TownGreen continues its community climate education series focusing on Rockport with the second of three webinars looking at Downtown Rockport, specifically the risk of flooding on Dock Square and Bearskin Neck. The second webinar will be held on Wednesday, March 8th 6:30-8:30pm (register here).

A Downtown Rockport field trip at astronomical high tide is scheduled for Tuesday, March 21st from 11:30-12:30pm. We will meet at Barletta Park, across from Harvey Park, and then walk to Bearskin Neck to look at areas that are vulnerable to storm surge.

The last workshop webinar in the Rockport series on Wednesday, March 29th 6:30-8:30pm will review Long Beach and Downtown Rockport adaptation and implementation solutions. A panel of experts will explore these topics and breakout groups will discuss the information, share concerns, and look at ideas for adaptation and implementation.

The TownGreen field trip to Long Beach took place on February 20th, an unseasonably warm day, to visit the area behind the Long Beach cottages. A group of about 30 people listened to Eric Hutchins, Rockport resident, who works for the Department of Marine Fisheries and is a natural systems expert, speak about how sea level rise will impact the Long Beach ecosystem and how other nearby coastal communities are dealing with the same issues. Dr. Jayne Knott reminded the group that Long Beach will continue to see increased seawall damage and flooding behind the cottages from storm surge, posing risk to the roads, sewer lines, and emergency access to the cottages. These field trips allow Cape Ann residents to see for themselves areas that are most vulnerable to climate threats.

Harvard Graduate School of Design’s Office for Urbanization has released COMPOUND VULNERABILITIES: The Case of Cape Ann and Climate Change, a research summary of the project’s accomplishments from 2020-2022. This eight-page profile contains an overview of each scenario planning project as well the field work done for the ethnographic study. Below is a sample page from the study. To read the full document and learn more about HGSD's Cape Ann scenario research, visit the TownGreen website.

TownGreen’s Open Forums provide a summary of ongoing projects and news and allows the public to ask questions and participate in discussions regarding climate change impacts and strategies on Cape Ann.

• Tuesday, March 7 7:00 - 8:00pm: CANCELLED
• Tuesday, April 11th 7:00 - 8:00pm:
  https://zoom.us/j/93363918568?... Planning for Reality Climate Impact Series:
  Rockport's Long Beach and Downtown
  • Rockport Workshop Webinar #2 Downtown Rockport with a focus on Dock Square and Bearskin Neck flooding: Wednesday, March 8 6:30-8:30pm
    
  • Rockport field trip: Dock Square Tuesday, March 21 11:30-12:30pm
    Meet at Barletta Park, across from Harvey Park
    
  • Rockport Workshop Webinar #3 Adaptation Solutions for Long Beach and Downtown Rockport: Wednesday, March 29 6:30-8:30pm. Registration link to come.
    
  • Good Harbor Beach Workshop Webinar #3: POSTPONED UNTIL MAY
    Originally scheduled for March 23rd, we are rescheduling this webinar to May. A new date is coming soon.