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In This Issue
Our Program is Growing!
Ensuring MVP Success Webinars
Building Resilient Communities
MassECAN Offers New Adaptation Opportunities
State Launches New Smart Growth Program
Climate Adaptation for the Agricultural Sector
State Launches New Smart Growth Program
Last week Governor Charlie Baker launched the new Housing Choice Initiative. While the goal is to increase housing across Massachusetts, the Initiative will offer incentives encouraging communities to achieve this growth through sustainable development practices. Modeled after the state’s Green Communities program, the Initiative will reward cities and towns that use land efficiently, protect natural resources, and conserve energy.
Learn More >
We Want to Hear From You!
Do you have questions about the Shaping Program or want to host a workshop in your community?
Let Us Know >
Resources
From Losing Ground and past presentations to tools to enhance conservation, see it all on our resources page.
Join Today!
Membership dues provide vital support for our advocacy work on Beacon Hill and in communities across the state.
Join Today >
Make an Impact
Help create sustainable communities across Massachusetts!
Meet the Team
Stefanie Covino, Coordinator, Shaping the Future of Your Community
Dan Brown, Climate Change Education and Outreach Coordinator
Christina Wiseman, Advocacy Associate
Heidi Ricci, Assistant Director of Advocacy
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The Shaping the Future of Your Community program provides municipal officials and local citizens with the tools, techniques, and expertise to promote smart development and protect natural resources.
Our Program Team is Growing!
Join the Shaping the Future of Your Community team and help communities plan for sustainable development, climate change resilience, and more!
We are looking for a part-time Assistant Coordinator to help conduct workshops and engage citizens at the local and regional levels. They will also work with local officials on community planning and natural resource protection, as well as with Mass Audubon sanctuaries.
This position enhances our program’s capacity in the Southeast region of Massachusetts, and will be based out of Mass Audubon’s Oak Knoll Wildlife Sanctuary in Attleboro.
Learn More & Apply >
Save the Date: Ensuring MVP Success Webinars
Save the date for these upcoming webinars to learn more about participation in—and best practices for—the state’s Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program, hosted by the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs and The Nature Conservancy.
The Shaping program will host a session on Monday, January 22. Learn how to use our free Local Land Use Regulations Analysis Tool to help review local bylaws and regulations in order to encourage the nature-based solutions that increase climate change resilience.
Want to know more about the MVP program? Mass Audubon is a certified provider—contact Stefanie Covino for details.
Building Resiliency in the Taunton Watershed
Thanks to an EPA Healthy Communities Grant, the Shaping program has been working with partners in the Resilient Taunton Watershed Network to help cities and towns make smart and cost-effective adaptation choices that also preserve natural systems.
This low-lying watershed is particularly vulnerable to flooding, is the fastest developing watershed in the Commonwealth, and nearly a third of the land is undeveloped, unprotected, and of critical importance for habitat, water resource protection, and climate resilience.
Learn More >
MassECAN Offers New Adaptation Opportunities
Bob Wilber discussing Tidmarsh |
Mass Audubon sponsored and presented at the recent Massachusetts Ecosystem Climate Adaptation Network conference, which launched a new network of climate adaptation practitioners looking to build community, foster collaboration, and expand their impact.
Mass Audubon’s Director of Land Protection, Bob Wilber, discussed the new Tidmarsh Wildlife Sanctuary—the largest freshwater ecological restoration project ever undertaken in New England. The conference highlighted climate adaptation best practices across the state, and sparked discussions on preserving and restoring our natural environment as the first line of defense against a changing climate.
Climate Adaptation for the Agricultural Sector
The projected impacts of climate change on coastal areas such as sea level rise are well known, but impacts on agricultural and rural communities don’t always get as much attention.
The Georgetown Climate Center has come out with two new resources for these communities, including a new report that looks into climate-smart agricultural practices to help farms prepare for climate change impacts.
They've also launched a new section of their adaptation website to help policymakers understand and plan for the unique impacts facing rural areas and small communities.
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