Mass ECAN February 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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Upcoming Events: Climate Cafe
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Join fellow climate adaptation practitioners on Fri., Feb. 14, from 11:30am - 1:00pm for a virtual Climate Cafe facilitated by two colleagues from the Climate Psychology Alliance of North America. This Climate Cafe will provide a welcoming, safe space for sharing emotions. Space is limited, so rsvp soon.
What is a climate cafe?
One of the biggest challenges of the climate crisis is knowing what to do with the complex set of emotions regarding the planetary emergency. Where is it safe to talk about fear, outrage, and grief? The idea is that the more comfortable we become with these difficult feelings, the more able we are to cope with our situation. Climate Cafes offer a structured space for informal, open, and respectful discussion of emotional responses and reactions related to the climate.
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Supporting drought resilience in local communities
Feb. 26, 12pm-1:15pm
Our state has experienced several droughts in recent years, including a severe drought in 2024. Join us for a dynamic virtual networking event focused on understanding and planning for drought conditions to increase local climate resilience! Now, more than ever, it's important for municipal conservation and sustainability professionals and partners to come together to advance climate resilience in our cities and towns. This event will provide an opportunity to connect, learn from each other, and explore overlapping work. RSVP here.
This event is hosted in partnership with the MA Society for Municipal Conservation Professionals (MSMCP) and MVP (Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness) Program.
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Hopeful Climate Book Club
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Are you hungry for generous climate dialogue and building community around solutions? We are excited to announce a book club to do just that! Beginning the third week of February, Jes Szetela from Mass ECAN and Angelina DeBenedet from ASAP will co-facilitate a 20-week-long book read of the All We Can Save Anthology to kick off a Hopeful Climate Book Club series. If you are interested, see details here and fill out this survey to join!
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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!
Amber Siegel
River Restoration Project Manager
Charles River Watershed Association
Bio: Amber joined CRWA in 2024, supporting ongoing environmental restoration, climate change, and community engagement efforts. Prior to  joining CRWA, she worked in the Sustainability Department of a Commercial Real Estate Company in NYC, where she focused on utility management, building retrofits, and green building certifications. Amber has a creative, interdisciplinary background, having earned a B.A. in Studio Art from Kenyon College and an M.A. in Environmental Policy & Urban Planning from Tufts University. She looks forward to continuing her restoration work in MA, utilizing creative and community focused approaches wherever possible.
Climate Adaptation Project: In response to more frequent and severe storm events due to climate change, CRWA is increasing river resilience through watershed-wide restoration efforts. To support these efforts, Amber is leading the development of a Watershed Restoration Plan that will offer a comprehensive, watershed-wide approach to the identification and prioritization of restoration projects for implementation. Key elements will include a dam removal prioritization of both mainstem and tributary dams, culvert replacement prioritization, and identification of potential stream restoration sites. Contact Amber for more information.
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Webinar Series: Mass Rivers Alliance, DER, and Charles River Watershed Association are hosting the Dam Busters 201 webinar series to give municipal and NGO dam removal project managers the knowledge they need to carry out and manage dam removal projects. The next webinar will be Feb. 5 at noon. Register here.
Webinar Series: This monthly series, hosted by US Fish & Wildlife Service and partners, explores shifting impacts of climate change on forest habitats and adaptation options for their management. The next webinar will be Feb. 18 from 12:00-1:30pm. Register here.
Webinar: The Trust for Public Land is hosting a discussion to highlight community-centered green infrastructure and nature based solutions that are making an impact in the Boston Area. Feb. 6 from 3:00-4:30pm. Register here.
Webinar: The Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) is hosting an informal webinar highlighting program requirements, goals, timelines and more related to the FY 2026 Coastal Resilience Grant opportunity. Feb. 27 from 11:00am-12:00pm. Please email India Mackinson to register.
Funding Opportunity: MA Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) announced 3 federally funded Hazard Mitigation Assistance grant programs, including BRIC. See the information webinar here. Statements of Interest due by Feb. 10.
Job: Procurement Specialist, MA Division of Ecological Restoration, Hybrid (Boston). Lead grant procurement and administrative activities and provide oversight and technical assistance during the grant application process to increase scale and pace of ecological restoration. Apply here.
Job: Ecological Restoration Specialist – Dam Removal, MA Division of Ecological Restoration, Hybrid (Boston). Provide programmatic support in identifying, evaluating, and developing new dam removal projects across the Commonwealth. Apply here.
Job: Climate Resiliency Specialist, Woods Hole Group, Bourne. Lead or support climate vulnerability assessments, adaptation planning, and implementation projects for coastal communities, infrastructure, and habitats. Apply here.
Job: Blue Carbon Program Director, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, Boston. Lead the development of a Blue Carbon Program to evaluate the feasibility, design and monitoring of coastal habitat restoration projects to increase coastal resiliency. Apply here.
Job: Special Projects Manager (Stormwater), City of Boston’s Office of Green Infrastructure (OGI). Manage Boston’s green infrastructure by planning and directing administrative and operational activities related to stormwater management efforts. Apply here.
Job: Project Manager, City of Boston. Work within the Office of Climate Resilience to support the implementation and communication of citywide climate resilience projects. Apply here.
