Help Turn the Tide on Sea Level Rise with COA

Next week Clean Ocean Action will host two “Pizza Parties with a Purpose”.

The purpose? – To discuss seal level rise and how it is impacting the Jersey Shore and your community.

Seal level rise is posing a greater threat to the Jersey Shore than ever before. Our homes, local businesses, and marine life are all more vulnerable than they were a hundred years ago. Super-storm Sandy devastated our communities and forever changed our landscape. Though the storm was extreme, scientists have made it clear that we need to prepare for ongoing sea level rise, storm surges, and more frequent and severe storms in the future. We need to take action now to address these impacts.

So where do you come in?

These pizza parties will allow you to learn about how sea level rise is impacting New Jersey and the world. Furthermore, you will learn what you can do to help educate and motivate people to reduce the impacts of sea level rise and climate change. Come enjoy a night of free pizza and meet COA staff and other volunteers. They will discuss how you can become more involved with Clean Ocean Action, and help turn the tide on sea level rise!

Come to one of the following events to find out more:

Wednesday, June 26, 2013 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Ocean County Vocational Technical School: Toms River Center
1299 Old Freehold Road
Toms River, NJ 08753

Thursday, June 27, 2013 7:00 - 9:00 PM
Monmouth Beach Cultural Center
128 Ocean Ave, Monmouth Beach, NJ 07750

To RSVP, please contact Macailagh McCue, COAST Coordinator at coast@cleanoceanaction.org

Attention all county and town planners, 

managers, and engineers...

NOAA and Monmouth County Cool Cities Partnership are hosting:

Climate Adaptation Training for

Coastal Communities

Monmouth University April 23-25, 2013

400 Cedar Ave. W. Long Branch, NJ 07764

McGill Hall – Rooms 107-109

9:00 am – 4:30 pm

To register: Email your name, town, position in that town and your phone number and email address to: mjsavoia@comcast.net   

This interactive three-day training course provides individuals with a climate adaptation toolkit to identify and address planning priorities in the contest of community priorities. Course modules are taught by NOAA’S Coastal Services Center training staff and local partners. CEU credits available.

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

ü  Recognize the changes and variability in climate and climate’s influence on coastal communities,

ü  Understand key elements to consider for a vulnerability assessment,

ü  Evaluate the strengths and weakness of adaptation strategies through various methods, and

ü  Identify opportunities to leverage a range of governance mechanisms to integrate adaptation strategies into their existing efforts.

For more information please contact:

Maria Savoia

mjsavoia@comcast.net

Monmouth County Cool Cities Partnership

Gwen Shaughnessy

NOAA coastal Services Center

Gwen.shaughnessy@noaa.gov

www.csc.noaa.gov

Additional useful tools:  http://njfloodmapper.org/  to map and visusalize sea level change, FEMA zones, and Sandy storm surge in NJ. 

http://www.prepareyourcommunitynj.org/ This online assessment process is a tool to assist communities to reduce vulnerability and increase preparedness by linking planning, mitigation, and adaption.  This tool identifies how through preparedness your community can gain valuable points through FEMA's Community Rating System and Sustainable Jersey. 

NJ Sea Level Rise Symposium

Hartshorne Drive, Sandy Hook during last October's
King Tide, which is a preview of what average high tide
levels may likely be by 2030-2050.

Please join us for a “Symposium on Sea Level Rise in New Jersey: Causes, Effects and a Call to Action” hosted by the Monmouth County Cool Cities Partnership in cooperation with the Monmouth County Environmental Council, Brookdale Community College, American Littoral Society, Clean Ocean Action and New Jersey Environmental Federation. It is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29, at Brookdale Community College in Middletown.

Climate experts will present on sea level rise in New Jersey, as well as its causes and the urgent need for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Scientists cite the increasingly levels of these gases from human activities in the atmosphere, as the cause of the rising and warming seas, increased storm surges, and more frequent flooding. The symposium will provide resources and discuss what communities can do to reduce the impact of rising seas and to protect our coast. Presentations and discussion include:

• Impacts of Sea-level Rise (SLR) in Coastal Monmouth County - Prof. Norbert Psuty, Rutgers University 
• Causes of SLR & Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction -Prof. Patrick Hossay, Stockton College 
• Community Adaptations to SLR - Prof. Jon Miller, Stevens Institute 
• Mitigating SLR through Conservation of Estuarine Habitat - William Shadel, American Littoral Society 
• Interactive Online SLR & Flooding Mapping Website - Lisa Auermuller, Jacques Cousteau NERR 
• Introduction to Sustainable Jersey’s Climate Adaptation Point-scoring Actions and Resources for Communities -Randall Solomon, Co-director, Sustainable Jersey 
• A Taped Interview with Congressman Rush Holt 
• “Take Action for Weathering Change” Statement & Funding Sources - MCCCP

Registration is required by September 15. The cost is $15 which includes lunch. To register and for more information, click here.