Mass ECAN January News
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See below for our newsletter that's specifically curated for our community of practice:
Feel free to share this newsletter with a colleague and invite them to join in!
Best,
Melissa Ocana
Climate Adaptation Coordinator, UMass Amherst
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Join fellow climate adaptation practitioners for a virtual Climate Cafe facilitated by two colleagues from the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America. These Climate Cafes will provide a welcoming, safe space for sharing emotions. Space is very limited, so rsvp soon.
There are two upcoming sessions:
Mon., Jan. 27th, 11:30am - 1:00pm Register here.
Fri., Feb. 14th, 11:30am - 1:00pm Register here.
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Mass ECAN coordinates several expert Work Groups on topics that require cross-organization collaboration. We're excited to announce a new Work Group that builds on and complements existing programming around dam removals! This Group aims to advance dam removal practice, foster connections among practitioners, and build capacity of the dam removal community.
If you are a dam removal practitioner, you are invited to join the Dam Removal Work Group, a community of practice hosted by Mass ECAN with co-leads from the DER and Merrimack River Watershed Council. The Group provides an interactive peer learning opportunity for practitioners actively working on dam removals to learn from each other, including those from non-profits, consulting firms, academia, individual dam owners, municipalities, regional, state and federal government agencies. This is an opportunity to workshop projects, discuss challenges and questions you have with practitioners working on similar efforts, and find ways to advance more projects, collectively and collaboratively, across the state. The group will meet virtually and select topics. Participants will also have opportunities to join field visits to active dam removals. We look forward to seeing you there! Please email Jes Szetela to join the Work Group list.
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Sharing Ambassador Award Projects
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We’re excited to share what the recipients of our Ambassador Awards Program have been up to, starting with BSC Group!
The BSC Group has completed their project focused on sharing the process of creating pocket forests. Pocket forests are small, densely planted urban forests designed to restore ecosystems, improve air quality, and reduce urban heat islands.
Watch their video introducing this concept and illustrating how to transform urban spaces into thriving ecosystems.
This video builds on BSC Group's previously created How to Pocket Forest Guide to help others take the first steps to create pocket forests in their communities.
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In case you missed it, take a look at what Mass ECAN accomplished!
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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!
Karen Groce-Horan
Community Engagement Specialist
Neponset River Watershed Association
Bio: After working in higher-education, real estate finance, workforce development, and non-profit equity–justice work,  Karen realized an interest and missing connection in her work was environmental justice. Having raised her daughters in the Neponset River region, Karen has been an advocate for racial, economic and environmental justice in the area and Greenway space for years. She is partnering with communities to bring engagement strategies and adaptive, resilient solutions for positive impact in the watershed through MVP 2.0 initiatives in several towns and Boston communities. Forming a regional advisory group has been critical to the success of bringing involvement and awareness to the 14 watershed communities
Climate Adaptation Project: Karen is also working on three MVP grants in the Neponset watershed. The Neponset River Watershed Association has created a flood model which analyzes rainfall, surface runoff, and water movement through stormwater systems to increase understanding of flood risk. In response, Karen is helping to incorporate adaptive climate strategies such as recommending areas for catchment basins in watershed towns and examining and improving the culvert systems elsewhere. Additionally, they are adapting green infrastructure and adding a tree initiative in a town that has been experiencing severe flooding over the last several years.
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Join Network: The Planned Coastal Relocation Network is a peer-learning network focused on supporting climate and planning practitioners in planning for community-driven relocation as a nature-based solution to reduce flood risk and increase climate resilience for coastal residents. We meet approximately every other month and have a listserv to share questions, ideas, and resources. The Network is convened by The Nature Conservancy, Urban Harbors Institute at UMass Boston, Communities Responding to Extreme Weather (CREW), and UMass Amherst Extension, with support from a CZM Coastal Resilience Grant. Join the group here or email Emma Gildesgame.
Course: Adaptation Planning and Practices Online Training, NIACS and USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub. Learn about climate impacts and identify adaptation actions for ecosystems, habitats, and resource areas. Develop project-specific climate adaptation plans. Approximately 2 hrs per week, 1/27-3/17. Register here.
Virtual Orientation: MVP 2.0 Planning Vendor Orientation, EEA. The EEA’s MVP program invites everyone interested in serving as a Planning Vendor for the MVP Planning 2.0 process to attend a virtual orientation on the program. 1/28 at 2:30-4:00pm. Register here.
Event: Lunch & Learn Webinar, MA Association for Floodplain Management (massFM). Learn how FEMA’s Future of Flood Risk Data initiative provides more efficient, accurate, and consistent flood risk information. 1/9 at 12:00pm. Read more here. Become a member here.
Webinar Series: The US Fish & Wildlife Service and USDA Northern Forests Climate Hub are hosting a 12-month panel discussion webinar series focused on Managing Forests as Habitats in a Changing World. Register here.
Job: Culvert Replacement Technical Assistance Specialist, DER, Boston or Westfield. Provide technical support, manage grants and contracts, and help drive the successful implementation of stream crossing replacement projects. Apply here.
Job: Chief Conservation and Climate Officer, The Trustees of Reservations, Hybrid (Boston). Lead the organization’s overall conservation strategy for large landscapes, urban green space, and iconic special places. Oversee climate mitigation and decarbonization strategy work. Apply here.
Job: Senior Director of Conservation Science, Mass Audubon, Lincoln. Oversee all aspects of the organization’s scientific endeavors including identifying conservation issues and priorities, providing authoritative, technical leadership and collaborating with internal/external partners to design and implement solutions. Apply here.
Job: Senior Director of Environmental Justice, EEA (DCR), Boston. Support cross-agency implementation of EEA Environmental Justice Strategy and work with the Deputy Commissioner and Ombudsman to build relationships with stakeholders to further advance the agency’s Environmental Justice goals. Apply here.
Job: Climate Resilience Coordinator, Groundwork Southcoast, Fall River & New Bedford. Support initiatives for climate adaptation, environmental justice, and community empowerment. Implement climate resilience projects with the Climate Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Apply here.
Job: Sustainability Coordinator, Town of Sherborn. Work collaboratively on a wide range of overlapping sustainability-related activities such as water use/supply, recycling/waste minimization, and climate change vulnerability and resiliency. Apply here.
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In case you've been wondering what to read next:
Nature Based Solutions: The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and partners collaboratively created a report to advance the Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap. This report integrates diverse perspectives to evaluate the effectiveness of nature based solutions to address hazards and provide ecosystem services.
Climate Adaptation Field Status: The Tasks of Now: Toward a New Era in Climate Resilience Building provides an update on the current state of the climate adaptation and resilience field.
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