Job: Policy Manager, MA Rivers Alliance, Somerville (Hybrid). Develop and implement strategies to advance legislative and other initiatives to protect and restore streamflow, water quality, and wildlife habitat, with a focus on climate resiliency and environmental justice. Apply here.
Job: Community Resilience Attorney, Conservation Law Foundation, Boston. Develop new policy tools, legal strategies, and advocacy approaches directed towards climate-resilient waterfront development and infrastructure. Apply here.
Job: Community Engagement Specialist, Southeastern Regional Planning & Economic Development District (SRPEDD), Taunton. Foster a resilient community through public outreach and education. Apply here.
Job: Principal Land Use Planner, SRPEDD, Taunton. Act as a creative, technical, and logistical leader on zoning and housing initiatives, civic engagement efforts, climate and hazard mitigation plans, and more. Apply here.
Job: Climate Resilience Coordinator, Groundwork Southcoast, Fall River, New Bedford. Support initiatives related to adaptation, environmental justice, and community empowerment. Implement climate resilience projects within the Climate Safe Neighborhoods Initiative. Apply here.
Job: Environmental Fellowship Program, Mass Audubon. Placements include Advocacy Campaign, Climate Education, Ecological Restoration, Land Conservation, and Nature in the City.
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Learn from fellow Mass ECAN members at upcoming conferences!
March 1: MA Association of Conservation Commissions (MACC) Annual Environmental Conference, The College of the Holy Cross, Worcester. Connect with environmental practitioners from across New England in 32 workshops to gain expert insights on regulations, policies, procedures, and technologies that are important for protecting our wetlands and open spaces. Register here.
- 11:15am - 12:30pm. Salt Marsh Restoration through Tidal Restrictions Removal - Lessons Learned and Project Planning Considerations
- Cristina Kennedy, Division of Ecological Restoration
- Jordan Mora, Association to Preserve Cape Cod
- 2:15 - 3:15pm. Protecting and Restoring Aquatic and Terrestrial Connectivity
- Scott Jackson, UMass Amherst
- 3:30 - 4:30pm. Regional Coastal Resilience: Best Practices - Working with Municipal Neighbors
- India Mackinson, MA Office of Coastal Zone Management
- Tricia Bowie, MA Office of Coastal Zone Management
- 3:30 - 4:30pm. Emergency Certificate for Dam Removal: A Case Study of the Dudleyville Dam in Shutesbury
- Chris Hirsch, Division of Ecological Restoration
- Susie Bresney, Division of Ecological Restoration
- Gordon Clark, Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.
- Michael Chelminski, Stantec Consulting Services, Inc.
- Chad Sumner, SumCo Eco-Contracting
March 11-12: Northeast Regional Invasive Species and Climate Management Network (NE RISCC) Annual Conference, Virtual. Engage with practitioners, researchers, and policy makers to discuss challenges and solutions to managing invasive species in a changing climate. Register here.
March 15: Citizen Planner Training Collaborative (CPTC) Annual Conference. College of the Holy Cross, Worcester. Join MA citizens and professional planners for a day of workshops, speakers, and networking. Registration coming soon.
March 21: Massachusetts Land Conservation Conference. UMass Amherst. Features a plenary speaker and 23 sessions focused on a diverse range of land conservation topics, including conserving climate-resilient landscapes. Register here.
- 9:30 - 10:45am. Managing Forests for Climate
- 9:30 - 10:45am. Natural Climate Solutions in Massachusetts: How Landowners Are Using Wetlands, Farms, and Forests to Fight Climate Change
- Laura Marx, The Nature Conservancy
- 2:25 - 3:40pm. Habit to Habitat: Transforming Landscapes to Resilient Ecosystems, from Conception to Maintenance
- Evan Abramson, Landscape Interactions
April 16-18: Stone Living Lab (SLL) Conference. UMass Boston. Join professionals from the education, private, and public sectors for keynote discussions and breakout sessions about nature-based resilience in urban coastal settings. Register here.
May 1: Save the date for our Mass ECAN Conference on Mainstreaming Nature Based Solutions held at Clark University in Worcester!
May 23: Boston Society of Landscape Architects (BSLA) Fieldday. Northeastern University, Boston. Join BSLA in this new, annual, in-person conference for all who design, make, and care for landscape architecture in New England. Registration coming soon.
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In case you've been wondering what to read next:
Black History Month: Let's celebrate the work of our Black climate change colleagues! See Rev. Vernon K. Walker's article lifting up national Black climate leaders.
MA Climate Report Card: EEA recently released the second annual Climate Report Card to assess the state’s progress over the past 12 months towards achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions and building resilience to climate impacts.
National Adaptation and Resilience Planning Strategy: The Biden-Harris administration released a report providing critical steps needed to help our nation adapt to and prepare for immediate, medium-term, and long-term effects of climate change. Read it (archived now) 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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If you would like to support Mass ECAN's work, we now have a way to donate online through UMass Amherst. Donations go towards supporting our staff/interns, programs, and events. Thanks!
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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 ecosystems and nature 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.
Mass ECAN is coordinated by UMass Amherst Extension. |
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