Planning for Reality: Climate Change and Downtown Gloucester

Saturday, November 19th, 2022, 1:00pm

Our annual symposium on a topic of community concern is coming up soon on Saturday, November 19, in the Meetinghouse from 1-4pm in collaboration with TownGreen, a non-profit that has promoted climate mitigation and adaptation strategies on Cape Ann since 2015

Have you wondered about the various proposals for the development of harbor front properties, heard about the City’s efforts towards comprehensive urban planning as well as the work of the Harbor Planning Committee, or asked how you might have a voice about what downtown Gloucester is like in the future? Have you been concerned about what experts on the science about climate change might foresee and advise to inform these decisions? Would you like to pose a specific question to an expert and receive a thoughtful, well-informed answer?

Presenters will include: Greg Verga, Mayor of Gloucester; Professor Charles Waldheim from the Harvard Graduate School of Design; Professor Antonio Raciti from the University of Massachusetts, Boston; and Kevin Hively, CEO and Founder of Ninigret Partners, a management consulting firm that focuses on economic development and community planning.

The Symposium is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be available. This is a rare opportunity to explore one of the most important civic topics of our time and to meet fellow citizens who care deeply about the future of Gloucester. I hope you can join us in the Meetinghouse for this special event.

PRESS RELEASE:

ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE AND URBAN PLANNING

GLOUCESTER, MA: The Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation (GMF) and TownGreen present Planning for Reality: Climate Change and Downtown Gloucester, on Saturday, November 19, at 1:00 p.m. The event will be held at the Gloucester Meetinghouse, home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church, at the corner of Middle and Church Streets, Gloucester, MA.

The program features four presentations that include opening remarks from Greg Verga, Mayor of Gloucester; Professor Charles Waldheim, Director of the Office for Urbanization at Harvard Graduate School of Design; Dr. Antonio Raciti, Associate Professor of Community Planning and Ecological Design, University of Massachusetts, Boston; and Kevin Hively, CEO and Founder of Ninigret Partners, a management consulting firm that focuses on economic development and community planning.

The Symposium addresses urban planning in the downtown Gloucester area in light of expected and projected climate impacts with a focus on building awareness of climate threats and considering them in the urban planning process. It will conclude with a panel of the speakers to address reflections and key insights from the event. All segments will have Q&A for audience participation.

EVENT DESCRIPTION
The November 19th Symposium, Planning for Reality: Climate Change and Downtown Gloucester, brings together experts in climate change scenario planning, community planning in environmental justice communities, and economic development in urban coastal areas to discuss how addressing climate change impacts today will allow for more effective and protective urban planning in the future.

Hosted by the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation in partnership with TownGreen, the Symposium will provide the public with an opportunity to learn more about how climate change will impact downtown Gloucester. The event is free and will be live streamed on GMF’s YouTube Channel where it will be available after the program.

Speakers will address these topics:

Professor Charles Waldheim, Director of the Office for Urbanization at Harvard Graduate School of Design: What does research say about the impacts of sea level rise and a Category 3 hurricane on downtown Gloucester?
Antonio Raciti, Associate Professor of Community Planning and Ecological Design, University of Massachusetts, Boston: What is the framework for future downtown development given the interests of environmental justice communities?
Kevin Hively, CEO and Founder of Ninigret Partners: What are the implications of urban planning from the perspective of the Blue Economy?

“TownGreen is focused on Cape Ann-specific climate impact research and public education based on this research. We’ve been lucky enough to partner with Professor Waldhiem and his team at the Harvard Graduate School of Design to bring our communities realistic, visual research so we can begin to see what might happen in a great storm,” says Dick Prouty, TownGreen Board Chair. “It is very important that we understand what the climate threats are, what they look like, where they will happen, and begin to take the necessary steps to address it through adaptation solutions.”

The program will take place in the heart of downtown Gloucester at the Gloucester Meetinghouse on Church Street. “It is fitting that a symposium addressing climate change be held in the historic Meetinghouse, the site of important annual community programs on topics of current concern,” says GMF President, Charles Nazarian. “Climate change will impact us all. Meeting together to talk about these issues is exactly what we need.”

ABOUT THE GLOUCESTER MEETINGHOUSE FOUNDATION

The mission of the Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation is to preserve one of Gloucester’s most admired historic buildings, built in 1806 for the first Universalist Society in America and home of the Gloucester Unitarian Universalist Church. The GMF is an IRS-recognized 501(c)(3) modeled on a similar nonprofit that supports Boston’s famed Old North Church.

ABOUT TOWNGREEN

TownGreen, Inc’s mission is to act as a catalyst in assisting the greater Cape Ann region in becoming a vibrant and inclusive model of sustainability that is fossil fuel free and prepared for the impacts of climate change. TownGreen, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. It has promoted climate mitigation and adaptation strategies, including clean energy, since 2015. For more information, visit the TownGreen website: towngreen2025.org.
-end-

For additional information, contact: Kathleen Williams, Gloucester Meetinghouse Foundation, k.williams@gloucestermeetinghouse.org, Cell: 978-821-5291; Maureen Aylward, Director, TownGreen, maureen@towngreen2025.org, Cell: 978 290 1507.

