Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution Sea Grant program is partnering with the Martha’s Vineyard Commission, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), the Trustees of Reservations, and others to hold the Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Conference on Tuesday, Oct. 1 in Vineyard Haven.
The Coastal Conference is an annual meeting that alternates between Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard. This year’s theme is building coastal resilience. The meeting will highlight resilience projects on the Vineyard and around the region. Researchers will also delve into understanding flood risk and the economic impacts of coastal change.
The conference is geared toward coastal managers, environmental organizations, town staff, researchers, and consultants, but is free and open to all.
“Islands are especially vulnerable to the impacts of severe storms, erosion, and sea level rise – all impacts of climate change,” Shelly McComb is quoted in a release announcing the event. McComb is a coastal resilience specialist with WHOI Sea Grant and its extension partner, Cape Cod Cooperative Extension. “This conference is a critical connector, enabling communities to collaborate to meet these challenges together through information sharing, networking, and the development of shared solutions.”
This year’s conference keynote will be delivered by Deanna Moran, chief coastal resilience officer for the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management. Appointed in May 2024 by Gov. Maura Healy, Moran is charged with leading the state’s new ResilientCoasts initiative. The initiative will lead the creation of a statewide strategy for climate resilience.
This year’s event will run from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, and will be held at the Martha’s Vineyard Film Center in Vineyard Haven.
The conference agenda can be found on the WHOI Sea Grant website at seagrant.whoi.edu.
