Nov
14
8:30 AM08:30

The Great Marsh Symposium

  • Castle Hill - Trustees of Reservations (map)
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The Great Marsh Coalition invites you to join fellow coastal decision makers from the region to explore, identify, and discuss the value of natural systems in mitigating sea level rise impacts in great marsh communities.

What: The Great Marsh Symposium: The Value of Natural Systems in Protecting Great Marsh Communities hosted by: The Great Marsh Coalition

Where: The Great House at The Trustees of Reservations’ Crane Estate in Ipswich

When: Thursday, November 14, 2013, from 8:30 a.m. until 2:45 p.m.

Bonus: An optional “tour” of the Great Marsh from the roof of the Great House will immediately follow the workshop

Cost: FREE

Coffee and lunch will be provided generously supported through contributions by the Galilean fund of the Boston Foundation and the Merrimack Valley Planning Commission to learn more and to register, go to www.greatmarsh.org

For questions, contact Kathryn Glenn at the North Shore Office of Coastal Zone Management at (978) 281-3972 or kathryn.glenn@state.ma.us

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Oct
29
7:00 PM19:00

The Next Storm: Understand the Risks and Be Prepared?

Jack Clarke, Mass Audubon
Wednesday, October 29 at 7:00 PM
Firehouse Center for the Arts
We are thrilled to announce that The Firehouse Center for the Arts selected Storm Surge as one of five area non-profits to use their theater facilities free of charge this season. The Storm Surge Event is scheduled for the evening of Wednesday, October 29th. Stay tuned for more details.

Newburyport GOMI (Gulf of Main Institute) team will also have a table.

 

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Oct
9
to Oct 10

Picturing the Future of Our Coast Gulf of Maine King Tides Photo Contest Planned for October 9

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Portland, ME – Along the 7,500-mile Gulf of Maine shoreline, an extreme high tide on October 9, 2014 will illustrate what may become—with sea-level rise—the new tidal norm. Participants in the first-ever Gulf of Maine King Tides Photo Contest will document how the astronomical high tide that day affects wharves, causeways, marshes, beaches and other coastal settings. Interested citizens are encouraged to join the contest—submitting images from their cameras or smart phones.

“Sea-level rise is not in some far-off future. It’s here and we’re seeing the effects particularly on the perigean spring tides—when sun and moon align to cause exceptionally high tides,” notes Marina Schauffler, Climate Network Coordinator for the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment. “These ‘King Tides’ give us a preview of heights that typical tides will likely reach in coming years.”

 Organizations from three states and two Canadian provinces are collaboratively planning the Gulf of Maine King Tides Photo Contest—which invites images of coastal settings from Cape Cod Bay in Massachusetts to Cape Sable in Nova Scotia. “There’s been strong regional collaboration around Gulf of Maine for 25 years,” says Schauffler. “With climate impacts a growing concern, we hope that images from this contest will help coastal communities assess their vulnerability and better prepare for sea-level rise.” Sea levels within the Gulf of Maine have increased more than half a foot (20 cm.) over the past century, and scientists anticipate an additional rise by 2100 of at least 2 feet (61 cm.), and possibly more than 3 ft (91 cm.).

 The Gulf-wide contest is part of the international King Tides Project, involving community initiatives that help people envision a world in which sea levels are markedly higher than they have historically been.

 Details on contest participation can be found at http://gulfofmaine.kingtides.net. Photos should be taken around the midday high tide on Thursday October 9 (see local tide charts for exact timing) and submitted online by October 15. Contest winners, announced by October 31, will receive gifts contributed by Patagonia and Photo Market in Portland, Maine. The grand prize is a Fujifilm FinePix XP170 waterproof digital camera.

 Organizational partners in the regional King Tides Project include the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment—Climate Network, King Tides Project, Casco Bay Estuary Partnership, Ecology Action Centre, Envisioning Change/University of Southern Maine, EOS Eco-Energy, Friends of Casco Bay, Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Maine Geological Survey, Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Program, New Hampshire Coastal Adaptation Workgroup, New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services/Coastal Program, New Hampshire Sea Grant, St. Croix Estuary Partnership, and Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve.  

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Oct
1
7:00 PM19:00

Storm Surge Series - Reducing Community Risk through Enhancing Comprehensive Community Resiliency in the Great Marsh

Wednesday, October 1st * at 7 PM, at the Newbury Elementary School (Round School), 63 Hanover St, Newbury.

