The Resilience Roundup highlights announcements and events along with links to the previous month's state, regional, and national resilience news.
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CIRCA Is Hiring - Join Our Climate Research Team
Postdoctoral Research Associate Climatologist
The Postdoctoral Research Associate (PDRA) will conduct the analysis of data and model results required to understand the current and future threats of heat stress and precipitation changes in Connecticut. There will also be opportunities to collaborate on other projects supervised by the Assistant Director of Research. The results of the work will be communicated to the general public and State leadership in addition to the scientific community.
Application closes March 17, 2023. Learn more and apply HERE.
Postdoctoral Research Associate - Physical Oceanography, Coastal Engineering
The University of Connecticut (UConn) seeks applicants for the position of Postdoctoral Research Associate at the Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation (CIRCA) to develop, test and apply numerical models of circulation in complicated coastal areas to determine levels and patterns of flood risk for activities associated with the development of Resilient Connecticut project.
Application closes March 17, 2023. Learn more and apply HERE.
Research Associate 1 - Physical Oceanography, Coastal Engineering
The appointee will work in the research team supervised by the Assistant Director of Research, on projects that include the prediction of flooding in coastal areas, wave runup and coastal erosion, sea level change, and coastal subsidence, and the effectiveness of living shorelines. The RA will participate in the development, testing, and application of numerical models, and the design, execution, and data analysis of observation programs to evaluate models than the effectiveness of interventions.
Application closes March 26, 2023. Learn more and apply HERE.
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NFWF: National Coastal Resilience Fund 2023 Request for Proposals
Pre Proposal Webinar: March 2, 3:00 - 4:30 p.m. (Register HERE)
Pre-Proposal Due Date: April 12, by 11:59 p.m.
The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) is pleased to announce the 2023 National Coastal Resilience Fund (NCRF) Request for Proposals (RFP). NFWF will make investments in planning, design, and implementation of natural and nature-based solutions. The goal is to enhance protections for coastal communities from the impacts of storms, floods, and other natural coastal hazards and to improve habitats for fish and wildlife. NFWF will award approximately $140 million in grants to create and restore natural systems to increase protection for communities from current and future coastal hazards and improve habitats for fish and wildlife species. The availability of federal funds estimated in this solicitation is contingent upon the federal appropriations process; funding decisions will be made based on level of funding and timing of when it is received by NFWF.
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National Sea Grant Law Center: Coastal Resilience Program
The National Sea Grant Law Center is accepting applications from eligible applicants to conduct research on the effectiveness of coastal adaptation laws and policies. The Coastal Resilience Program grants have a recommended funding level of $75,000. The National Sea Grant Law Center anticipates sufficient funding to make one to two grant awards. Eligible applications for this funding opportunity are Sea Grant Programs, institutions of higher education, state agencies, and non-profit organizations that have the ability and capacity to conduct rigorous, non-partisan law and policy research. Letters of Intent are due on Wednesday, March 1. Full proposals are due on Friday, April 14, 2023.
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Sea Grant: Long Island Sound Resilience Grant Writing Assistance Program
With funding from US EPA through the Long Island Sound Study (LISS), New York Sea Grant and Connecticut Sea Grant announced a funding opportunity open to municipalities and community organizations. This new program funds grant preparation and writing support to develop a grant application for sustainable and resilience projects that impact a community(ies) within or partially within the Long Island Sound Coastal boundary.
Funding is to be awarded in a range of $5,000- $9,950 per application directly to the applicant’s selected grant writing support contractor on a cost reimbursable basis. Match will not be required. Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until all available funding is allocated, which may be no later than September 30th, 2023. A Connecticut Applicant Informational Webinar was held on December 13th - click HERE for a recording.
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Branford CT, Meadow Street Flood
Resilience Project Public Meeting
March 1, 6:00 p.m.
CIRCA and the Town of Branford will be hosting a public meeting on March 1, 2023, at 6 pm at the Branford Community House (46 Chruch Street) to develop a plan to reduce flooding risk in the Meadow Street neighborhood. This neighborhood is in the FEMA-mapped floodplain and has experienced flooding from past coastal storms. Rising sea levels are increasing the threats of flooding, with up to 20 inches of sea level rise projected by 2050. We hope to see you there to discuss flooding risks in this neighborhood and potential solutions that are being considered to control those risks.
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CIRCA Fairfield RR Underpasses Pilot
(Study) Project Public Meeting
March 2, 7:00 p.m.
