Mass ECAN August News

Mass ECAN August News
 Mass ECAN August News 
 



Below is our newsletter which is 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
Mass ECAN Member Survey

We're interested in learning more about our members and how we can support our collective efforts! Every couple of years we reach out for your feedback. Please take a few minutes to complete our short Member Survey here. We'll use your input to determine where to focus our efforts going forward. We greatly value your feedback and thanks for all you do!

The survey is anonymous, however you'll see an option to share your email to enter a prize drawing at the end. We'll randomly select two winners to receive either What If We Get It Right?: Visions of Climate Futures by Ayana Elizabeth Johnson or Saving Us: A Climate Scientist's Case for Hope and Healing in a Divided World by Katharine Hayhoe.

*Note for new members* If you joined Mass ECAN in the last couple of months, you should have received an email earlier this morning with a link to our separate New Member Survey. New members please take that survey, not the one above. Thanks!
Mass ECAN Field Trips

Join us for a series of field trips showcasing wildlife and amazing climate adaptation work! This series is organized in partnership by Mass ECAN, the MVP Program, DER, and local project partners.
Living Seawalls
August 15, 10am - 11:30am 

Visit Living Seawalls in partnership with Stone Living Lab! We'll explore North America's first-ever Living Seawalls habitat panels installed in the Boston Harbor. We’ll learn how they create habitat for marine life to flourish on surfaces that would otherwise be inhospitable.

Currently all spots are full -- please email us to be added to the waitlist!
Save the Date
October 15

We are planning an exciting day out in the Pioneer Valley! We'll start the morning in Northampton at the Pine Grove Golf Course to discuss partnering with beavers on flood resiliency. Stick around for a networking lunch! 

Following this, we will head to Belchertown with partners from MassWildlife Fisheries to observe pit tagging of fish and learn about the systems used to track fish movements.

We'll open registration for this field trip in the next newsletter. See our website to keep up with our field trip series.
Member Spotlight
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!

Hillary King

Central Regional Coordinator
Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) Program
MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
 

Bio: Hillary (bottom right) has been with the MVP Program since 2019. Her background is in landscape architecture and planning, where she has always been interested in narrowing the gaps between human development and natural systems. Additional experience in working with engineers to permit public infrastructure projects, exploring climate change vulnerability assessments, and promoting green stormwater infrastructure, led her to MVP, where she loves advancing the work of the program and collaborating with her Team. Hillary also co-leads the Mass ECAN Mainstreaming Nature-based Solutions Work Group to learn about and promote these important adaptation measures.

Climate Adaptation Project: The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) grant program was created in 2017 as part of Executive Order 569 and provides support for communities in Massachusetts to identify climate hazards, assess vulnerabilities, and develop action plans to improve resilience to climate change. MVP offers a Planning Grant to help communities set resilience priorities, and an Action Grant to help implement them. As the Central Regional Coordinator, Hillary works with 55 communities – administering grants, providing program and project resources, and supporting networking opportunities. If you would like to talk about MVP’s grant opportunities or your community’s resilience priorities, reach out to Hillary.
Announcements

Event: The Nature Conservancy and the The Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Network are hosting a virtual community conversation focused on Planned Relocation and The Flood Adaptation Toolbox. August 14 at 11:30am. Register here.

Event: The Environmental Business Council is hosting a webinar series focused on Resilient Waters. Their second webinar is on Resilient Moakley Park: Climate-Ready Collaboration on Coastal, Groundwater, and Stormwater Impacts. August 19 at 11:30am. Register here.

Event: Hosted by US Fish & Wildlife Service and partners as part of a 12-month series, the next webinar features panel discussions exploring the Coexistence of Public Use, Recreation, and Management in Forested Habitats in a Changing World. August 19 at 12pm. Register here.

Job: Vice President for Clean Energy and Climate Change, Conservation Law Foundation, Boston. Set programmatic direction and priorities consistent with the organization’s goals focused on clean energy & climate change. Apply here.

Job: Senior Manager - Harborwalk, Access and Resilience, Boston Harbor Now. Manage, improve, maintain, and increase accessibility and resilience of the Boston Harborwalk. Apply here.

Job: Education Manager, Mystic River Watershed Association, Arlington. Lead school and youth based education programming to build climate resilience throughout the watershed and work with trained community educators to expand capacity and effectiveness of the program. Apply here. 

Job: Communications and Operations Coordinator, Stone Living Lab (SLL), Boston. Generate engaging and informative content, provide operational and administrative support, and collaborate with team members on programs and projects. Apply here.

Job: Senior Climate and Coastal Resilience Infrastructure Delivery Project Manager, City of Boston. Implement public infrastructure projects with an emphasis on initiatives related to climate change, the environment, and the waterfront. Apply here.

Job: MassBays National Estuary Partnership Director, UMass Boston. Oversee all aspects of the program’s operations, working with municipalities, local, and regional nonprofit organizations, state agencies, planning agencies, and the scientific community to protect and restore coastal habitats. Apply here. 

Job: Development Operations Associate, Charles River Watershed Association, Hybrid, Boston. Support key functions in donor database management, operations, event logistics, and work at the intersection of climate resilience, environmental justice, and clean water advocacy. Apply here.

Job: Director - Climate Action Accelerator, Harvard University, Cambridge. Build consensus for climate solutions grounded in Harvard's research and expertise. Apply here.
 
Fellowship: Climate Resilience Community Facilitation Fellowship, MA and RI. Learn essential skills in collaborative decision-making, conflict resolution, facilitation, and critical training in climate resilience and anti-racism practices. Apply here. 
Join our Slow the Flow
Expert Work Group

The “Slow the Flow” Work Group explores adaptation techniques to reduce the impacts of extreme and variable flows in rivers and streams, and the increased occurrence and severity of floods and droughts. Since the group’s inception in 2019, we have focused on identifying and understanding watershed management techniques that restore natural flow complexity, reconnect floodplains, and support natural ecosystems.  Currently, we are creating Partnering with Beavers outreach materials to inform practitioners about the benefits of beavers in riverine ecosystems.

During our quarterly meetings, we share on topics ranging from state and regional resources to watershed modeling. If you work on these issues and are interested in joining, please contact co-leads Rosalie Starvish or Julie Busa.
The Mass ECAN Reader

In case you've been wondering what to read next:

Shores of Change: After being awarded a US EPA Wetlands Development Grant, MassDEP in collaboration with MA Resilient Coasts Initiative, has produced outreach materials focused on increasing public understanding of how and why we protect the coastal floodplain.