June 2019
The Resilience Roundup highlights announcements, events, and funding opportunities along with links to the previous month's local, state, and national resilience news. 
Learn more about CIRCA at circa.uconn.edu
and the Resilient Connecticut Project at resilientconnecticut.uconn.edu
Resilient Connecticut Updates
June 28, 2019 - Resilient Connecticut Webinar
Regional Resilience Planning for Protection of Public Drinking Water  
On June 28 at 10 am, CIRCA is hosting a webinar focused on results from a new regional drinking water vulnerability assessment. UConn professor Christine Kirchhoff will be joined by John Hudak from the South Central Connecticut Regional Water Authority to discuss integration of climate change information into water planning processes for the region.
Resilient Connecticut Webinar in Partnership with the CEDAS Academy:
Addressing Climate Change Through Resilient Development

CIRCA partnered with the Connecticut Economic Development Association (CEDAS) to host a webinar on May 28, 2019 to describe the effects of climate change on sea level rise projections for Connecticut as well as the impact of increased flooding on critical infrastructure, transportation, and housing. Speakers also described resilient design strategies for new development and provided examples in communities throughout the northeast. Click below to view a link of the webinar recording.
May 22 Resilient Connecticut Workshop Products Available
CIRCA hosted the Resilient Connecticut Workshop: Developing a Planning Framework for New Haven and Fairfield Counties  on Wednesday, May 22, 2019 at the UConn Stamford campus. A Resilient Connecticut project summary; case studies on resilience planning and priorities for funding, planning, capacity development were covered. Speaker's slides and research posters are available on the Resilient Connecticut website.
Announcements
Funding Opportunity - Hazard Mitigation Program Project
As a result of two recent Major Disaster Declarations, DR 4385 and DR 4410, the State of Connecticut Division of Emergency Services & Public Protection is opening the project application period for the Hazard Mitigation Program. The application period will be open until July 10, 2019 .  The FEMA Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA) Guidance can be found through the link below - Page 33 of the guidance provides a chart of eligible activities by HMA program. If you have questions, please contact DEMHS Hazard Mitigation staff at [email protected]  
Funding Opportunity - NextGen 2019 Grant
The NextGen Committee is currently seeking proposals for new or existing programs that will help to reduce global warming, whether through direct carbon avoidance, climate communication, climate education, industry engagement, or otherwise. Proposals are due on July 12, 2019. Please contact [email protected]  with questions.
Drinking Water Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Plan Report Available
The Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH), Milone and MacBroom, UConn researchers, and CIRCA collaborated to prepare a Drinking Water Vulnerability Assessment and Resilience Plan (DWVARP) for that state to assess, identify, and address vulnerabilities for community water systems in Fairfield, New Haven, New London, and Middlesex counties. 
Mystic Coastal Resilience Reports Available
Students from the Conway School’s Graduate Program in Sustainable Landscape Planning and Design worked with the town of Stonington to develop shoreline and inland resilience measures to help Downtown Mystic deal with impacts of storm surge and sea level rise. The final report was developed via a grant to The Nature Conservancy’s Community Resilience Building Program from the Community Foundation of Eastern Connecticut.
Design and Technical Guide for Implementing Innovative Municipal Scale Coastal Resilience in Southern Connecticut Report Available

CIRCA's Municipal Resilience Grant Program funded a project team consisting of Yale researchers, the  South Central Regional Council of Governance  (SCRCOG) staff, and municipal officials to apply coastal adaptation strategies to projects at Old Field Creek in West Haven and Cosey Beach in East Haven. The final Design and Technical Guide is intended to be a prototype serving as a toolkit for municipal planning.
Advancing Tools and Methods for Flexible Adaptation Pathways and Science Policy Integration Report Available

The 2019 New York City Panel on Climate Change report is now available. This report outlines our growing understanding of the extreme effects of climate change, as well as the efforts the state of New York is putting in place to ensure a more sustainable future.
Events
June 7, 2019 - Disruptive Climate, Disruptive Technologies Forum
7:15am - 11:45pm
UMass Club 32nd Floor (1 Beacon Street, Boston, MA)

Lives and livelihoods from the world’s oceans to its deserts are already impacted by climate change, and the disruption will continue into the foreseeable future. Join this Climate Adaptation Forum for a discussion about how disruptive technologies are changing the way we adapt to our uncertain future.
June 11, 2019 - Living Shoreline Approaches: Lessons Learned Webinar

2:00pm

NROC, NERACOOS and other partners will host this webinar to share resources, case studies and lessons learned from the recently completed project, Advancement of Green Infrastructure and Living Shoreline Approaches in the Northeast.
June 19, 2019 - Natural Disaster Preparedness and Recovery for Communities Served by Decentralized Wastewater Systems

