Increase Resiliency of Beach Habitats, Hurricane Sandy Disaster Relief

This is an announcement for issuing a single source financial assistance award to Rutgers University. This announcement is for notification purposes only. The intent of the award is develop a protocol to rapidly identify and prioritize for protection newly created beach-nesting bird (BNB) breeding habitat along the U.S. Atlantic Coast in the wake of severe coastal storms. The intent is to use long-term nest monitoring data from New Jersey and statistically robust habitat modeling techniques to model changes to BNB habitat suitability in NJ resulting from Hurricane Sandy and assess the subsequent anthropogenic impacts of storm recovery efforts at these sites. Through this initiative, this project will provide evidence-based support for BNB managers to protect critical habitats for piping plovers (Charadrius melodus), American oystercatchers (Haematopus palliatus), least terns (Sternula antillarum), and black skimmers (Rynchops niger). The project will synthesize existing information with model results to develop a technical report with detailed guidelines for appropriate beach and dune management for these species. The technical report will include quantitative habitat restoration targets, as well as thresholds of habitat suitability and triggers for initiating management. This project is authorized by the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013, Public Law 113-2.