Modeled after CLEAR’s highly successful Land Use Academy, we are embarking on a new forum for land use officials and other interested professionals, a Climate Adaptation Academy (CAA). The CAA, sponsored by Connecticut Sea Grant and CLEAR, with funding from NOAA/National Sea Grant is envisioned to be an exchange of information, issues, experiences and solutions.
A series of one-day workshop for local officials and other interested professionals are under development and will focus on current climate issues and climate adaptation that will lead to resiliency. We plan to have a revolving list of topics discussed by experts based on input and needs identified by municipal officials, land use commission members and others. The agenda for the CAA will run the gamut from sea level rise and coastal erosion to storm water flooding, the national flood insurance program, energy and power outages, and legal issues associated with climate change. We will be bringing in experts from academic institutions, state and federal agencies, and the private sector – whoever we can best find to address the questions that you raise. Each CAA will have an opportunity for you to express your needs and thoughts, and we will do our best to address those issues.
The first Climate Adaptation Academy is planned for Saturday May 3, 2014 at UConn’s Avery Point campus with an agenda that includes: Major Threats of Climate Change, Climate Change and Your Town, Flooding and Emergency Response, DEEP and Climate Adaptation, and an opportunity for you to identify what issues are most important to you. The location of the CAA will change to include coastal and inland sessions, as well as eastern and western locations so that it is easier for people from throughout Connecticut to attend.
Watch the Connecticut Sea Grant and UConn CLEAR websites for the May 3rd agenda and registration information. If you have any questions, please contact Juliana Barrett at Juliana.barrett@uconn.edu or Bruce Hyde at bruce.hyde@uconn.edu.