New projects receive Mitchell Center grants
We’re excited to announce that three projects have been awarded Mitchell Center Sustainability Grants for fiscal year 2021:
Collaborating Toward Climate Solutions
As Maine communities across the state grapple with the complex challenges of climate change, they also face problems of scarce resources for implementing projects and a dearth of technical expertise to oversee strategic planning and implementation. In this project researchers will work closely with municipal officials in Passamaquoddy and Penobscot Bays to co-develop strategies and identify services to support communities in adapting to climate change. Esperanza Stancioff, UMaine extension professor, will lead the project with colleagues from Bowdoin College, University of Maine at Machias, Maine Sea Grant, and the Maine Department of Environmental Protection.
Fishing in Hot Water: Defining Sentinel Indicators of Resilience in the American Lobster Fishery
The Maine lobster fishery is among the most valuable commercial fisheries in the United States and supports thousands of jobs in coastal communities across Maine. Yet it also faces serious challenges related to climate change, trade and marine mammal entanglement. A collaborative team led by Joshua Stoll, assistant research professor of marine policy, UMaine, will develop sentinel indicators to understand the resilience of the lobster industry and detect early signs of vulnerability. Josh will work with representatives from the Maine Department of Marine Resources, Maine Lobstermen’s Association, National Marine Fisheries Service, Lobster Institute, and Maine Center for Coastal Fisheries.
We’re All in This Together: Participatory Planning for Community-Based Climate Change Adaptation
Maine’s natural resources attract visitors from all over the world, but they are also vulnerable to climate change. Communities that are dependent on tourism will be faced with challenges and opportunities when planning for the uncertainties of climate change impacts. A team led by graduate students Asha DiMatteo-LaPape, Valeria Briones, Lydia Horne, and Gabriela Wolf-Gonzalez will focus on co-developing locally relevant, useful climate change solutions, including creating a participatory framework for building climate-planning capacity within tourism-dependent communities. Sandra de Urioste-Stone, associate professor of nature-based tourism, will work with the team.