2025 Maine Sustainability & Water Conference

Thursday, March 27, 2025
Augusta Civic Center
Augusta, Maine

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Session G – The Power of Nature: Strategies for Increasing Community and Landscape Resilience

All Day Session
Presenters are indicated in bold font.

Session Co-chairs:
Corinne Michaud-LeBlanc, Maine Dept. of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife
Nathan Robbins, Maine Dept. of Environmental Protection
Andrew Whitman, Maine Forest Service

This session aims to help bridge the gap between concepts and on the ground actions, presenting a variety of nature-based solutions (NbS) and tools for increasing community and landscape-level climate resilience. Presentations will showcase techniques that are being used in Maine right now, covering topics such as climate-friendly forestry, permitting and constructing living shorelines and coastal habitat restoration projects, and examples of incorporating nature-based solutions at a municipal level. Presentations will cover a variety of scales, from recommendations for landowners, to municipal actions, to watershed level planning; and include a mix of case studies, field techniques, and best management practices. Staff from the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries & Wildlife, Maine Department of Environmental Protection, and Maine Forest Service will serve as co-chairs, and are seeking to coordinate with regional planning organizations, municipalities, research institutions, contractors, and non-governmental organizations for additional topics and presenters. This session will include 20-minute presentations followed by a panel discussion, and will equip attendees with examples and resources to pursue NbS projects and contribute to landscape resilience in their community.

Session Schedule

Morning Session
Planning for Nature-Based Solutions
The morning session will consist of four 25-minute presentations, centered on integrating NbS approaches into community planning processes. Session co-chairs will make opening remarks to frame the theme, and synthesize takeaways at the close of the session.

Afternoon Session
Applying Nature-Based Solutions
The afternoon session will consist of five 20-minute presentations, focused on applying an array of NbS techniques in Maine. Session co-chairs will make opening remarks to frame the theme, and synthesize takeaways at the close of the session.

8:30AM – 8:55AM
What Makes Nature-Based Solutions Effective? Lessons Learned from Implementers Across the U.S.

Jessica Reilly-Moman, Island Institute, jreillymoman@islandinstitute.org

Nature-based solutions (NbS) employ nature and natural processes, from marshes to cobble revetments, to provide climate adaptation benefits in hazard risk reduction, natural habitat protection, and social and cultural needs. While interest in NbS has grown rapidly in recent years, the effectiveness of NbS to protect infrastructure and nature had not been systematically examined, especially the on-the-ground lessons learned about planning, implementing and sustaining NbS. Consequently, we conducted a national assessment centered on practitioner knowledge and interviewed over 70 stakeholders to determine if coastal NbS in the U.S. can protect nature and society in a changing climate. We found lessons learned across four “pillars” of NbS: physical, ecological, economic, and social. This presentation will provide an overview of key considerations for integrating NbS in coastal communities in Maine, focusing on shared challenges and leading practices that make NbS effective for meeting coastal adaptation needs. Findings include examples of the value of nature to protect infrastructure and nature; the need to explore a spectrum of hybrid green-gray infrastructure and novel partnerships; the critical role of hyper-local “social proof;” and the importance of understanding and communicating the limitations, uncertainties, and benefits of nature to protect coasts. While economic-based structures often drive the initial planning of NbS, empowering community ownership, addressing equity issues, and explicitly identifying tradeoffs and hybrid solutions were critical for the long term success of NbS projects and preserving nature and infrastructure for future generations along a transforming coast.

9:00AM – 9:25AM
From Concept to Construction: One Community’s Approach to Using Nature-Based Solutions for Coastal Protection

Melanie Nash, Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission, mnash@smpdc.org
Abbie Sherwin, Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission. asherwin@smpdc.org

The Town of Ogunquit has been actively involved in local and regional planning efforts to improve the resilience of its natural, built, and social coastal systems. The Town’s Main Beach is a cultural and recreational resource, an economic driver, and an important natural habitat. Multiple local and regional coastal plans identify the Main Beach area as a priority location for adaptation and resilience action. 

The municipally owned Main Beach parking area, located on the barrier beach spit, is highly vulnerable to flooding and erosion. Additionally, the surrounding waters often face water quality issues. To address these coastal resilience challenges, Ogunquit undertook a grant-funded project to better understand site conditions, evaluate coastal hazards, identify locally appropriate nature-based solutions (NBS), and develop preliminary designs of those NBS.

