Martha’s Vineyard Commission awarded a state grant

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A grant awarded to M.V. Commission will help implement the Vineyard Climate Action Plan. —MV Times

A grant from the Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program will help protect the Island’s land and water from climate change stresses and misguided land-use practices, according to a press release from the Martha’s Vineyard Commission.

The $163,540 grant will allow implementation of several actions in the 2022 Vineyard climate action plan, “The Vineyard Way” (thevineyardway.org).

The project is a true collaboration, the release says. Partners include Biodiversity Works, Vineyard Conservation Society, Sheriff’s Meadow Foundation, Polly Hill Arboretum, Martha’s Vineyard Shellfish Group, M.V. Land Bank, the Trustees of Reservations, the town conservation commissions, the Great Pond Foundation, and the town of Nantucket.

The projects include:

  • Updated vegetation mapping of the Vineyard and Nantucket that will aid towns in land-use planning and regional identification of priority areas for environmental resilience
  • Mapping of eelgrass in Lake Tashmoo, Lagoon Pond, and Sengekontacket Pond to help identify future aquaculture sites that will help clean pond water quality and provide local jobs and local food
  • Understanding barriers to and advocacy of climate-resilient landscaping
  • Support for the 2024 Climate Action Fair

Liz Durkee, MVC climate change coordinator, said in the release, “This grant will help us achieve several goals in the Vineyard climate action plan, and build a foundation for addressing many more.”

Funding for the climate action plan, “The Vineyard Way,” was also provided by the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program.