Peter Phippen will discuss the Department of Interior grant received by the National Wildlife Federation, who will work with the Great Marsh Resiliency Partnership to reduce the impacts of sea level rise and climate change storms on the coastal and watershed communities of the Great Marsh through restoration, assessment, and community based planning. The Great Marsh Resiliency Partnership is a coalition of conservation groups and federal, state and local agencies, organized to protect coastal communities along the North Shore of Massachusetts from storms and flooding by strengthening the resiliency of the ecological systems upon which those communities depend.

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May
15
6:30 PM18:30

Mass Audubon Pepperweed Volunteers Celebration

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Thanks for your help.  We make a great team!

Mass Audubon, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge,

and their partners

Invite you to help us celebrate our successes in pepperweed control.

Thanks for being a part of our

Great Marsh Weed Warrior Team.

Please join us for snacks, updates, and celebration

·         Learn about the progress we are making

·         Meet other active stewards from our pepperweed control team

·         Help us plan for our next season of control work.

·         Bring  your friends and neighbors.

Thursday May 15th  from 6:30-8:00 PM.

Location:

Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Headquarters

6 Plum Island Turnpike

Newburyport MA 01950

 

Future Pepperweed Events

Seaside Sustainability Pepperweed Training

Date:  May 4th

Locations in Essex and Ipswich:

Meet at Clammer’s Beach, Conomo Point Road, Essex at 9:00 AM

Event: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

Contact: Liz Duff lduff@massaudubon.org

781-392-6507

Friend and Family Pepperweed Pull

Led by Plum Island Beautification Society, Lynne Petty

Date:  May 18th

Time: 9:00-12:00

Location: Meet at 9:00 at the PITA Hall

Pepperweed Pull in the Newburyport/Newbury Basin:

Shore Drive.

Contact Lynne at  lynnepisland@gmail.com

Adopt A Site Training Day & Pepperweed Pull:

Date: Wednesday May 28th
Location: Ipswich Library, (and sites in Ipswich)

 25 North Main Street, Ipswich, MA 

Time: 3:00-5:00 PM

Contact: Liz Duff lduff@massaudubon.org

 

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Shored Up
May
7
7:00 PM19:00

Shored Up

Wednesday, May 7th at 7 PM
Parker River National Wildlife Refuge Visitor Center

The next Storm Surge event is a screening of the award winning documentary film "Shored Up". Information about the film is available at the film's website.

Storm Surge is a group of area citizens seeking to encourage and support area communities to prepare for the impacts of sea level rise, extreme weather events and other effects of long-term climate change.

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May
5
7:00 PM19:00

Monthly Meeting

Ipswich Town Hall, Town Managers Conference Room, 2nd Floor, 7:00 PM

Agenda  
            
7:00        2014 MassBays Upper North Shore Work Plan    Peter Phippen
We will briefly review the 2014 8TGM work plan which we developed and recently submitted by MVPC as part of the response to the annual request for proposals. As always, tasks are somewhat fluid and can be added to as the year progresses. Work Plan Component attached.

7:30    Green Crab Update      PeterPhippen, Geoff Walker

Discussion of the role of 8TGM Committee members on the local green crab issue

8:00    Website Update    Max Schenk Deb Carey, Peter Phippen
Max has gotten our website - www.8tgm.org - up and working again. Please look it over and be prepared to provide suggestions. I will be submitting documents etc. that I have, to be added to the site, however any links or suggestions are welcome

8:30    Traditional Uses Update    Peter Phippen, Deb Carey
A discussion on the plans for this coming year’s Tradition Uses effort. This may include promoting uses from last year’s effort, including Beach Plum. See attached Traditional Uses Document url: http://ase.tufts.edu/uep/degrees/field_project_reports/2013/Team_3_Final_Report_2013.pdf   and the Traditional Uses Task in the 2014 Work Plan

Project and Community Updates  All

Upcoming Meetings

June 2, 2014?

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Mar
3
7:00 PM19:00

ETGM MONTHLY MEETING

This month's Eight Towns and the Great Marsh Committee will be held at the Division of Marine Fisheries office located at 30 Emerson Ave in Gloucester.

The discussion will be a presentation on the issues and possible strategies for dealing with the invasive green crab in our region.

For more information contact Peter Phippen:

phone: 978-374-0519 ext. 17
email: PPhippen@mvpc.org

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