The project included a site assessment of the parking lot and surrounding beach, tidal river, and marsh. It also identified suitable NBS based on the site’s conditions and coastal risks. Community engagement played a key role in determining priority NBS, and the resulting preliminary designs were informed by community values and interests.  The Town now has both conceptual and preliminary designs of NBS for the site, associated information regarding permitting requirements and cost estimates, and an implementation plan for possible advancement of the NBS. In December 2024, the Town pursued additional grant funding to complete final design, permitting, and construction of several NBS treatments to enhance the resilience of the parking area to storms and climate change while protecting the natural conditions of the site.

9:30AM – 9:55AM
Crediting for Innovative Nature-Based Solutions, Quantifying and Communicating the Real Benefits

James Houle, Director, University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center, james.houle@unh.edu

Nonpoint source (NPS) pollution is a leading cause of water quality degradation in the United States.  Nature based solutions (NBS) are innovative approaches to managing the impacts of impervious cover and land use changes that increase NPS.  More emphasis in new stormwater manuals and permits are requiring tracking and accounting of the benefits of these controls.  While science supports the numerous benefits of NBS quantifying those benefits requires flexible consistency.  New England has been pioneering innovative and regionally consistent methods to quantify benefits of NBS and Green Infrastructure approaches form managing NPS.  This presentation will introduce methods to track and account for the multi-dimensional benefits of NBS and present a regionally consistent framework that communities and regulators can use including water quality, volume reduction, costs and operation and maintenance burdens.  This is one of many tools the SNEP Network has been working on for the benefit of New England States.  

The SNEP Network provides training and assistance to municipalities, organizations, and tribes to advance stormwater and watershed management, ecological restoration, and climate resilience in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. The network is committed to building capacity in conjunction with EPA’s Southeast New England Program within EPA Region 1.

10:00AM – 10:25AM
Nature-Based Stormwater Retrofit Solutions: From Concept to Community Impact

Martha Sheils, Director, New England Environmental Finance Center, martha.sheils@maine.edu
James Houle, University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center, james.houle@unh.edu

Collaborative, community-level initiatives like the New England Environmental Finance Center’s (NEEFC’s) Stormwater Planning Series demonstrate how replicable and scalable stormwater management solutions can address localized challenges while building climate resilience. To date, 13 communities have received free training and technical assistance to develop conceptual designs for nature-based stormwater retrofits to mitigate flooding, improve water quality, and manage stormwater runoff.  The backbone of this training series is the New England Stormwater Retrofit Manual, which was designed for use in all six states including Maine, and takes practitioners through sizing, design, and estimated performance of stormwater treatment options that can be retrofit into the existing landscape. The series is led by NEEFC partners including the University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center and other Southeast New England Program Network partners. 

We will highlight examples of nature-based stormwater retrofits at the municipal level from Southeast New England that can be replicated in a Maine context. Examples of impactful projects will be highlighted including construction of bioretention swales to manage runoff in Westerly, RI, and the pathway to funding and implementation in Swansea, MA.  

The goal of the Stormwater Planning Series is to equip municipalities with site-specific strategies, scalable retrofits, and funding pathways to address stormwater challenges such as flooding and water quality improvements. NEEFC developed a replicable framework for advancing sustainable water management across New England and is in the process of expanding this free training series to other New England states.

1:30PM – 1:50PM
OUR SHORE Nature-Based Erosion Control Training and Guidance Program

Parker Gassett, Maine Climate Science Information Exchange Office, University of Maine, parker.gassett@maine.edu
Nathan Robbins, Climate Change Specialist, Maine Department of Environmental Protection
John Maclaine, Manager, Nonpoint Source Training Center, Maine Department of Environmental Protection

Coastal and inland waterfront erosion in Maine is a growing concern due to storms and rising sea levels. Nature-based design solutions may offer an effective, long-term plan for safeguarding both private and public property. These designs provide strength, improve the beauty of waterfront properties, and bring a range of benefits to the community and to the health of the environment. The Maine Department of Environmental Protection and Maine Climate and Science Information Exchange at the University of Maine have been partnering with natural resource agency staff, university faculty, municipal officials, and design professionals to develop “O.U.R. S.H.O.R.E.”

A primary goal for OUR SHORE is to provide guidance and training for installing Nature-Based Solutions (NbS) to protect against inland and coastal waterfront erosion. OUR SHORE is also an emerging network of engineers, earthwork contractors, designers, and municipal officials interested in learning and sharing these NbS techniques in Maine. This program offers detailed how-to information across best practices and showcases different project examples from throughout the state.

This presentation will provide a brief history of the origin of OUR SHORE, an overview of the guidance materials and training program in development, and highlight several examples of successfully installed NbS in Maine. Hard copies of materials will be available to take home at the conference session, and attendees will be invited to the online drafts so they can become co-collaborators.

