In This Issue:
Action You Can Take This Week
Beacon Hill Updates
Climate Change & Energy News
Programs, Events & Workshops
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Quotation of the Week
You will see, I believe, the type of activism around this issue that this building has not seen in many years. That is my prediction. You will see people taking to the streets and coming to the State House and being in the corridors of the State House and demanding that we move forward because it is urgent that we do so.
- Mass Senate President pro tempore and chairperson of the Committee on Global Warming Senator Marc R. Pacheco (D-Taunton), at a State House press conference announcing the release of his new energy bill; State House News Service, Feb. 12, 2018
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Mass Audubon Advocacy
Jack Clarke, Director of Public Policy & Government Relations Karen Heymann, Legislative Director Christina Wiseman, Advocacy Associate Heidi Ricci, Assistant Director of Advocacy Stefanie Covino, Coordinator, Shaping the Future of Your Community Dan Brown, Climate Change Education and Outreach Coordinator
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Support Our Advocacy Efforts
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About The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup
The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup tracks the legislative priorities of Mass Audubon, focusing on the protection of the nature of Massachusetts.
Send us an email to sign up.
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Advocacy Resources
Political Landscapes Blog
Want to learn more about proceedings in the House and Senate?
Read our Legislative Primer
Find your legislators based on your home address
View live streaming and archived video of House and Senate sessions
Register to vote online
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Join Mass Audubon
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February 20, 2018
Action You Can Take This Week
No actions for our readers to take this week, but we’re staying busy on both Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill. Stay tuned!
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Beacon Hill Updates
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© Daniel Schwen |
Green Budget Launch Mass Audubon attended the release event for the FY19 Green Budget, organized by our friends at the Environmental League of Massachusetts (ELM) and the Green Budget Coalition, of which we are members.
The Green Budget is produced by ELM and the Coalition to bring awareness on the importance of adequately funding our environmental agencies.
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Climate Change & Energy News
Supporting MVP Communities Along with other local partners, Mass Audubon’s Shaping the Future of Your Community program has worked with the towns of Natick and Mendon to complete their Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) workshops. The state MVP program helps support cities and towns in developing climate resiliency plans.
We were encouraged to see Mendon highlight the importance of implementing Low Impact Development practices, which mitigate flooding and allow for future growth while preserving the community’s natural assets. Learn more in this feature in the Milford Daily News.
New Studies Show More Action Needed Two
recent studies show that we still need to ramp up our efforts on
climate change mitigation. In the annual Worldwide Threat Assessment, US
intelligence agencies warn that global instability could result if
climate change continues unabated. This messaging is in contrast to recent policy papers from the Department of Defense, which did not mention climate change.
And according to a study
by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and not so
surprising to those of us in the Bay State, sea levels have been rising
since 1993. The study was done using satellite data, and predicts
accelerated sea level rise in the future.
Both warnings show that the need for climate change mitigation is more urgent than ever. Here are some ways you can help in your own life.
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Upcoming Programs, Events & Workshops
Oil & Gas Drilling Meeting Mass Audubon will be attending the US Department of the Interior’s (DOI) public listening session in Boston on offshore oil and gas drilling. The sessions will focus on DOI’s five-year drilling expansion plan, which includes two areas off the New England Coast. The Boston session will take place on February 27 from 3:00-7:00 p.m. *Please note the location change*: the meeting will now be held at the Sheraton Boston Hotel (39 Dalton Street, Boston, MA 02199).
Mass Audubon will be submitting comments to DOI expressing our strong disagreement with their plan following the Boston listening session.
Mass Audubon Birders Meeting Sign up is now open for the 2018 Birders Meeting: Highlands and Islands of New England: A Bird’s-Eye-View.
This year’s fun-filled day will start with a keynote presentation from
Victor Emanuel called “Birds & Life.” The day will continue with
presentations that address the importance of coastal islands and high
elevation “sky” islands to both breeding and migrating birds. The
meeting takes place on Sunday, March 11 at UMass Boston - check out the website for more details and to register.
Spring Conferences with Shaping the Future Mass Audubon’s Shaping the Future program will be speaking and tabling at several conferences this spring. We hope you can join us to learn about sustainable land use, Low Impact Development, land conservation, climate adaptation, and more. Save the dates for March 3, 17, and 24 - get all the details here. |
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