Coastal Training

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Coastal Training

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Training and technical assistance to improve coastal resilience

NOAA’s Coastal Training Program is a national program based at each of the 30 NERRS, in place to bring helpful scientific data and information to coastal communities through training and technical assistance. At TRNERR, its Coastal Training Program focuses on spanning boundaries to generate social ecological solutions to pressing challenges in Southern and Baja California.  It works with other Reserve programs to enable research that happens at the Reserve and beyond to be applied in management and leverages social and interdisciplinary science to do so.  To date, the Coastal Training Program has reached thousands of coastal decision-makers resulting in capacity building, increased knowledge, and measurable impact.

Whether organizing large conferences or engaging one-on-one with local, state, regional, and federal government, non-profit organizations, community based organizations, and academia, CTP is a committed partner in co-development of resources and elevating the human dimension to improve coastal decision-making.

People participate in a field experience in a wetland of importance.
Photo © Kristen Goodrich

Our Impact

In the last 5 years:

Over 60 Coastal Training workshops offered.

Over 2,500 coastal decision-makers reached.

Participants report an increase of knowledge and skills, and intent to apply new knowledge to decisions.

Training topics

Climate change will test our ability to adapt and develop new approaches to address challenges that face our coasts and requires knowledge of the latest science. Acting as a bridge between the science, policy, and management communities, CTP uses an integrated approach to connect decision-makers with the information they need and to ensure that they can address critical resource management issues of concern to local communities. CTP offers trainings through NOAA’s Digital Coast, designs and delivers workshops catered to specific needs, and offers resources such as professional certification maintenance (CM) credits as a certified CM provider.  Training topics include:

  • Stakeholder engagement / science translation
  • Coastal and natural resource management
  • Habitat restoration
  • Climate adaptation and community resilience
  • Disaster planning and response
A group of people participate in a Coastal Training session
photo © Marc Beckmann
A small group of women in conversation during a coastal Training program
photo © Marc Beckmann

Technical assistance services

CTP also offers technical assistance to support professionals in the application of the science and the process and practice of coastal management. Technical assistance services include: 

  • Collaborative and community-based research 
  • Facilitation
  • Needs assessments
  • Program evaluation 
  • Strategic planning
  • Workshop design and delivery (including virtual) 
  • Field experiences

CTP News & Features

NERRA - January 27, 2022

NERRA - August 25, 2018