Lessons Learned from Sandy Brought to Maine

In the Sandy Dialogues, the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve gave Maine communities a vision of what the future might hold. Working with colleagues at the Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Wells staff took stakeholders from two Maine towns with chronic beach erosion on a tour of New Jersey sites heavily impacted by Hurricane Sandy.

Meeting with citizens and local officials, they discussed how GIS-based tools were used to support planning and recovery and, most importantly, explored how the Sandy experience changed plans for future preparedness. The two reserves also arranged for a group of New Jersey officials and residents to co-lead a coastal resilience workshop series in southern Maine designed for property owners, municipal officials, and planners. Participants said the first-hand accounts were moving and informative. (2016)

More information: www.nerra.org/how-we-work/protecting-land-for-the-future/sandy-dialogues-lessons-from-a-superstorm-prepare-mainers-for-the-future

Partners: Jacques Cousteau National Estuarine Research Reserve, NOAA Office for Coastal Management, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve