Memorandum RE: CSO-USACE/IWR Collaborative Work Ecosystems Based Budgeting  Work with Governors to achieve consensus that current incremental funding/annual appropriations process has resulted in a flawed system with unreliable funding streams.  Help states recognize that collective plans/visions for coastal systems (and watersheds) are critical to the budgeting process, by virtue of the fact that investments in the area (coastal system or watershed) must align with that vision. Alternative Funding for Coastal Infrastructure  Engage key states, through the Governor’s offices, in exploring the state compact option to leverage more private funds for coastal projects. CSO would work closely with IWR and experts engaged by USACE to craft a proposal and to ground-truth it within key states or congressional districts.  Devote legal counsel staff time to help make sure any proposal is legally sound and defensible.  Generate support and attention to both the need for coastal infrastructure funding and the need for creative financing mechanisms using CSO communications strategy, and through leadership in the Coastal Community Advocates. Federal and State Cooperation on Beach and Inlet Management .      Investigate how the Coastal Zone Management Act can be better employed as a tool to streamline beach and inlet management projects. This can be done through pilot programs developing MOUs or Programmatic General Permits with USACE Use the Regional Ocean Partnerships (ROPs) and the National Ocean Council (NOC) to advance integrated coastal management concepts. Work with USACE Coastal Flood Protection Program to support the beach and dune restoration efforts, reinforcing gubernatorial support for it as part of the natural and nature based approaches to risk reduction. Engage with Silver Jackets to increase its effectiveness in generating cooperative approaches. Assess the need, and possibly pursue a study to 1) review existing developed programs for beach monitoring at the federal, state, and local levels; 2) develop a practical, national approach for biological and physical monitoring and mapping of beach and dune systems, including long-term supplies of beach-compatible sand, oceanfront and inlet shoreline changes, and the results of beach and inlet management activities; and 3) Identify overlapping federal, state, and local monitoring/mapping requirements and programs; Strategic Public Outreach to Reduce Risk  Use its existing network of state coastal planning agencies that have direct contact (or networked contact via regional planning bodies) to communities build a strategy to educate carry forward the messages described above.  Produce factsheets and use them strategically to educate local decisionmakers, with a communications outreach strategy to ensure they are used strategically. Unifying USACE and State Approaches to Beneficial Use.    Explore ways to enhance WRDA Section 933 program in support of Regional Sediment Management (RSM) activities within the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) in partnership with coastal states. Work with USACE to examine how the federal standard is applied in various regions, and work with regional and district offices to compare them with state perceptions of the ideal interpretations, bringing the results to IWR for discussion and recommendation. Coordinate state-USACE discussions on approaches that incorporate the economic evaluation of sand lost through offshore/near shore disposal as part of USACE cost/benefit analyses for projectspecific disposal options. North Atlantic Coast Comprehensive Study  Engage our legal counsel in the technical working groups and interagency webinars in order to inform states outside of the NE regions on learning opportunities and lessons learned. Tools and Technology  Educate its members on the range of tools and technology available from the USACE to help inform their coastal resilience planning and management work;