1:50PM – 2:10PM
Introducing Living Shorelines Techniques to Coastal Property Owners

Hilary Oat-Judge, Principal, VIEWSHED,
oat-judge@viewshed.net
Jamie Hark, Landscape Designer, VIEWSHED

For coastal Maine property owners, it is often very difficult to determine how to turn their concerns about the effects of climate change and sea level rise into concrete action on their own land.  Property owners are experiencing repeated storms of greater intensity than ever before and are often unsure how to make sound long-term decisions to manage this rapidly-changing environment.  The old solutions of hardening the coastline are often the only approach they are familiar with, yet there are other approaches to consider.

We will outline how VIEWSHED’s Landscape Architects harness the multi-disciplinary staff’s expertise in GIS analysis, site analysis and design to advise clients on using Living Shorelines solutions in their coastal properties.  

We will highlight projects that experienced significant damage during the winter storms of 2023-2024 and the way we proposed Living Shorelines strategies to help buffer the properties against future storms and to help rebuild key natural systems along the coast. In coordination with Maine DEP’s newest recommendations, we have proposed multiple Living Shorelines approaches to address storm damage. 

Educating property owners on alternatives to hardened shoreline systems will be a key tool in the efforts to revitalize Maine’s coast during this time of unprecedented changes to the coastline. 

We will review how we introduce the Living Shorelines concepts to clients and how we educate homeowners on using these techniques on their land to create long-term benefits for their properties, for their larger community, and for the coastline as a whole.

2:10PM – 2:30PM
Vegetation Management on Coastal Bluffs

Gary Fish, State Horticulturist, Maine Dept. of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, gary.fish@maine.gov

Providing resources to determine the best course of action to help stabilize coastal bluffs with native vegetation. Design concepts, planting site assessment, federal and state permitting, finding help to manage invasive plants, how to manage invasive plants for site preparation, Cumberland County SWCD guide, choosing the right plants, proper planting, and care.

3:00PM – 3:20PM
Holiday Trees and Changing Seas: A Planning Case Study Using Discarded Holiday Trees and Other Techniques for Dune Restoration, Ogunquit Beach, Ogunquit, Maine

Lisa Vickers, GEI Consultants, Inc., lvickers@geiconsultants.com

Beaches and coastal sand dunes are important resources that serve as critical buffers against storm surge and rising sea levels while providing essential habitat for wildlife and recreational and economic opportunities for communities. In southern Maine, the Town of Ogunquit owns and manages Ogunquit Beach, an approximate one-mile barrier beach and coastal dune system. During the winter of 2023/2024, the dune system at Ogunquit Beach suffered significant erosion and sections of the dune eroded between 15 – 40 feet. To address the existing erosion and prepare for future storm events, a planning initiative was undertaken to research restoration strategies and develop and implement a dune restoration plan for the Town of Ogunquit.

This presentation focuses on the development of the dune restoration plan and includes an overview of how holiday trees, beach scraping, and revegetation can provide an effective solution to trap windblown sand and redistribute substrates within the beach and dune system to restore vulnerable frontal dune systems. Key considerations included extent of erosion and how to focus efforts, permitting requirements, and balancing short-term and long-term resilience goals. While implementation is still in progress, the project demonstrates the potential for cost-effective dune restoration solutions for coastal resilience. This presentation will share the lessons learned during the planning phase, including an overview of the regulatory requirements and offer insights into alternative dune restoration techniques considered to help inform coastal management efforts within coastal sand dune systems.

3:20PM – 3:40PM
Enhancing Resilience through Certification and Climate-Smart Logging Practices

Jeffrey Benjamin, Deputy Executive Director of Certification, Professional Logging Contractors of the Northeast (PLC), jeff@plcloggers.org
Sydney Andersen, Program Manager, Master Logger Certification Program, PLC, sydney@plcloggers.org

Loggers are at the forefront of BMP implementation, which means they often bear the rising costs associated with a changing climate. They are seeing extreme weather events, a reduction in annual operations, and a higher cost associated with maintaining the same standards of operating. This is on top of the financial hardship imposed by mill closures, inflation, and challenging markets. The Master Logger Certification Program® (MLCP) aims to give loggers the tools they need to implement climate-smart practices on the ground, increasing forest resilience.

This presentation will delve into the MLCP’s comprehensive approach to rewarding, incentivizing, and educating on climate-smart logging practices. Key components of the MLCP include third-party certification of high operating standards, point-of-harvest verification of practices, logger training, and their Climate-Smart Logging program; equipping loggers with the knowledge, skills, and support needed to better protect and enhance resources.

Attendees will gain insights into the practical applications of climate-smart logging practices, supported by case studies and field techniques. The session aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how sustainable logging practices can be a powerful tool in building resilience against climate change, ultimately contributing to the health and stability of Maine’s landscapes and communities.