Mass ECAN January News
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Happy new year! Here's looking forward to another exciting year at Mass ECAN and working together to advance climate adaptation!
See below for our newsletter that's specifically curated for our community of practice:
Please share this newsletter with a colleague and invite them to join us!
Best,
Melissa Ocana
Climate Adaptation Coordinator, UMass Amherst
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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!
Megan Tyrrell
Research Coordinator
Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve
 Bio: Megan is a coastal ecologist specializing in salt marsh and rocky intertidal ecosystems. She has worked at Waquoit Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve (WBNERR) for seven years. Prior to that, she held similar research coordination positions with the US Fish and Wildlife Region 5 office in Hadley, and the National Park Service Cape Cod National Seashore in Truro. She participates in many local and regional groups whose objectives include improving or restoring coastal ecosystems for their inhabitants and their key ecosystem services.
Climate Adaptation Project: Megan is embarking on tidal hydrology restoration projects to alleviate impounded water on the microtidal salt marshes surrounding Waquoit Bay, in partnership with Linda Deegan of Woodwell Climate Research Center and Hillary Sullivan, WBNERR’s Margaret A Davidson graduate student fellow and a Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center Fellow. Linda, Megan and Hillary completed the first phase of tidal hydrology restoration using runnels (shallow drainage features) in Sage Lot Pond’s Doghead marsh in December 2023, with guidance from Wenley Ferguson from Save the Bay, RI, and ditch maintenance and peat excavation expertise provided by Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project and a volunteer from Woodwell Climate Research Center. To learn more, contact Megan.
 Photos: Megan, with Hillary Sullivan (and her amazing 2.5-month-old assistant, Michael) and staff from Cape Cod Mosquito Control Project and Woodwell Climate Research Center, restoring tidal hydrology using runnels at Sage Lot Pond's Doghead Marsh. Photos by Wenley Ferguson.
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Funding Opportunity - Healthy Soils Challenge Grants, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. Up to $100,000 over 6-18 months to implement the Healthy Soils Action Plan with projects that improve soil health and sustainable land management. Apply by 1/19.
Event - Forest Adaptation Tool Talk, Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center (NE CASC). Bringing research and management perspectives together to inform conservation tools and gain a clearer understanding of frameworks for forest adaptation in our region. Attend via Zoom 1/24 at 1pm.
Event - MA Environmental and Energy Agenda for 2024 and Beyond, Environmental Business Council. Keynote presentation by Rebecca Tepper, Secretary of the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs. In person, 1/24 from 4-6pm, Boston.
Training - Adaptation Planning and Practices Online Training, Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science (NIACS). For forest and natural resource managers to develop project-specific climate adaptation plans with coaching from NIACS staff during an eight-week training. Register by 1/26. Program begins 2/13.
Webinar Series - Adapting to Extreme Weather "Wild Cards," USDA and NIACS. This series will explore three types of extreme weather events, showcasing the latest research and discussing relevant management implications in our region. Wednesdays in January, 10:30-11:30am via Zoom.
Job - Senior Forester, New England Forestry Foundation, Littleton. Design, implement, assess, and monitor progress towards implementing Exemplary Forestry practices across New England in service of climate and ecological outcomes.
Job - Climate Adaptation Program Coordinator, Department of Conservation and Recreation, Boston. Support integration of climate adaptation and coastal resilience decision-making tools, science and data into agency plans and actions. Mainstream best practices for adaptation and hazard mitigation.
Job - Resilient Lands Open Space Grants Administrator, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Boston. Coordinate grant programs, administer contracts, and prepare maps to assist in the planning and implementation of Secretariat resilient lands protection and management policies, programs, and initiatives.
Job - Senior Planner, BSC Group, Worcester. Support a wide array of projects including housing, land use, public engagement, urban revitalization, community and master planning, climate change/resiliency, and permitting support.
Job - Operations and Finance Manager, Merrimack River Watershed Council. Perform a range of tasks including grant and financial management, volunteer coordination, office management, and human resource management, in support of MRWC's work to address water pollution, habitat loss, and climate change.
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In case you've been wondering what to read next...
- COP28 takeaways: This year’s climate conference led to an international agreement to “transition away” from fossil fuels, the first global stocktake of progress under the Paris Agreement, and the beginning of a loss and damage fund, but left major gaps in adaptation finance for developing countries. Read NPR’s recap here and see how The Nature Conservancy scored progress on key actions here.
- Joint Statement on Climate, Nature, and People: The presidencies of COP28 and last year’s UN Biodiversity Conference outlined objectives for improving and aligning efforts to address climate change and protect biodiversity. Read the statement here.
- Nature-Based Solutions:
- The U.S Department of Interior released a Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap to guide NBS implementation. You can explore specific NBS strategies by habitat type, key terms, or expected benefits in terms of hazard mitigation, ecological health, and social and economic outcomes.
- At COP28, the White House announced new efforts to advance nature-based solutions, including a global partnership, guidelines to federal agencies, and tools for decision makers and communities.
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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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