Conference to Highlight Maine Beach Concerns
Registration is open for the 10th annual Maine Beaches Conference, scheduled for July 17 at Southern Maine Community College in South Portland.
The conference seeks to provide continuing opportunities for communication and exchange of the most current information among beach stakeholders with diverse interests.
Charles S. Colgan, professor of public policy and management in the Edmund S. Muskie School of Public Service at the University of Southern Maine, will present the opening plenary talk about an ongoing study of beach visitors in southern Maine and New Hampshire.
The survey of more than 3,000 visitors, the largest of its kind to be conducted, provides key information for understanding the beach as a tourist resource.
Since the conference’s inception, a primary purpose has been to present results of the state’s beach monitoring programs, including the Maine Healthy Beaches water quality monitoring program and the Southern Maine Beach Profiling Program.
There also will be discussion about efforts to prepare for and adapt to rising sea levels and storm surge in Damariscotta, one of the most vulnerable towns on the Maine coast. The study recommends measures that property owners can take as well as community-level adaptation strategies, and it compares costs and benefits of various methods.
Other featured topics include managing coastal erosion, preparing for hurricanes, beach wildlife, beach access, legal updates, flooding and flood plains.
“This year will be our 10th conference, and we expect to host more than 225 participants,” says conference coordinator Kristen Grant, a marine extension associate with Maine Sea Grant and University of Maine Cooperative Extension based at Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve at Laudholm Farm.
In addition to presentations and panel discussions, there will be an exhibit area for sponsors and partner organizations, an art and photography show and outdoor activities.
The draft conference program and registration information are available online and by calling the Wells Reserve, 646.1555, ext. 157.