Mass ECAN November News
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I hope you have enjoyed the amazing Fall colors and Halloween festivities! This is a season of transition and a good time to check in with ourselves. I'm feeling inspired after the National Adaptation Forum, where hundreds of our colleagues gathered to share their adaptation work. With the impending COP27, I'm also pensive about how we can better marry our adaptation and mitigation efforts. Luckily, there are many co-benefits from our actions, in particular, carbon storage and sequestration from nature-based solutions and ecosystems conservation. And we can all be storytellers that help connect the dots between protecting what we care about and reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Thanks for all that you do!
See below for news specifically curated for our community of practice:
Please forward this newsletter and invite colleagues to join us!
Best,
Melissa Ocana
Climate Adaptation Coordinator, UMass Amherst
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We had so much fun on our last Fall field trip! Thanks to everyone who came and our co-hosts at MA DER, MVP, and the Town of Pepperell! Learn more about our trips and see more photos on our website. We look forward to 2023 field trips!
If you attended this field trip, please take a minute to fill out our very short evaluation, which helps us plan future events.
Thanks again to our Mass ECAN Fall sponsors!
 
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National Adaptation Forum
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The National Adaptation
Forum is the major U.S. climate adaptation conference. Last week's event was held in Baltimore and saw hundreds of adaptation practitioners from a variety of sectors and backgrounds. Our Mass ECAN colleagues were out in force showcasing why our state is a leader in the nation with presentations and posters on nature based solutions, the state of the adaptation field, local community resilience, and many project examples. Read more about this year's conference on our website!
"This can be lonely and daunting work and it's so great to connect with others in the field and learn about new tools and approaches."
- Julie Wood, Charles River Watershed Association
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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!
Rebecca Shoer
Education & Engagement Program Manager
Stone Living Lab
Bio: Rebecca has worked with all kinds of species and citizen science projects over the years, from studying elephants in Thailand to protecting Diamondback terrapins on Cape Cod. In her current role, she is leading the development and implementation of a wide range of outreach and education activities, including hands-on programming, professional development workshops, and classroom activities. She has a deep passion for bringing science to the public - and the public to science - and fostering her curiosity in the world around us!
 Climate adaptation project: The Stone Living Lab is a partnership initiative researching coastal climate resilience strategies in and around Boston Harbor, focused on nature-based approaches and community engagement. In partnership with the National Parks of Boston, they piloted a free, five-day institute for teachers this past summer. Participants explored the principles of place-based learning and citizen science as tools for teaching about climate change, created capstone lesson plans, and received graduate credits. They are already adapting the program and preparing for the next cohort in summer 2023 -- find out more here.
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Funding Opportunity - The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is seeking applications for these FEMA grants: Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Grant Programs, Hazard Mitigation Grant Program (HMGP), and Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) and Flood Mitigation Assistance (FMA) Grant Programs. These grants provide funding for the development of hazard mitigation plans and the implementation of projects to reduce the loss of life and property due to natural hazards. Applications are due by 12/5.
Event - Regional Conservation Partnership (RCP) Network Gathering. Attend this year's virtual gathering about land justice and resilience to support advancing collaborative landscape protection in the Northeast. Register here. 11/17. Hear from fellow Mass ECAN members:
- Collaboration for Conservation and Climate: How organizations are collaborating to build Climate Justice and Resilience into their work and community
- Melanie Gárate, Stone Living Lab
- Erin Whitham, Downeast Conservation Network
Webinar - Why Climate Change Engagement Matters, Environmental Business Council. Explore how to more effectively and responsibly use storytelling in project engagement around climate change and air quality issues, especially in terms of engaging and centering the concerns of historically underrepresented communities. 11/17, 9:00am - 11:30am.
Webinar - Interactions of invasive species and other environmental change, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. Learn about a meta-analysis to assess the magnitude of biological invasion plus other environmental changes on native organisms relative to invasion or environmental change effects alone. 11/9, 4:00pm.
Job - Climate Resiliency Specialist, Woods Hole Group, Bourne. Lead climate vulnerability assessment, adaptation planning, and implementation projects for coastal communities, infrastructure, and habitats.
Job - Environmental Planner II, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Boston. Promote the protection and sustainable management of natural resources, climate resiliency and mitigation, and equity in the Metro Boston region.
Job - Environmental Educator, Ipswich River Watershed Association, Ipswich. Manage the development and implementation of primarily in-person education programs for youth and adults focused on water conservation, climate change, watershed awareness, wildlife, and more.
Job - Sustainability & Resiliency Project Manager, City of Beverly, Beverly. Support the implementation of the City’s climate action and resilience plan, Resilient Together, by addressing greenhouse gas mitigation, resilience, mobility, and waste reduction.
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In case you've been wondering what to read next...
- Adaptation Planning Quick Guides: From the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science and USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub
- COP27: Prepare for COP27 (UN Climate Change Conference) from 11/6-11/18 with this guide from The Nature Conservancy.
- Celebrate Native American Heritage Month: Let's take time this month to celebrate the accomplishments of our Native and Indigenous colleagues working on climate change. Learn more about adaptation actions reflecting indigenous perspectives here, climate change issues in our region's tribes here, and why tribes are more vulnerable to climate change from this article.
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Have Something to Add?
Sharing in the Newsletters
Do you have something related to climate adaptation that you would like to see in a future newsletter? If you have project, job posting, event, outreach product, or something else that you’d like to submit for consideration, you can fill out this google form. Please note that this does not guarantee inclusion. We’ll select the climate adaptation items most relevant to our community of practice to continue to provide a curated newsletter. We look forward to hearing from you!
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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. Mass ECAN is coordinated by UMass Extension. |
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