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Climate resilience programs offered by the Estuary Program+ what individuals and communities can do to get involved

Libby ZemaitisM.S. Climate Science & Policy, M.B.A. Sustainable Business

Climate Outreach Specialist, Hudson River Estuary Program / Cornell WRI

Mid Hudson CSC Conference

September 25, 2015

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Roadmap

• Hudson River Estuary Program

• Kingston Flood Resilience Task Force

• Lessons Learned

• Next Steps

• Our climate resilience programs & grants

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Hudson River Estuary Program

Six core benefits

• Clean water

• Resilient communities

• Vital estuary ecosystem

• Fish, wildlife & habitats

• Natural scenery

• Education & access

Ladder of stewardship:

Engage, inform, empower

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Hudson River Estuary ProgramHelping communities to increase

capacity for conservation and resiliency

planning throughout the watershed:

• watershed planning

• natural resources inventory

and open space planning

• climate change task forces

• stream buffer restoration

and barrier inventory

• sustainable shoreline strategies

• green infrastructure projects and more!

http://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/4920.html

Photo by Ingrid Haeckel

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Kingston Flood

Resilience Task Force

Case study on climate

resilience

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Lessons learned

• Top down doesn’t work

• Building knowledge and trust

can take time

• Visioning and inspiration are

important

• Financial analysis is key

• Need a group to keep moving

work forward

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A model for how we like to work

• Capacity building

• Empowering, not regulating or

demanding

• Deep dive process to tackle

complexity

• Focus on natural solutions

• Continue support through the

ladder of stewardship

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We have completed flood task force process in four communities

• City of

Kingston

• Village of

Piermont

• Village of

Catskill

• Village of

Stony point

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Continuing to support our investment in the flood task forces

• Connect to financing

• Fostering communication and

collaboration

• Planning process selection

• Connecting to DOS and other

agencies

• One-on-one meetings

• Facilitated workshops

• Studio design assistance

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Planning process selection

Comprehensive

Plan?

Other?

Brownfield

Opportunity

Area?

Local Waterfront

Revitalization

Plan?

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Assistance from Landscape Architect Design Studio

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Resilient design studio classCollaborate with Cornell landscape architect students to design and inspire

Students work closely with community to bring projects to 30 to 50% design

-> huge leg up with no expense and little staff time

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All WFTF communities are making great progress

Attracting investment

-DOC, EFC, NYRising, Greenway

Planning

-BOA, LWRP

-Updating zoning

-Emergency Management

Design studios

….and more!

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Estuary Programs

Focused on climate

resilience

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Grants

-Tributary Restoration

-Stewardship Planning

-Wastewater Infrastructure Asset Management Planning Pilot

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Adaptation (PE7) educational video modules

7.21 Remove dams & right-size bridges/culverts

7.15 Become a CRS community

7.11 Adopt floodplain protection ordinance

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Trees for Tribs

• Riparian Restoration

• Free native trees and shrubs

• Protects water quality, fish and wildlife

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Reduce erosion

Photos by Laura Heady

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Aquatic Connectivity

• Streams are highways

• Dams and poorly installed

culverts act as road blocks

• Connected streams are stronger

Fox Creek

Otter Kill

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Culvert Prioritization Project

Example:

Shekomeko and Punch Brook

Subwatershed

• 285 culverts

• 121 undersized culverts (124 in 2050)

• 165 impassable culverts

• 50,000 acres assessed

• 80% of Ancram assessed

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Biodiversity and habitat programs

• Natural Resource Inventories

• Open Space Planning

• Natural Resource Mapper

http://hudson.dnr.cals.cornell.edu/mapper/

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What is a Natural Resources Inventory (NRI)?

• a compilation and description of natural

resources within a particular area

(municipality, watershed, region)

• primary focus is naturally-occurring

resources, but cultural resources are

often included

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Why inventory natural resources?

An NRI provides:

• A visualization of natural resources

and their inter-connectedness

• A valuable reference for planning at

the site level or town-wide scale

• Context for identifying conservation

priorities

• An education tool

Photo: Karen Strong

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Putting an NRI to work

• public education

• comprehensive planning

• watershed plans

• critical environmental areas

• open space inventories and plans

• open space implementation

• zoning and subdivision regulations

• development review

o prioritizing resources at the site level

A completed NRI provides a

foundation for proactive planning and

informed decision-making:

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How can an NRI inform resiliency planning?

Natural assets that can contribute

to an adaptation strategy (e.g.

forests, wetlands, floodplains…)

Risk-prone areas

Climate conditions and projections

NRIs provide a foundation for resiliency planning by documenting:

Photo by Chris Bowser

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Resources on our websitehttp://www.dec.ny.gov/lands/39786.html

• Fact sheets

• Climate summary

• Financing options

• Case studies on FTFs

• NRI Guide

• Flood adaptation strategies

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Climate resilience in the Hudson River Estuary

Sign up for our newsletter at https://goo.gl/fg2y7n

For the latest funding, jobs, events and information

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Recap

• Lessons learned from Waterfront Flood Task Forces

• HV Communities are becoming leaders in flood resilience

• Municipalities can take advantage of many of our programs

relating to climate adaptation

• Keep an eye out for upcoming grants

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Section Sub Title

Thank You

Libby Zemaitis

Climate Outreach Specialist, Hudson River Estuary Program

Libby.zemaitis@dec.ny.gov | (845) 256-3153

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http://goo.gl/6dwphW

Visit our website on Climate Change in the Estuary

http://goo.gl/tM3AbZ