Collaborating for Climate Adaptation in Communities

New Hampshire Sea Grant On Deck With the Coastal Adaptation Workgroup (CAW)

Northeast Sea Grant Biennial MeetingNovember 2013

Chris Keeley & Julia Peterson, NH Sea Grant and UNH Cooperative Extension

What CCAI Has Done For NH Sea Grant

NH Coastal Adaptation Workgroup (CAW)

What CAW Has Done With NH’s Coastal Communities – ENGAGED!

Sea Grant Contributions to CAW• Participate in developing coalition mission and methods• Develop and track shared outcomes• Led NH-ME climate adaptation network sharing• Assist with planning, delivering and evaluating

workshop series (7 since 2010)• Communicate with lay audiences

– Develop factsheet on regional climate assessment– Produce quarterly newsletter for CAW friends– Manage “The Crow’s Nest” blog and NH StormSmart

• Contribute to leveraged projects– Green Infrastructure for Sustainable Coastal Communities – Role Play Simulations for Climate Adaptation in Dover– A Climate Adaptation Plan for Exeter (CAPE)– Modified NOAA Roadmap for Small NH Communities– New 100-year floodplain maps for Lamprey River Watershed

Results of CAW Engagement with Communities Since 2010

• Over 250 community leaders participating

• Workshop participants – three states and over 50 different towns and cities. – Largest representation comes from local governments and includes

volunteer board members, municipal staff members and elected officials.

• Workshop participants indicate that as a result of the workshops at least 80% are: – gaining knowledge about climate adaptation topics,– increasing in motivation to do something to address climate impacts, – reporting improved capacity and planning to apply what they have

learned.

• Between 30-50% of workshop respondents intend to change:– A plan, policy, regulation or practice based on what they learned.

• Over 15 communities increased their capacity to adapt by: – Receiving technical assistance, engaging with others, improving plans,

changing regulations or on-the-ground action.

Leveraging

• Expertise (19 members of CAW… so far!)• Informational, technical and human resources• Funding (>$2.5M in additional grants since 2011)– Supporting partner projects, and developing robust proposals

On the Horizon

• Evaluation of coalition model to support community adaptation: Is it effective? Why? Transferable?