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Mass ECAN February News
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So much has already happened this year. We hope this month's Mass ECAN newsletter can help you keep up-to-date on the climate adaptation world and all the great efforts of your peers across the state.
See below for news specifically curated for our community of practice:
Please share this newsletter with a colleague and invite them to join us! If you are just joining us, welcome! You can always catch up on past newsletters here.
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Best,
Melissa Ocana
Climate Adaptation Coordinator, UMass Amherst
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Mass ECAN Member Spotlight
Every month, we highlight someone in our community of practice so you can learn about a variety of adaptation work and "meet" a new colleague!
CJ Lammers
Assistant to the Executive Director
The Conway School, Northampton, MA
Bio: CJ works for the Conway School of Landscape Design developing projects to be completed by their graduate students. She also serves as the Program Coordinator for the Conway Institute, providing online learning opportunities in ecological planning and design topics. Prior to Conway, she was the head of Environmental Planning at the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, where her passion was centered on improving existing regulations to ensure greater protection of the resources within the Chesapeake Bay watershed.
Climate change adaptation project she’s currently excited about: CJ sees a bright future for large-scale land conservation efforts through watershed planning efforts such as the two projects completed by Conway student teams in 2020 (the Urban Mill River Watershed Study and Rural Mill River Watershed Study - a watershed-based framework for building resilience). As a member of the Resilient Lands Initiative's steering committee, she's excited to participate in the implementation of the ideas generated by the team, especially around the concept of "no net loss of farms and forests."
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Mass ECAN Networking Events
Join us for our first joint networking events of the year!
It continues to be challenging to meet and mingle informally with colleagues during COVID times. We're excited to make a space to connect with and learn from peers!
Land Conservation & Climate Adaptation - February 25 at 4:00pm - Co-hosted by Mass ECAN and MassLand as part of the Stronger Together Networking Series. Register here.
This will be a great opportunity for peer knowledge exchange about land conservation as a climate adaptation strategy. Come share your work, successes and challenges you may be encountering.
Fish & Wildlife Climate Adaptation - March 31 at 3:30pm - Co-hosted by Mass ECAN, MassWildlife, and the NE Climate Adaptation Science Center. Register here.
Connect with fellow fish and wildlife practitioners interested in climate adaptation at this informal networking event.
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Announcements
Funding Opportunity - Accelerating Climate Resiliency Grants are being offered by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to help municipalities advance strategies that protect people, places, and communities from the impacts of climate change. Nature based solutions are a program priority. There is an informational webinar on 2/11 and proposals are due 2/26.
Funding Opportunity - The FY22 Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program is now accepting Expression of Interest (EOI) forms for Action Grants until 2/26. Submission of EOI forms is encouraged, but not required. This new process allows you to more easily receive staff feedback before the Request For Responses (RFR) is released.
Funding Opportunity - Culvert Replacement Municipal Assistance Grant Program. The Division of Ecological Restoration (DER) is seeking proposals from MA municipalities interested in replacing aging culverts with better-designed crossings that meet improved structural and environmental design standards and flood resiliency criteria. The Pre-RFR period is 1/12 - 2/18. The RFR will be released on 2/18 and the application deadline is 3/18.
Award Nominations - Environmental Business Council of New England (EBC) is accepting nominations for their annual awards. Nominees should be those who have made significant impacts in either environmental management, climate change, or energy resources and management. Submit your Nomination by 3/1.
Event - Join the Sustainable Solutions Lab and the Environmental Business Council for the next Climate Adaptation Forum: Think Globally, Act Locally: Municipalities Adapt to the Climate Crisis on 3/5 from 10:00AM - 1:00PM. Mass ECAN member, Julie Wormser, will be a speaker at the event. Register Here.
Discussion Opportunity - The American Meteorological Society Policy Program is recruiting coastal MA stakeholders and users of climate information to participate in small virtual discussions on addressing Earth system information needs relating to coastal resilience in the Gulf of Maine in February 2021. Contact Emma Tipton (etipton@ametsoc.org) for more information.
Webinar - The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is hosting Preserving the Most Resilient Lands on 2/10 at 12:00PM. This will explore how a network of resilient and connected landscapes was mapped to enhance conservation. Learn more about TNC's Resilient and Connected Network map and the recent update to include the entire continental US here.
