ALEXANDRIA, VA – Marking the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell tomorrow will join Members of Congress, local officials and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation at National Park Service's Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve in Virginia to launch a $100 million Hurricane Sandy Coastal Resiliency Competitive Grant Program.
The program will use competitive grants to award funding for science-based solutions by States, local communities, non-profit organizations and other partners to help restore key habitats and bolster natural systems, enabling these areas to withstand the impacts and better protect local communities from future storms.
Jewell, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, U.S. Representative Jim Moran, and local officials will also celebrate $25 million in federal funding for Dyke Marsh as part of a $162 million investment by Interior in 45 restoration and research projects to restore wetlands and beaches, rebuild shorelines and research the impacts and modeling mitigation of storm surges. A list of those projects, announced last week, is available here.
The investments are consistent with President Obama's Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force Strategy Report and the Administration's commitment laid out in the Climate Action Plan to build resilience by restoring natural features along shorelines to help better protect communities from future storms. The Interior Department has already invested $480 million in Hurricane Sandy response and recovery efforts since the storm hit last October.
Following the announcement, Jewell will join local officials and students from the Alexandria Seaport Foundation to participate in a STEM-based outdoor learning activity in the marsh.
WHO:
Sally Jewell, Secretary of the Interior
Tim Kaine, U.S. Senator (VA)
Jim Moran, U.S. Representative from (VA-8)
Steve Whitesell, Regional Director, National Capital Region, National Park
Service
Alex Romero, Superintendent, George Washington Memorial Parkway
Glenda Booth, President, Friends of Dyke Marsh
Representatives from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation
Student community members from the Alexandria Seaport Foundation
WHAT:
Launch $100 Million Hurricane Sandy Competitive Grant Program and Celebrate $25 Million Investment in Dyke Marsh
STEM-Based Outdoor Learning Activity with Local Students and Volunteers
WHERE:
Dyke Marsh Wildlife Preserve
Belle Haven Marina Parking Lot
Alexandria, VA
WHEN:
Tuesday, Oct. 29, 2013
9:30 AM – Media Check-In
10:00 AM – Press Conference
10:30 AM – STEM-Based Outdoor Learning Activity (b-roll opportunities with speakers, volunteers and students)
MEDIA:
Credentialed members of the media who wish to attend this event are required to RSVP HERE no later than 5:00 PM EDT on Monday, October 28. Additional logistical information will be provided to confirmed members of the media.
Source: Department of Interior
