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Mass ECAN October News
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Happy Birthday Mass ECAN!
October marks our 3rd birthday! We look forward to another great year of working together on climate adaptation, network-building and ecosystem resilience/transformation. To celebrate, please share this newsletter with a colleague and invite them to join us!
There is an incredible amount happening this Fall. See below for news specifically curated for our community of practice:
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Best,
Melissa Ocana
Climate Adaptation Coordinator, UMass Amherst
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Save the Dates for Mass ECAN Fall Events
We will miss seeing you in person this month, when we normally hold our Annual Conference! But, we look forward to seeing you remotely at our Fall Series, starting with our:
- Nature Based Solutions Networking Event - 11/12 at 3pm
- Meet and mingle remotely with peers at this event co-hosted by our NBS Work Group & the Boston Society of Landscape Architects
- Mainstreaming Nature Based Solutions Workshop - 11/16 at 10am
- Dive in to NBS projects across the state, learn about the latest NBS resources, share successes and challenges with peers in breakouts, and discuss how to overcome barriers to implementation together
More details coming soon! Stay tuned for more events!
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Sharing your work in the context of COVID-19
The Forest Stewards Guild and Women Owning Woodlands (WOW) have started holding recurring calls on how to reimagine outreach in an era of social distancing. These informal calls create a safe learning space for WOW leaders to share insights, talk about what’s working, ask questions, and connect with other women woodland owners doing similar work on forest stewardship. These calls are supported by Mass ECAN member Leonora Pepper.
Are you incorporating COVID-19 into your climate adaptation work?
Send your story to massecan@umass.edu.Thanks for everything you do to take care of yourselves and others, respond to the pandemic, and advance climate adaptation!
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Mass ECAN Member Spotlight
Every month, we'll highlight someone in our community of practice so you can learn about the variety of adaptation work going on and "meet" a new colleague!
Kristen Grubbs
Town Planner
Town of Ipswich
Bio: Kristen joined the Town of Ipswich one year ago. Before that, she worked with the Ipswich River Watershed Association where she supported municipalities and citizens in their efforts to protect and restore the region’s water resources. Previously, Kristen has worked as the open space planner for the Town of Ipswich and as the executive director for the Seacoast Land Trust in New Hampshire. She has a graduate degree in environmental studies from Antioch University New England and an undergraduate degree from Princeton University.
Climate change adaptation project she’s currently excited about: The Ipswich River Bank Resiliency Project began in 2016 when the Town of Ipswich and the Ipswich River Watershed Association collaborated to identify vulnerable areas along a stretch of the river. The project has been considering the long-term impacts of climate change, including sea-level rise, increased precipitation, and heavier storms, in its assessments and recommended improvements, prioritizing nature-based solutions to combat erosion and provide long-term stabilization of the bank. Kristen and colleagues will be moving this multifaceted effort forward through permitting and construction-ready plans thanks to a recent MA CZM Coastal Resilience grant.
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Grant Funding Awards - The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program awarded $11.6 million in Planning and Action Grants for FY21. With these new additions, 82% of municipalities are now enrolled in the MVP Program. See the press release and grantees here.
Grant Funding Awards - The Baker-Polito administration also recently awarded $4 Million in grant funding from the Coastal Zone Management's Coastal Resilience Grant Program. Funds are for regional and local efforts to plan for and limit coastal storm and climate change impacts. See the grantees here.
Funding Opportunity - The MA Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is accepting applications for the FEMA Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) grant. Eligible applicants are local governments and state agencies. Statements of interest due Oct. 16th. Full applications due Dec. 11th. Additional information here.
Breaking News: FEMA Policy encourages more nature based solutions in mitigation projects! The policy removes barriers to allow consideration of ecosystem service benefits regardless of the Benefit-Cost Ratio (BCR) value.
Webinar - The Environmental Business Council is hosting a webinar on the above funding opportunity: What You Need to Know about FEMA's Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities Program, with Mass ECAN member Aaron Weieneth moderating. Oct. 20th, 9:00am -12:00pm. Register here.
Webinar - The EPA Soak up the Rain webinar series highlights innovative approaches to addressing stormwater in New England. See Mass ECAN members Hillary King and Trevor Smith present on "The Green Connector: Building Municipal Resiliency through Nature-based Approaches" on Oct. 14, 1:00 - 2:30pm. Register here.
Webinars - EPA Southern New England Partnership (SNEP) is hosting several opportunities. See them all here.
Course - The Northern Institute for Applied Climate Science (NIACS) Climate Change Response Network is offering an online short course designed for land trusts actively working on stewardship projects in rural, suburban, and urban forests, forested watersheds, and wetland systems. Nov. 2nd, 5th, and 19th, 2:00 - 3:00pm. Register here.
Event - MACC Fall Conference (Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions), Oct. 17-24. Register here. The full conference schedule can be found here.
Event - massFM First Annual Meeting (Mass Association for Floodplain Management), Oct. 22. Register here.
Event - ASAP (American Society of Adaptation Professionals) is hosting a Virtual Network Meeting to celebrate the accomplishments of the network and recharge to address climate challenges with new hope. Oct. 27-28. Register here.
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Looking Ahead: Fall Conferences
See presentations by fellow Mass ECAN members at this upcoming November conference!
RCP Fall Gathering (Regional Conservation Partnerships), Oct. 28, Nov. 5, Nov. 13, Nov. 19. Register here. Full schedule here.
- Adapting Our Outreach: Connecting Communities of Landowners even as We "Distance". 1:00pm - 2:30pm (10/28)
- Lisa Hayden, New England Forestry Foundation
- Helping Towns Mitigate Climate Change Impacts through Regional Planning and Collaboration. 1:00pm - 2:30pm (11/5)
- Paige Dolci, Mass Audubon
- Eric Walberg, Manomet, Inc.
- The Role of Landowners and Municipalities in Cultivating More Resilient Communities. 12:30pm (11/19)
- Dr. Elisabeth Hamin Infield, UMass Amherst
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In case you've been wondering what to read next....
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You might also be interested in...
Climate Displacement & Migration
P.s. If you or your colleagues are working on natural resources implications of climigration on receiving communities, please send a note to massecan@umass.edu! We haven't seen much on that angle to date.
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After Climate Week
One final thought: As part of Climate Week last month, a Climate Clock in New York City marked the time left to prevent the effects of climate change “from becoming irreversible.” This countdown serves as another reminder of how important the policy decisions being made in the coming months are and that they will have an outsized effect on our climate response moving forward. If you’re interested in Climate Week NYC 2020, their takeaways are here.
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Why am I getting this email?
Welcome to Mass ECAN!
You are receiving this email because you joined Mass ECAN.
Welcome to a supportive community of climate adaptation practitioners and researchers who are interested in ecosystem resilience and natural resources conservation in Massachusetts.
Mass ECAN is creating a space for us to learn from and with each other. Together, we can build capacity for climate adaptation that promotes ecosystem resilience and weaves natural resources conservation into actions across sectors. |
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