Mass ECAN February News
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This time of year always has me reflecting on what winter means in a warming world. I hope that you are finding ways to get out on the ice and snow, and staying cozy in between. The climate adaptation community remains active even in these winter months, with lots of happenings in the newsletter below!
See below for news specifically curated for our community of practice:
Do you have new colleagues starting at your organization? Feel free to forward them this newsletter and invite them to join us!
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Best,
Melissa Ocana
Climate Adaptation Coordinator, UMass Amherst
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We're excited to share that UMass Extension has been awarded a $125,000 grant from the Barr Foundation. This award will primarily support hiring a part-time climate associate (job posting coming soon) and three initiatives:
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Continued development of an outreach toolkit and 2023 conference on watershed-scale collaboration for climate adaptation, including stories from existing collaboratives across the state
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Connecting and building relationships among climate professionals through a Peer-to-Peer Learning Program
- Mainstreaming exemplary adaptation practices through an Ambassadors Award Program to support “champions” sharing their lessons learned through outreach and engagement with peers
This grant helps us to continue to:
- Facilitate the formation of authentic, trusted relationships that lead to successful partnerships and networks for climate change adaptation
- Bring climate practitioners together to learn from each other
- Support and showcase watershed-scale collaboratives
- Amplify exemplary climate adaptation strategies and projects
We look forward to working together on these initiatives. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months!
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Mass ECAN Expert Work Group Spotlight
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We heard your request for more updates from our affiliated work groups, so we will highlight one each month to learn about their latest activities. As a reminder, our small work groups are specifically for experts on various climate adaptation topics that require cross-organizational collaboration for success. They are a space for the peer learning and community building that helps move the needle on adaptation planning and action. We share work group products here in the newsletter for the rest of our community to run with. See a summary of all our work groups here.
Mainstreaming Nature-Based Solutions
In 2019, we moved forward with developing a Case Study Outline to share success stories with municipal leaders, developers, and practitioners. Throughout the pandemic, we finalized a template and collected information for three initial showcase projects varying from conserving natural landscapes, restoring or enhancing ecosystems, to increasing the natural elements within the built environment.
We are currently working with a graduate student to complete two more case studies and looking for additional opportunities to grow our library! We’re also looking to expand our membership in 2022 and refine our goals as we transition from planning for NBS to implementing and documenting more solutions on the ground. For more information or if you are a NBS expert interested in the next group meeting (3/2 at 1:00pm), contact the co-leads, Hillary King and Stefanie Covino.
Check out these resources!
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Mass ECAN Member Spotlight
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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!
 Dira Johanif
Program Associate for Community Resilience
Charles River Watershed Association (CRWA)
Bio: Dira has worked on various climate change communication and resiliency projects in Boston. Before joining CRWA, Dira did her Master's research at UMass Boston looking at how pesticide runoff affects freshwater invertebrates. She also volunteered at the New England Aquarium as a Visitor Educator, engaging in conversations around climate action using various media. Dira is originally from Malaysia and hopes to publish a children's book in the future that highlights different faces in the scientific community.
 Climate adaptation project: To increase regional climate resiliency in the Charles River watershed, Dira assists in training elected leaders in climate resiliency tools and coalition-building to advocate for climate-smart policies. Dira also leads on creating story maps for the MVP-funded Charles River Flood Model, which forecasts expected flooding under different climate conditions and predicts mitigation impacts from various Nature-Based Solutions, to expand the reach and accessibility of CRWA's technical work. To learn more, go to www.crwa.org or contact Dira.
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Call for Proposals - National Adaptation Forum. Propose presentations and sessions related to all climate adaptation topics, especially those that connect science to management decisions and the implementation and evaluation of adaptation actions’ effectiveness. Submit by 2/16 (extended!) for the conference 10/25 - 10/27 in Baltimore.
