By Dr. Jennifer Karberg, Research Program Supervisor
The Nantucket Select Board has officially recognized September as Climate Change Awareness Month and there are many local events to help learn about climate change particularly on Nantucket
“We, the Select Board of the Town of Nantucket in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, do hearby officially proclaim the month of September, 2020, is ‘Climate Change Awareness Month’ and do hereby encourage all residents to learn more about the threats of climate change and sea level rise and the planning efforts underway to increase community resilience.”
So why have we dedicated a whole month to increasing education about Climate Change on our island? As an island in the Atlantic, Nantucket understands the impacts of coastal flooding, big storm surges and rising sea levels. These direct impacts of climate change are seen on the island every year and sea level rise projections show that many of key historic and economic areas of Nantucket will be directly impacted in the next 50-60 years.
Since January 2019, Nantucket has been working, as a community, towards planning for climate change impacts on island and how to increase the resilience of our local community. You can read more on our blog about coastal resilience on Nantucket and how our salt marshes and wetlands help protect the shoreline.
Since that blog, the Town of Nantucket has formed the Coastal Resilience Advisory Committee to work with a consultant and create a Coastal Resilience Plan for the entire island. As the largest landowner on Nantucket, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation (NCF) is directly represented on the CRA committee. We are committed to exploring natural-ecologically based ways to use our protected lands to mitigate climate change!
And NCF is committed to using our expertise and properties to increase education around climate change on island! As one of the MANY events offered during Climate Change Awareness Month 2020 – join our ecologists for a new Climate Change Awareness Walk!
There are THREE chances to join us on a walk and explore how sea level rise and climate change is already impacting natural areas on our island. Using the salt marshes, wetlands, barrier beaches and uplands at the UMASS Field Station, we will guide you through the current stressors of climate and as well as the benefits these natural areas provide to buffer Nantucket from sea level rise.
September 14th, September 25th or September 26th
Walks are FREE but registration is required!
NCF will also be presenting at the Nantucket Land Council’s State of the Harbor Forum on September 24th at 4:30pm with an update on our salt marsh and coastal resilience research projects.
And there are MANY more opportunities to learn from the knowledgeable people on island!
Visit the ACKlimate website for a full list of events and to register! ACKlimate is a new organization on island – a public/private partnership of island organizations focused on increasing access to information and raising awareness about Climate Change on Nantucket. Visit their website for a wealth of information! The Nantucket Conservation Foundation is happy to be a founding partner of this new educational initiative on island!
As you explore Nantucket and learn more about Climate Change on island – share what you learn on social media! Help spread awareness, share the facts you learn and tag @ackconservation !
The Nantucket Conservation Foundation is a private, non-profit land trust that depends on contributions from our members to support our science projects, conservation property acquisitions and land management efforts. If you are not already a member, please join us now! www.nantucketconservation.org