Join CIRCA and the Town of Fairfield for a virtual public meeting on March 2nd at 7pm. CIRCA and Fairfield are collaborating on a planning level study to investigate solutions to persistent flooding problems at four underpasses that cross under the New Haven Line in Fairfield. This event will be an opportunity to meet the study team, learn about CIRCA and the scope of Fairfield's pilot project, and provide feedback about your experience with flooding in downtown and at these underpasses. We look forward to engaging with you all!
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Throwe Environmental: Where to Begin? Navigating Connecticut Grant Opportunities.
March 27, 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Simply put, there are a lot of funding opportunities available right now. With historic federal investments in environmental and climate infrastructure, communities and organizations across Connecticut must quickly determine which programs are worth the time and resources needed to put together an application. This workshop aims to position attendees to take advantage of grant funding opportunities in the near-term, helping them implement priority projects. Participants will learn about the “do’s and don'ts” of a successful proposal, how to successfully engage partners and community members, and how to communicate the benefits of their project to funders. You will hear from staff from state and federal funding programs, and have the opportunity to brainstorm project ideas with program staff one-on-one. Lastly, you will have the option to attend in-person site visit(s) to see successfully funded projects first-hand.
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2023 Connecticut Land Conservation Conference
March 27, Wesleyan University
CLCC invites you to join us for the state’s largest land conservation gathering and CLCC’s premier annual event, featuring a full day of educational workshops and peer-to-peer networking followed by an informal reception with friends and colleagues from across the state.
This year’s conference features 57 workshops led by top-notch presenters. This year’s keynote speaker features Anne-Sophie Pagé, a young environmentalist and veterinarian from New Zealand. Through the international lens of her research and fieldwork in wildlife conservation, Anne-Sophie will talk about the importance of land conservation in saving the planet.
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Long Island Sound Summit 2023: Funding & Strategies to Tackle Local Water Pollution
March 30, 10:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Historic public funding investments in our nation’s water infrastructure and natural resource resilience make this a critical moment to advance local actions that restore and protect cleaner, healthier water. In response, the Long Island Sound Coastal Watershed Network is hosting its inaugural Long island Sound Summit at Port Jefferson, NY. The Summit will include a plenary panel featuring presentations from NY and CT speakers and will include a panel discussion moderated by Adrienne Esposito, Executive Director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment. Learn about these local water quality projects, their success and challenges, and available resources.
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CT Public Television: Climate Change Along Connecticut’s Coast
Connecticut’s coastline along Long Island Sound will be the frontline to some of the state’s most severe impacts of climate change. In this episode, the historical and ecological importance of the Sound will be explored, what changes coastal communities face, and what needs to be done to protect them. An interview from CIRCA's own Executive Director, Jim O'Donnell is featured, sharing his expertise on the future of Connecticut's coastline and what we can do to combat rising sea levels.
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Center for Climate Resilience and Decision Science: Climate Risk & Resilience Portal (ClimR)
Climate change is increasing the complexity, intensity, and frequency of disasters. Understanding future climate conditions in cities and towns across the United States is necessary to prepare for future climate realities. To address this requirement, ClimRR — the Climate Risk and Resilience Portal — empowers individuals, governments, and organizations to examine simulated future climate conditions at mid- and end-of-century for a range of climate perils. ClimRR was developed by the Center for Climate Resilience and Decision Science (CCRDS) at Argonne National Laboratory in collaboration with AT&T and the United States Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
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NOAA: The Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation Planning Tool
Climate change is a major driver and pressure acting on marine biodiversity, and is an increasingly critical management consideration for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs). Many existing management effectiveness tools and assessments address climate change directly or indirectly by fostering management best practices that can support protected areas under a range of changing circumstances, including a changing climate. However, there is a lack of tools to help MPA practitioners consider in depth how climate change relates to MPA management and the importance of intentionally strengthening management practices in the face of the climate crisis. The Climate Change Resilience and Adaptation Planning Tool (CC-RAPT) for MPAs and Marine OECMs was developed by the Marine Subgroup of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) Climate Change Specialist Group to address that gap.
CC-RAPT is meant to help MPA managers and staff identify strengths and areas for improvement in terms of climate resilience and adaptation. The findings from this assessment can drive climate-informed research, management, and collaboration. This tool also highlights resources that can support operationalizing your results.
