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Casco Bay Coastal Academy
Casco Bay Coastal Academy is a quarterly workshop series aimed at building the knowledge base of municipal board members about critical coastal issues, and providing skills training to support their project planning and implementation.
Conservation commissioners and other local board members can and do play an important role in natural resource protection and education. As an arm of local government, local boards can also be a conduit for information, technical assistance, and grant funding from outside organizations, as well as a conduit to those organizations about the needs of the local community. A few resources in Maine provide information and training to elected officials and local boards, including The Maine Municipal Association and Maine Association of Conservation Commissions. Municipal staff and regional planning agencies provide needed technical assistance. Yet these programs cannot reach all municipal officials, especially volunteer board members such as conservation commission and planning board members.
CBEP and partners are offering quarterly workshops designed for members of municipal boards and staff, focused on important coastal issues and offering science-based natural resource information. There are presentations, followed by plenty of time for peer discussion. A big focus is peer-to-peer exchange; for instance, highlighting local community success stories and profiling best management practices and programs.
Coastal Academy Upcoming Events
There are no upcoming events planned for summer 2024. Check back for fall 2024 program news.
Coastal Academy Resources
May 8, 2024
Corinne Michaud-LeBlanc and Joe Roy of Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Beginning with Habitat program provided an overview of conservation planning tools and strategies for a changing climate, and suggestions for how to use them. This presentation highlighted brook trout, inland flooding, aquatic connectivity, and landscape connectivity.
April 24, 2024
Corinne Michaud-LeBlanc, Climate Coordinator for Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife Beginning with Habitat program provided an overview of conservation planning tools and strategies for a changing climate, and suggestions for how to use them. This presentation highlighted salt marsh ecosystems and salt marsh sparrows. Pete Slovinsky, Marine Geologist with Maine Geological Survey, discussed how climate change is impacting vulnerable dune habitat in the state, and recommended conservation actions for communities with this habitat.
January 18, 2024
Maine Water and Wastewater Funding Sources compiled by the Environmental Finance Center Network (2019)
Maine Drinking Water Program Private Well Technical Assistance
January 18, 2024
How is climate change impacting drinking water in coastal Maine, and what are some coastal and island communities doing to begin addressing these challenges? In this workshop, we heard from a few island communities who have been taking steps to protect their drinking water, as well as from Ryan Gordon, Hydrogeologist with Maine Geological Survey.
Presentation by Ryan Gordon, Hydrogeologist, Maine Geological Survey
March 23, 2023 – Greater Portland Council of Governments
Participants learned strategies for municipalities to work with volunteers to embed climate action in a way that aligns with community resources and capacity.
Workshop recording
Workshop presentation
Reference Links: Volunteer Involvement in Climate Action Planning
June 7, 2022 – Bug Light Park
Participants were introduced to conservation citizen science apps and their core uses and functions before trying out the apps. The following apps were demonstrated: Litterati, WaterReporter, iNaturalist, iMapInvasives, and ArcGIS Survey123.
Presentation by Peter Slovinsky, Maine Geological Survey
Presentation by Damon Yakovleff and Chris Baldwin, Cumberland County Soil & Water Conservation District
Presentation by Martha Sheils, New England Environmental Finance Center
Handout: Nature-Based Solutions Funding Matrix
Handout: FEMA, Nature-Based Solutions Guide
September 29, 2020 – Webinar
Presentation by Judy East, Chair, Community Resilience Planning, Public Health, and Emergency Management Working Group, Maine Climate Council
Presentation by Kathleen Leyden, Co-Chair, Coastal & Marine Working Group, Maine Climate Council
Summary, Maine Climate Council Recommendations
Update for Maine Association of Planners on Maine Climate Council
January 27, 2020, Maine Audubon Gilsland Farm
Presentation by Curtis Bohlen, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership
Presentation by Ivy Frignoca, Friends of Casco Bay
Presentation by Fred Dillon, City of South Portland
Handout: Nutrients in Your Community
Presentation by Southern Maine Planning & Development Commission
Climate Resilience Funding Series
New England Environmental Finance Center, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, and Maine DEP, with assistance from Resilience Works, LLC, and support from USEPA Region 1, offered a series focused on crafting successful proposals toward sustainable financing of climate resilience and stormwater related projects. The series focused on knowledge sharing, idea exchange, and real-world advice and inspiration. We lead participants through successive sessions that built upon one another, from understanding what grant agencies look for in their applications, to beginning the process of establishing sustainable financing sources.
May 10, 2022 Webinar – funding provided by Maine Coastal Program
Building Strong Communities With Grant Funding connected inland Maine community leaders and service providers in discussing grant funding priorities and challenges, identifying support services, learning about successful community projects, and building relationships.
Recording of workshop
Presentation – Includes presentations from Jay Kamm, Senior Planner, Northern Maine Development Commission and Kelly Rehberg, Sustainability Programs Coordinator, Greater Portland Council of Governments
October 16, 2020 – Webinar
Handouts:
Community Resilience Funding Guidance Series: Setting Municipalities up for Success
Community Resilience Funding Guidance Series: Setting Funders up for Impact
August 19, 2020 – Webinar
Recording of Workshop
Presentation, Coastal Communities Grant Program by Ruta Dzenis, Maine DACF
Presentation, SHIP and BIG Programs, Matthew Burns, Maine DOT
Presentation, Watershed Planning & Implementation Grant Programs, Wendy Garland, Maine DEP
Presentation, Municipal Stream Crossing Upgrade Grants Program, John Maclaine, Maine DEP
Case Study: Municipal Stream Crossing Program