In This Issue: Action You Can Take This Week Adaptation Needs in the News Beacon Hill Updates Good News for Water Protection Programs, Events & Workshops Quotation of the Week They’re just going to keep getting hit anytime there’s a big storm. That means we’re going to need some different answers. We have a lot of work to do on this one.  - Governor Charlie Baker speaking about ways to protect the Massachusetts coast from future storms; MassInsider; March 6, 2018 Mass Audubon Advocacy Jack Clarke, Director of Public Policy & Government Relations  Karen Heymann, Legislative Director  Heidi Ricci, Assistant Director of Advocacy Christina Wiseman, Advocacy Associate  Stefanie Covino, Coordinator, Shaping the Future of Your Community Ariel Maiorano, Assistant Coordinator, Shaping the Future of Your Community  Dan Brown, Climate Change Education and Outreach Coordinator   Support Our Advocacy Efforts 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.   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   Join Mass Audubon

March 12, 2018   Action You Can Take This Week     Storm surge in Revere, MA © Dennis Forgione Contact the Speaker on Climate Change Adaptation The spotlight on the need for climate change adaptation measures in Massachusetts has never been brighter (see below for some examples). Recent storms, some of which have resulted in devastating damage to our communities, are strong warnings that we need to prepare now for what is becoming the “new normal.” We’ve been reaching out to the Massachusetts House of Representatives to urge them to pass our Comprehensive Adaptation Management Plan (CAMP) bill (S.2196), and you can help. Please contact House Speaker DeLeo today and urge him to support the bill. Let him know this legislation will prepare Massachusetts for the impacts of climate change by identifying where we are most vulnerable, and taking measures to protect public health, public safety, and the economy. We need Speaker DeLeo to take up this bill now. Adaptation Needs in the News      Jack Clarke on The Take with Sue O'Connell Massachusetts’ climate change adaptation needs have continued to top the headlines over the past week, as communities around the state are still reeling from the impacts of recent storms. Our latest blog post compiles several of these stories, including Mass Audubon advocacy director Jack Clarke’s appearance on NECN/NBC 10’s The Take with Sue O’Connell. Beacon Hill Updates  Governor Baker to File Climate Bill This week, Governor Charlie Baker is expected to file legislation addressing the long-term capital funding needs related to the impacts of climate change. We’re staying tuned on more details, and would welcome any legislation that helps ensure implementation of our CAMP bill. Good News for Water Protection      © USFWS The Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture has voted to send a bill to study that would have jeopardized the health of our rivers, effectively tabling the bill for the rest of this legislative session. This is good news since the bill, H.2777, would have transferred responsibilities for regulating water pollution from the federal level to the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, which does not have the resources to do so effectively. Thanks to the Committee for voting to protect Massachusetts water quality, and to everyone who contacted Committee members to oppose the bill. In other water news, Mass Audubon signed on to a letter to Congress asking them to oppose riders in federal budget legislation that put much-needed clean water protections at risk. Read it here. Upcoming Programs, Events, & Workshops What on Earth is Green Infrastructure? Join Mass Audubon’s Shaping the Future program for the first of three free workshops this spring focused on stormwater solutions. What is Green Infrastructure, why is it helpful, and how do communities plan for it? Explore best practices and local case studies that help us prepare for climate change and safely manage extreme precipitation. This workshop takes place Thursday, March 15, 7:30-8:30 pm at the Hudson Conservation Commission, Hudson, MA. Learn more and 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 17 and 24 - get the details here. Innovative Financing for Climate Adaptation Mass Audubon is a co-sponsor of this Climate Adaptation Forum series that provides cutting-edge thought leadership for environmental and energy professionals, policy makers, municipal officials, and others. The third installment in the quarterly forum, organized by the Environmental Business Council and the Sustainable Solutions Lab at UMass Boston, will focus on the challenge of financing climate change adaptation projects. This event takes place Friday, April 13, 8:00 - 11:45 a.m. at the UMass Club, One Beacon Street, Boston, MA. Learn more and register.