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State and Regional News Clips |
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So Hot
UConn Magazine - Spring Edition
We all know how much our surroundings influence the temperatures we experience. A hot, humid day in a bustling city of concrete, glass, and steel feels far more oppressive than the same day spent in a lushly wooded park or on a breezy beach.
On one of the hottest days of the blisteringly hot summer of 2022, locations around the city of Norwalk, Connecticut, saw a range of high temperatures. Calf Pasture Beach, at the shore, hit 96 degrees, while a mile inland, sensors at East Norwalk train station and Naramake Elementary School each clocked a high of 104 degrees.
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Chart: CT’s Greenhouse Gas Emissions Have Fallen, but State Not on Track to Meet Goal
CT Mirror - February 2, 2023
Connecticut’s Global Warming Solutions Act in 2008 required the state to reduce statewide emissions by certain levels by certain years. By 2020, the state had to reduce emissions to a level 10% below 1990 levels. After an amendment made in recent years, emissions in 2030 have to be down 45% from 2001 levels. By 2050, the state has to reduce them 80% below 2001 levels.The state is not on track to meet those goals, according to a state report and data from the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection.
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Climate Change Threatens Connecticut. Coastal Communities Are in the Crosshairs
CT Public Radio - February 15, 2023
Long Island Sound has been an essential part of life along Connecticut’s shoreline for thousands of years. But climate change now poses a severe threat to both the communities and natural ecosystems along the coast. Connecticut Public spent months traveling across the state’s largest natural resource. Cutline: Climate Change Along Connecticut's Coast explores the Sound’s historical and ecological importance, what changes coastal communities face and what needs to be done to protect them — and communities inland.
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Sunk: Connecticut’s Growing Flood Risk
CT Insider Investigator - February 19, 2023
In Connecticut, around 61% of the state’s population lives in an area threatened by coastal flooding. Projections provided by the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) show that the state is at risk of losing up to 24,000 acres of land to rising sea levels in the next 50 years.
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Sea-Level Toolkit: New Guide Helps Planners Prepare
NASA - February 7, 2023
Rising sea levels pose challenges for resource managers and planners in coastal regions around the country. These communities face threats such as the potential inundation of tidal wetlands, or damage to wastewater management systems and other infrastructure.Planners working at the city or county level are tasked with redesigning, building, and protecting these valuable coastal assets. And they need tools and guidance to make wise choices.To help coastal resource managers, scientists have been working to make their findings more useful and accessible. A new roadmap for coastal planners, written by a geographically diverse team of extension, planning, and outreach professionals, offers a practical primer for communities preparing for rising seas.
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US Coastal Communities Underestimate the Danger
Posed by Rising Seas
Nature - February 10, 2023
More than half of US coastal communities are underestimating the rise in sea levels that global warming might cause in their regions, according to a study. In what they call a first-of-its-kind analysis, researchers reviewed dozens of documents — the current assessments of sea-level rise for more than 50 coastal locations — and found that many of the predictions had gaps, including not considering worst-case scenarios.
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Climate Change Has Forced Thousands to Relocate in the U.S.
NPR - February 21, 2023
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Jake Bittle, the author of The Great Displacement, about how climate change has forced some people in the U.S. to relocate against their will.
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The Risk of Damage From Hurricane Winds Will Shift in Coming Decades. See the Impact by Zip Code
Washington Post - February 27, 2023
Hurricane winds fueled by climate change will reach further inland and put tens of millions more Americans’ lives and homes at risk in the next three decades, according to a detailed new analysis released.The data from the nonprofit First Street Foundation comes as hundreds of people remain displaced across southwest Florida, five months after Hurricane Ian barreled across the state and killed nearly 150 people. A Washington Post analysis of the group’s data found that nearly 30 million Americans in about 235 counties across 18 states in the contiguous United States, from Texas to New England, will face new threats from hurricane-force winds.
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The Resilience Roundup highlights CIRCA's presence in the news, provides links to recent local/state/national news articles related to resilience and adaptation, and announces upcoming events and seminars.
The Connecticut Institute for Resilience and Climate Adaptation's (CIRCA) mission is to increase the resilience and sustainability of vulnerable communities along Connecticut's coast and inland waterways to the growing impacts of climate change and extreme weather on the natural, built, and human environment. The institute is located at the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus and includes faculty from across the university. CIRCA is a partnership between UConn and the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (CT DEEP).
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State and Regional News Clips |
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