Coastal Adaptation Plan for the Town of Groton, Connecticut
Photo attributed to Victor-ny. Incorporated here under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. No endorsement by licensor implied.
Summary
The Long Island Sound Study (LISS) received a Partner Start-up Grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Ready Estuaries Program to develop an adaptation plan for the Town of Groton, Connecticut. With support from ICLEI and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), LISS hosted a series of workshops to educate government officials on climate change, identify local vulnerabilities, and develop adaptation strategies.
Background
LISS, in cooperation with ICLEI, the Connecticut DEP, and the Town of Groton, and with support from the EPA’s Climate Ready Estuaries Program, is developing a climate adaptation plan for Groton, Connecticut. A three-part series of workshops was held to engage representatives from federal, state, and municipal governments in adaptation planning for the town. The purposes of the workshops include:
- To educate stakeholders on adaptation planning and local climate change impacts
- To identify vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies
- To create a plan for implementation of identified strategies
These workshops identified specific steps that Groton (or a similar city) will need to take to adapt to climate change and which of those activities would be done on the local, state, and federal levels.
Implementation
LISS proposed to and was funded by the Climate Ready Estuaries Program in 2009 to examine the division of responsibilities and roles between the federal, state, local, and private sectors in an adaptation plan from the perspective of Groton. The grant supported three workshops to train and educate government officials at all levels on their roles in climate change adaptation. The first workshop was held in January 2010 and included eight presentations on projected climate change impacts to the Connecticut coast, coastal hazards, and adaptation responses at local and state levels. In addition to the workshops, the grant will support four working groups – Infrastructure, Natural Resources and Ecological Habitats, Agriculture, and Health.
Outcomes and Conclusions
The workshops are the first step in the effort to develop an adaptation plan for Groton; the outcomes of the workshops identified local vulnerabilities and options for adaptation, and serve as a model for other local governments and adaptation initiatives. The EPA will also assist LISS to develop recommendations for improving existing monitoring efforts.
Status
Information gathered from interviews and online resources. Last updated on 01/15/2011Project File (s)
Citation
Gregg, R. M. (2010). Coastal Adaptation Plan for the Town of Groton, Connecticut [Case study on a project of the Long Island Sound Study and the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection]. Product of EcoAdapt's State of Adaptation Program. Retrieved from CAKE: http://www.cakex.org/case-studies/coastal-adaptation-plan-town-groton-co... (Last updated January 2011)