1:00pm - 3:00pm

With at least one in five homes and many businesses dependent on septic systems and other decentralized wastewater systems, what are the implications regarding their vulnerabilities, and how do affected communities respond? This webinar will feature experts from the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), EPA officials in Puerto Rico, and a local official in coastal Connecticut. The event is sponsored by the EPA Decentralized Wastewater MOU Partnership and will cover new resources promoting key messages to populations dependent on decentralized systems across the U.S.
August 27 - 29, 2019 - USET Climate Resilience Summit

Turning Stone Resort Casino (5218 Patrick Road, Verona, NY)

Tribal experts and partners will come together to share knowledge and practices in building climate change resilience within Southern and Eastern Tribal Nations. Presenters and facilitators will include Tribal Nations with climate adaptation plans, local practitioners in resilience building, and partners from the Northeast and Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Centers.
November 4-8, 2019 - Gulf of Maine 2050 International Symposium
Call for Abstracts
The Westin Portland Harborview (157 High Street, Portland, ME)

Join leaders from across New England and the Maritime Provinces for this event that brings together environmental, economic, social and institutional perspectives on climate resilience. Gulf of Maine 2050 is now accepting abstracts that highlight current research, examples of climate impacts on communities, businesses and industries, and case studies highlighting efforts to promote resilience.  The deadline for abstract submission is August 5.
Local & State News Clips
May 6, 2019 - How Climate Change is Affecting Connecticut, NBC Connecticut

Shorter winters, longer and more intense heat waves, rising sea level, and bigger rain storms – all these things show that climate change isn’t something that’s coming, it’s something that is here. NBC Connecticut explores what this means for our state and its future.
May 11, 2019 - Talking Climate Change and Policy in Connecticut With James O’Donnell,   NBC Connecticut

CIRCA's Jim O'Donnell sat down with Face the Facts With Max Reiss to talk about our changing climate and what impacts Connecticut coastal residents could see in the future.
May 14, 2019 - Is Sea Rise Wrecking Coastal Home Values? The Answer: Maybe ,
NBC Connecticut

Some research suggests rising sea levels and flooding brought by global warming are harming coastal property values. But real estate experts say they haven't seen any ebb in demand for coastal homes. So how much homeowners and communities should worry -- and how much they should invest in remedies -- remains an open question.
May 14, 2019 - Can Beach Erosion Be Controlled? , WSHU Public Radio

Billions of cubic yards of sand on Connecticut and Long Island beaches have been washed out to sea from erosion and rising tides. Beaches are vital to this region and WSHU Public Radio invited guests on their show to discuss what the future holds for Connecticut beaches.
May 29, 2019 - Murphy Promises Help Protecting Shoreline ,
New Haven Independent

U.S. Senator Chris Murphy spoke about a proposal he plans to reintroduce along with fellow Senator Kamala Harris of California, called the Living Shoreline Act. If passed, the act would fund $25 million in 1:1 matching grants through the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to support municipalities’ and nonprofits’ living shoreline protection projects that are environmentally friendly while preventing coastal erosion.
National News Clips
May 9, 2019 - Coastal Recovery: Bringing a Damaged
Wetland Back to Life, Yale Environment 360

An ambitious wetlands restoration project is underway on Delaware Bay, where scientists are using innovative methods to revive a badly damaged salt marsh. The project could be a model for other places seeking to make coastal wetlands more resilient to rising seas and worsening storms.
May 11, 2019 - Portsmouth Selected for Program to
Protect Against Climate Change , The Newport Daily News

The Rhode Island Infrastructure Bank recently announced Portsmouth, Barrington, Warren, South Kingstown and Westerly as five communities chosen to craft and implement resiliency projects based on specific needs. The bank will commit $2 million to fund the projects.
May 11, 2019 - Maryland DNR Receives $1 Million Grant , The Star Dem

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service awarded Maryland Department of Natural Resources, partnering with the Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center, a $1 million National Coastal Wetlands Conservation grant to implement coastal resiliency enhancements at the Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge and Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center.
May 16, 2019 - Governors of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania Commit to Restoring the Delaware River Watershed , NJ Insider

Governors signed a proclamation agreeing to work together to make the Delaware River Basin the national model for sustainable economic development, drinkable clean water, healthy fish and wildlife populations, recreation, and nature-based climate resilience. 
May 29, 2019 - Tool Shows Best Sites For Resilience Projects ,
Coastal Review Online

The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation earlier this month released its Regional Coastal Resilience Assessment along with a new Coastal Resilience Evaluation and Siting Tool (CREST) that identifies and ranks potential project sites along the Atlantic, Gulf of Mexico and Pacific coastlines in the lower 48 states.
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).