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University of Southern Maine USM Digital Commons Publications Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (CBEP) 2012 Lessons Learned from the Climate Ready Estuaries Program, New England Climate Ready Estuaries United States Environmental Protection Agency Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cbep-publications Recommended Citation United States Environmental Protection Agency, "Lessons Learned from the Climate Ready Estuaries Program, New England Climate Ready Estuaries" (2012). Publications. 214. https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/cbep-publications/214 This Report is brought to you for free and open access by the Casco Bay Estuary Partnership (CBEP) at USM Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Publications by an authorized administrator of USM Digital Commons. For more information, please contact jessica.c.hovey@maine.edu. LessonsLearned from the C L I M AT E  R E A D YE S T U A R I E S  P R O G R A MNEW ENGL AND CLIMATE READY ESTUARIESIntegrate climate change into regular activitiesWork with partners to utilize existing planning mechanisms as an opportunity to identify priorities in the context of climate change and avoid planning fatigue.•	The	Casco	Bay	Estuary	Partnership	is	working	with	land	trusts	to	incorporate	climate	change	adaptation	measures	into	their	conservation	planning.	For	example,	CBEP	worked	with	the	Western	Foothills	Land	Trust	to	identify	conservation	and	stewardship	priorities	that	took	climate	change	into	consideration.	They	shared	their	experience	with	other	land	trusts	at	an	annual	conference.•	As	part	of	its	response	to	major	flooding	in	March	2010,	the	Narragansett	Bay	Estuary	Program	is	working	to	identify	and	prioritize	adaptation	opportunities	along	the	Lower	Pawtuxet	River	and	its	tributaries.	The	project	is	using	a	prioritized	approach	that	integrates	infrastructure,	flow	management,	and	habitat	restoration	to	develop	projects	that	are	expected	to	improve	watershed	and	habitat	function	while	increasing	river	system	resilience	as	flows	change	in	the future.•	The	Piscataqua	Region	Estuaries	Partnership	completed	an	assessment	of	Oyster	River	watershed	road	culverts	to	determine	those	that	are	undersized	for	extreme	precipitation	events	that	are	starting	to	occur	more	frequently.	PREP	engaged	the	local	Department	of	Public	Works	in	the	early	stages	of	the	project	and	considered	their	priorities	in	the	development	of	a	vulnerability	assessment	for	local	managers	to	use	when	prioritizing	infrastructure	improvements.Climate Ready Estuaries in New EnglandThe Climate Ready Estuaries program works with the National  Estuary Programs (NEP) and the coastal management community to: (1) assess climate change vulnerabilities, (2) develop and implement adaptation strategies, and (3) engage and educate stakeholders. CRE shares NEP examples to help other coastal managers, and provides technical guidance and assistance about climate change adaptation.Since 2008 CRE has worked with the NEPs in New England on a wide variety of local projects that will help them individually and collectively become better prepared for climate change. This brochure shares some of the lessons from their CRE projects that were shared at a June 2012 workshop in Boston hosted by the Ocean and Coastal Protection Unit of EPA Region 1. Additional information about the projects is available in CRE’s annual progress reports or from the respective NEP.Coordinate with othersBuild broad coalitions and peer-to-peer networks to help accomplish project goals and ensure non-duplicative efforts.•	The	Long	Island	Sound	Study’s	Sentinel	Monitoring	Network	is	taking	a	multidisciplinary	scientific	approach	to	monitoring	ecosystems	and	species	in	Long	Island	Sound	to	help	measure	the	effects	of	climate	change.	LISS	is	using	a	top	down	(global	and	regional	climate	modeling)	and	bottom	up	(site	specific	monitoring)	process	with	significant	stakeholder	participation	through	a	bi-state	work	group	of	federal,	state,	and	local	scientists	and	managers.•	LISS	recognized	that	local	governments	need	help	getting	the	right	agencies	and	organizations	to	the	table	to	do	adaptation	planning.	They	worked	with	the	town	of	Groton,	the	CT	Department	of	Energy	and	Environmental	Protection,	and	ICLEI:	Local	Governments	for	Sustainability	to	convene	95	people	from	federal,	state,	and	local	agencies	and	organizations.	They	participated	in	a	series	of	workshops	to	focus	on	the	latest	climate	science,	impacts,vulnerabilities,	and	strategies	for	implementation	of	climate	change	adaptation.•	LISS	took	the	lessons	learned	and	various	resources	that	were	utilized	for	the	Groton	climate	change	adaptation	planning	project	and	developed	a	“Connecticut	Adaptation	Resources	Toolkit”	to	help	all	Connecticut	municipalities	with	their	adaptation	planning.Use new tools to gain insightDevelop innovative solutions by working with partners who can share new methods and new systems.•	The	EPA	Office	of	Research	and	Development	worked	with	the	Massachusetts	Bays	Program	to	develop	a	novel	method	for	using	expert	elicitation	to	assess	climate	change	vulnerabilities	of	salt	marsh	sediment	processes	and	sparrow	nesting	habitat.	Expert	elicitation	is	a	structured	approach	for	characterizing	the	current	state	of	knowledge	on	key	questions	of	interest,	especially	when	data	are	limited,	uncertainties	are	great,	and	more	than	one	conceptual	model	exists.	Local	experts	helped	refine	the	method	and	used	it	to	identify	sensitive	pathways	and	tipping	points	within	the	system	on	which	to	focus	management.•	 In	their	analysis	of	sea	level	rise	and	coastal	flooding,	the	Piscataqua	Region	Estuaries	Partnership	and	the	Casco	Bay	Estuary	Partnership	relied	on	the	technical	expertise	of	the	New	England	Environmental	Finance	Center,	based	at	the	University	of	Southern	Maine,	to	use	a	3-D	visualization	tool,	COAST,	to	provide	visual,	numeric,	and	presentation-based	products	to	support	local	adaptation	planning.Pay attention to problems that will get worsePeople are motivated when they are concerned that current problems will be heightened by climate change.•	The	Piscataqua	Region	Estuaries	Partnership	and	the	Casco	Bay	Estuary	Partnership	worked	with	local	municipalities	and	stakeholders	to	model	the	impacts	of	sea	level	rise	and	storm	surge.	They	selected	specific	locations,	vulnerable	assets,	and	adaptation	actions	to	model	using	the	COAST	visualization	tool.	CBEP	focused	on	potential	damages	to	infrastructure,	while	PREP	focused	on	real	estate	damages.•	The	Buzzards	Bay	National	Estuary	Program	is	using	LiDAR	mapping	as	a	visual	aid	to	educate	municipal	officials	and	the	public	about	the	impacts	of	sea	level	rise,	aid	local	decision	making	in	the	construction	of	public	facilities,	help	set	priorities	for	land	acquisition	and	protection,	and	help	inform	local	climate	change	adaptation		strategies.•	The	PREP’s	study	of	the	Oyster	River	watershed	determined	that	increasing	development	and	impervious	surface	coupled	with	increasingly	intense	storm	events	could	overwhelm	the	existing	culvert	infrastructure	with	large	volumes	of	water.	PREP	used	the	results	of	the	culvert	assessment	and	modeling	to	promote	other	flood	mitigation	efforts,	including	green	infrastructure	and	low	impact	development	practices	to	reduce	stormwater	runoff,	and	to	encourage	restoration	of	fish	passage	throughout	the	watershed.www.epa.gov/creEPA 841-S-13-001DECEMBER 2012

Lessons Learned from the Climate Ready Estuaries Program, New England Climate Ready Estuaries

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Lessons Learned from the Climate Ready Estuaries Program, New England Climate Ready Estuaries

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