position.  In the unorganized borough, coastal management dollars provide for the operation of Coastal Resource Service Areas (CRSAs).  In larger municipalities, coastal management dollars stretch local resources further.

The ACMP funds district activities primarily through two different grant funding processes  CZMA Section 306 (and sometimes Sections 310 and 6217) provides funds to districts:  to implement the ACMP on a daily basis, and  to support special projects proposed by districts.  CZMA Section 309 Enhancement Grants provides funds for certain kinds of special projects,  Available coastal districts as well as to state agencies

The Annual Grant Process

The Division of Community Advocacy awards and manages the ACMP grants to coastal districts. Coastal districts participating in the annual grant process are eligible to receive two types of funding:  Special Project Grants.  Required Tasks Grants, and

Required Tasks Funding CZMA Section 306 Annual grant funds come primarily from Section 306 of the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA). These federal dollars are primarily used to support the daily activities of Alaska’s coastal districts (the Required Tasks Grant). Section 306 funds provide for  the ongoing implementation of district plans and  district travel to coastal management conferences and workshops organized by OPMP and DCA. * In some funding years, Section 306 money also supports special projects for coastal districts (discussion forthcoming).

Special Project Funding CZMA Section 309 The purpose of the Section 309 Enhancement Grants Program is to improve State coastal management programs in one or more of nine nationally recognized coastal management categories. Districts may apply for Section 309 Special Project funding for projects that:  Enhance or contribute to meeting the needs and objectives identified in the state’s Enhancement Grants Program Strategy,  Improve coastal management in the state, and  Result in program change(s)  Usually awarded on a competitive basis  In FY05 and FY06, Section 309 funding to districts was used exclusively to support amendments to district coastal management plans

Special Project Funding CZMA Sections 306, 310 and 6217 In some fiscal years, Special Project funding for coastal districts is available under the following CZMA sections:  CZMA Section 306: for special projects that improve long-term program implementation, including the development of specialized plans such as wetlands or watershed management plans.  CZMA Section 310: for special projects related to technical and management-oriented research that supplements the Enhancement Grants Program and addresses nonpoint source pollution, and  NARA Section 6217: for special projects involving nonpoint source pollution control issues.

Grant Reporting

Coastal districts under grant agreement with the State of Alaska must complete regular grant reports. All required reports are identified in the Scope of Work and Schedule sections of your grant agreement. In most cases, the required reports include:  quarterly progress and financial reports  annual reports, and  five-year program evaluations.

Quarterly Progress Reports The quarterly progress reports allow districts to summarize activities, keeping DCA and OPMP informed about local issues. The progress report should identify:  Work accomplished under each of the work tasks;  Number of local permits reviewed for consistency with the district program;  Number of state and federal project reviews completed, including comments provided and related concerns;  Coordination and assistance provided to other members of the network;  Program-related travel and participation in program-related meetings;  Program coordination, assistance, and outreach activities;  Problems encountered in meeting the terms of the grant agreement;  Problems with your district’s coastal management program;  Amendments needed to your district’s grant agreement.

Quarterly Financial Reports The financial portion of the reporting form is important. Municipal districts use the form to request reimbursement of funds expended during the previous quarter, while CRSAs use the form to request advance funding.

Annual Report At the end of each fiscal year, districts report on the year’s activities. The “Scope of Work” section of the ACMP Required Tasks Grant Agreement includes the questions to answer in your annual report. The DCA Planner and OPMP Coastal Resource Specialist assigned to your district are interested in your views and carefully read each annual report.

Alaska Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development Division of Community Advocacy Sally Russell Cox, Planner Phone: Fax: