Climate Ready Coast - Southern Maine

The goal of this 2-year project is to develop a regional coastal resilience plan for a ten-municipality region in southern Maine through collaborative engagement of municipalities, local land trusts, regional conservation organizations, and state and federal natural resource agencies. Starting in spring of 2021, SMPDC will work with the ten project coastal municipalities, the Wells Reserve, local land trusts, state and federal partners, and environmental organizations to collaboratively assess impacts of climate on our coasts, address regional resilience needs, and develop specific adaptation strategies and nature-based solutions for making the region more resilient to coastal hazards and develop the first regional coastal resilience plan for southern Maine. The project will involve the establishment of a working group, evaluation of local resilience needs, a comprehensive assessment of coastal hazards and impacts in the region, and the identification and prioritization of strategies for protecting the region’s natural systems thereby reducing the region’s socio-economic vulnerabilities to coastal hazards and climate change.

Participating Communities: Kittery, York, Ogunquit, Wells, Kennebunk, Kennebunkport, Biddeford, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, Scarborough

Work Products:

Funding: National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF) National Coastal Resilience Fund

Project Contact: Abbie Sherwin, Senior Planner & Coastal Resilience Coordinator