Opportunity - State Hazard Mitigation & Climate Adaptation Plan (SHMCAP) Update. The MA Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is seeking the services of a vendor to develop the first 5-year update to the 2018 SHMCAP. Submit proposals by 2/14.
Online Course - Wildlife Management Adaptation Planning and Practices, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science. Hands-on training in considering climate information and identifying adaptation actions relevant to wildlife habitat management and conservation. Participants will receive coaching and feedback to develop their own project. Starts 2/28. Register here.
Webinar - Is Your Community Climate Resilient?, EPA Southeast New England Program. Local land use rules that support nature-based solutions to climate have many benefits, but outdated bylaws and regulations can prevent communities from implementing these solutions. This webinar helps identify priorities for local action, share examples, and provide resources to support implementation. Register here. 2/16, 12:00pm - 1:30pm.
Webinar - Exceptional Coastal Warming in the Northeast, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center. Learn about the role of oceanic and atmospheric processes in driving rapid warming along the Northeastern coast and discuss the need for more nuanced climate assessments to understand the impacts on human and natural systems. 2/16, 4:00pm.
Survey - How land use choices in Massachusetts affect sustainability goals. Worcester Polytechnic Institute is conducting a survey to document the range of organizations in MA engaging with land-use management, planning, or advocacy in pursuit of important sustainability, climate mitigation and adaptation goals.
Website resource - The Massachusetts MVP (Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness) Coalition has come together to increase the amount of support for the MVP program and find a dedicated source of funding for the program to manage harm from coastal flooding, intense rain, and extreme heat.
Job - Community Organizer, Mystic River Watershed Association, Arlington. Join a dynamic, collaborative team working on community-led designs of local park projects and other strategies to help vulnerable residents and workers in light of heat waves. Apply by 2/23.
Job - Environmental/Urban Planner, Tetra Tech, Boston. Support a wide range of private development, institutional and public sector projects, including climate change and sustainable development issues.
Job - Senior Manager for Equitable Climate Resilience Projects, Groundwork USA, Boston. Lead the implementation of the Climate Preparedness Land Restoration Grant Program to advance equitable climate resilience and land restoration projects. Apply by 2/28.
Job - Senior Clean Energy and Climate Specialist, Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Boston. Engage with municipal governments and state and local partners on comprehensive energy and climate planning development, technical assistance, and regional services procurements.
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Learn from fellow Mass ECAN members at these upcoming conferences!
February 10, 17, 24 - Massachusetts Open Space Conference. Learn how open space can help reduce the effects of climate change in various regions including urban settings and forests. Free opportunities to network and engage through peer-to-peer learning. View their Schedule and Register Here.
March 1-12 - Massachusetts Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) Annual Environmental Conference Week. This year there are 32 new workshops that help attendees with the complexities of conservation commission operations and the Wetlands Protection Act regulations. View their Schedule or detailed Session Descriptions and Register Here.
Tuesday, March 1
Wednesday, March 2
Tuesday, March 8
Thursday, March 10
Saturday, March 12
March 24-26 - Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference. Hosted by MassLand. This year's theme is "Communicating Conservation: Building the Message for the 21st Century", featuring a Friday morning keynote by Rev. Mariama White-Hammond. View their Schedule or detailed Session Descriptions and Register Here.
Thursday, March 24
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2:30 – 3:30 PM - Responding to a Changing Coast: Strategies for Climate Resilience
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4:00 – 5:15 PM - How To Do Climate-Smart Forest Management...and Get Paid for It!
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Joshua Rapp, Mass Audubon
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Laura Marx, The Nature Conservancy
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4:00 – 5:15 PM - Land Trusts & Climate Change: Practical Pointers
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7:00 – 8:15 PM - Working with Municipalities to Find Common Ground in a Changing Climate
Friday, March 25
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In case you've been wondering what to read next...
- Celebrate Black History Month: Let's take time this month to celebrate the work of black climate change colleagues and reflect on their stories, such as here and here.
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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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