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 Conservation
stories on Maine’s coast
Coastal
Choices
is a series of video stories that demonstrate how five diverse
coastal communities in Maine have taken creative measures to
enhance community life and sustain economic health through land
conservation. Each story is designed to help individuals and
communities work together to protect threatened coastal resources.
The videos and supporting materials are at the Maine Coast Protection Initiative Web site.
The series includes an introduction by marathon runner Joan Benoit
Samuelson. Each video is six to eight minutes long, and each
is supplemented with a two-page write-up with references to related
Web sites. The five stories are:
1. Wild
Island: Sustaining a legacy of conservation on Monhegan
2. Unchartered Waters: Saving a working waterfront in York
3. Learning Ground: Linking school and community in Lubec
4. Spawning Hope: Collaborating to conserve mid-coast river
5. Healthy Trails: Connecting people and parks in Portland
The project
was made possible by a grant from the Maine Coast Protection
Initiative.
Climate Change
Action Plan 2007 - 2012
The government of New Brunswick has issued a 36-page Climate
Change Action Plan 2007 - 2012 that outlines the province’s
vision for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and managing climate
change impacts through a series of targets and policy actions
as well as engagement of stakeholders and the public. It charts
the province’s path to sustainability in a changing climate.
It can be downloaded
in PDF format.
Salt marsh restoration
in Maritime Canada
A report entitled Examining Community Adaptive Capacity to
Address Climate Change, Sea-level Rise and Salt Marsh Restoration
in Maritime Canada, submitted to the Climate Change Impacts
and Adaptation Program, is available
in PDF format.
The report
focuses on the ecologic, economic, social and policy conditions
under which a community might employ dyke removal and salt marsh
restoration as an adaptive response to future climate change
and sea level rise.
Miramichi watershed
status
The
2007 State of the Environment Report for the Miramichi Watershed in New Brunswick
examines the Miramichi River watershed, how it has changed over
the past decade and how it may be changing in the near future.
It draws upon existing studies and reports as well as discussions
with individuals and scientists who have special interest and
knowledge of the watershed. The report is available on their
Web site.
Northeast Climate
Impact Report
In July, the Northeast Climate Impacts Assessment (NECIA) released
a report entitled Confronting Climate Change in the U.S. Northeast:
Science, Impacts, and Solutions. NECIA is a collaborative
effort between the Union of Concerned Scientists and a team of
independent experts using state-of-the-art tools to assess how
global warming will affect the northeastern United States. Also
available are fact sheets for each state. The report is available
on their Web site.
Better Site Design
Handbook
The Center for Watershed Protection (CWP) has made its site design
handbook available as a free download from the CWP Web site.
Better
Site Design: A Handbook for Changing Development Rules in Your
Community outlines 22 guidelines for more environmentally
friendly development and provides detailed rationale for each,
from basic engineering principles to real versus perceived barriers
to implementation. The handbook also includes case studies from
across the country.
Innovative Stormwater
BMP Inventory for New England
The University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center (UNHSC) and
Connecticut Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials (NEMO)
have launched an interactive database that documents the implementation
of innovative stormwater approaches, such as low impact development
designs, in New England. A lack of applied examples often limits
the widespread acceptance and implementation of innovative stormwater
best management practices (BMPs). Searchable by state and town,
the UNHSC-NEMO Innovative Stormwater Management Inventory is
a database of New England sites where innovative stormwater BMPs
have been implemented. Database users can add examples of innovative
BMP implementation and provide suggestions of how to improve
this regional resource at their online database. Examples of innovative BMP
implementation can be submitted though an online submission form.
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