Webinar - The Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center is hosting Breaking Down Barriers to Proactive and Consistent Risk Assessments of Invasive Plants in the Northeast U.S. on 2/24 at 12:00PM where Mass ECAN member Bethany Bradley will discuss management practices for preventing new invasive plants.
Webinar Series - While the National Adaptation Forum has been postponed until 2022, EcoAdapt is hosting several webinar series this year. The next is on Heat Stress to explore solutions being implemented around the country. Register Here.
- February 24, 2:00PM, Community-based Solutions to Heat in Urban Communities
- March 4, 2:00PM, Rural Heat Challenges and Interventions
- March 10, 2:00PM, Heat Stress on Species & Ecosystems
Job Opportunity - Wetland Scientist/Project Manager or Senior Project Manager, GZA GeoEnvironmental. Springfield, MA or Glastonbury, CT. Manage projects and teams, conduct wetland delineations and wildlife habitat assessments, and work in the field of natural hazard mitigation and climate adaptation.
Job Opportunities - Climate Programs Associate and Climate Programs Manager, Second Nature, Boston or remote. Advance Second Nature’s mission of accelerating climate action in and through higher education. Support ongoing climate services related to resilience planning, climate justice, and cross-sector climate action initiatives. Applications close 2/12.
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Spring Conferences
We'll keep you updated on upcoming Spring Conferences as registration opens and sessions are announced. In particular, check out presentations by your Mass ECAN peers!
March 3 & 4 - The Ecological Landscape Alliance Virtual Conference & Eco-Marketplace Conference. View Conference Agenda. Register Here.
- Landscapes in Transition: Focus on Climate - Engaging landowners in sustainable stewardship,
- Lisa Hayden - New England Forestry Foundation
March 4, 11, 18, & 25 - Massachusetts Open Space Conference will offer free opportunities to network and engage in peer-to-peer learning. View their Schedule and Register Here.
- Protecting and Building Resilience in Local Green Spaces
- Jennifer Hughes, Merrimack Valley Planning Commission
- Robert O’Connor, EOEEA
- Vandana Rao, EOEEA
March 19 & 20 - Massachusetts & Rhode Island Land Conservation Conference. Hosted by MassLand and the RI Land Trust Council. View their Schedule, detailed Session Descriptions and Register Here.
- Adapting to Sea Level Rise: Climate Adaptation and Land Preservation for Salt Marsh Ecosystems
- Danielle Perry, Mass Audubon
- Funding for Climate Resilience
- Bob O'Connor, EOEEA
- Mitch Hartley, US Fish & Wildlife Service
- Kara Runsten, EOEEA
- Building Climate Action Ambassadors Through Community Based Land Trusts
- Alexandra Vecchio, Mass Audubon/Town of Brookline
April 6-17 - Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) Annual Environmental Conference Week.
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In case you've been wondering what to read next....
Recommendations and resources for climate adaptation practice:
- MVP Nature-Based Solutions Toolkit: Employing nature based solutions (NBS) for climate resilience is a core principle of the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program. This toolkit provides background on NBS for climate adaptation and features several examples of how communities can incorporate them into MVP grant proposals. This toolkit was spearheaded by Hillary King, MVP Central Regional Coordinator and co-lead of our Mass ECAN Mainstreaming NBS Expert Work Group.
- Transforming Conservation in a Changing Climate: Molly Cross at the Wildlife Conservation Society reflects on 10 years of grantmaking through the Climate Adaptation Fund. Their team assessed how the conservation field has adjusted to the realities of climate change, including creation of a new scale for characterizing adaptation actions across Resistance-Resilience-Transformation (RRT). Their research shows evidence of a paradigm shift towards transformation as practitioners and funders move in that direction. Learn more here.
- Advancing the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy into a New Decade: The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies has released this new report including thirteen management recommendations reflecting how to practice adaptation for fish and wildlife management into the future. They also present an update of the latest science and practice and demonstrate implementation progress since the original 2012 Strategy. View the report overview here.
You may also be interested in:
- Black History Month - Hopefully you can take some time this month to celebrate national Black climate change leaders as well as your local Massachusetts adaptation colleagues!
- There has been a flurry of activity with the transition to the new federal administration. Learn more about climate change Executive actions 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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