Dear Monarch Friends,

Tomorrow evening I am giving a presentation on how climate change is impacting Monarchs for Cape Ann Climate Change Coalition. I am looking forward to presenting. Please join us if you can! RSVP with Zoom link to the meeting is on the Cape Ann Climate Change Coalition’s website on the ‘NEWS/EVENTS’ page. www.capeannclimatecoaltion.org

Thank you so very much to everyone who is donating to our online fundraiser to bring Beauty on the Wing to American Public Television. To date, we have raised over $17,000.00. To learn more about the fundraiser, please visit my website at kimsmithfilms.com and donate here.

Today Charlotte spotted the first Monarch in our garden and we saw the first in the dunes at Good Harbor Beach today as well. Both were depositing eggs on Common Milkweed! My friend Patti shares she saw one flitting about in her (fabulous) butterfly garden today, too. They are here and butterflies love this warm weather. Plant milkweed and they will come!

Warmest wishes,
Kim
Do you live on Cape Ann and are concerned about climate change? Come to our quarterly meeting on Tuesday, June 29 at 7-9pm and see what we are doing about it on a local level. We have action groups working on: Carbon Sequestration; Climate Arts; Community Building & Education; Energy Efficiency; Renewable Energy; and Vision, Policy & Legislation.
The Meeting will also include: “The Monarch Butterfly and Climate Change”
A Presentation by Kim Smith- There is no more urgently needed time than the present to learn about how we can all help protect the Monarch Butterfly.
“Electrifying Everything!” And what this means for local city and town governments and us individually. A Presentation by Jennifer Wallace Brodeur of VEIC
RSVP with Zoom link to the meeting is on our website on the ‘NEWS/EVENTS’ page. http://www.capeannclimatecoaltion.org

PLEASE JOIN ME TUESDAY NIGHT FOR “THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY AND CLIMATE CHANGE” PRESENTATION

HERE IS THE LINK

Tuesday evening I will be giving a presentation about how climate change is impacting Monarch Butterflies for the Cape Ann Climate Coalition’s quarterly meeting. Jennifer Wallace Brown is giving a presentation “Electrifying Everything.” I hope you can join us! This event is free and open to the public.

Please consider making a tax deductible donation to our online fundraiser to bring Beauty on the Wing to American Public Television. More information can be found at kimsmithfilms.com and monarchbutterflyfilm.com

DONATE HERE

Common Milkweed blooming at Good Harbor Beach

Tuesday evening I will be giving a presentation about how climate change is impacting Monarch Butterflies for the Cape Ann Climate Coalition’s quarterly meeting. Jennifer Wallace Brown is giving a presentation “Electrifying Everything.” I hope you can join us!

I have so loved filming and photographing Snow Buntings this winter, finding small and medium sized flocks from Sandy Point to Cape Ann, and further south, all along the coast of Massachusetts. The flocks I have been filming are becoming smaller; male Snow Buntings have already begun their long migration north. Don’t you find all migrating species of wildlife fascinating? Especially a tiny creature such as the Snow Bunting, which breeds the furthest north of any known land-based bird. From the shores of Massachusetts Snow Buntings migrate to the high Arctic where they nest in rocky crevices.

The range shown in orange is where Snow Buntings nest

What has been especially fun to observe is when the Snow Bunting uses its feet as snowshoes and belly like a sled when traversing snow covered beaches. Oftentimes that’s how you can find them, with their unique step-step-slide-tracks. Snow Buntings seem to forage nearly non-stop, perching while shredding grassy seed heads and leaves, and pecking on the ground for seeds caught between sand, stones, and snow. To get from one clump of vegetation to the next, they hop lightly over the surface, snowshoeing along, and then slide along on their bellies. Snow Buntings must gain 30 percent of their body weight before beginning their journey.

Snowshoeing and Sledding

Lively disagreements over food ensue, usually nothing more than a mild spat.

Males typically depart the northeast for their nesting grounds earlier than do the females, arriving three to six weeks ahead of the females. Snow Buntings migrate entirely at night, following the geomagnetic field of the Earth, independent of any type of visual clue!

Notice in several of the photos you can see their “feathered pantaloons,” providing extra protection against freezing temperatures.

Snow Bunting eggs and nest in rocky crevice, images courtesy Google image search

Nicknamed Snowflakes because of their ability to nest in snow!

At this time of year flocks of Snow Buntings small and large can be found at our local sandy beaches and rocky coastlines. I am finding them throughout my roaming range, from Plum Island to South Boston.

What is not to love about this sweetly charming tubby little songbird, including its name, Snow Bunting, and nickname Snowflake. I am often alerted to the Snow Buntings presence by their distinct and highly varied social chattering. More than once though I and it have been startled as one flutters away to avoid my footsteps. The alarmed Snow Bunting will call loudly, warning its flock mates of a human, and then they will all lift to the skies in a swirling unison of Snowflakes.

Snow Buntings especially love rocky crevices and outcroppings. They nest in rocky areas of the Arctic tundra and while resting and foraging along Massachusetts coastlines, Snow Buntings go largely undetected in the similarly colored rocks.

The conical -shaped bill of Snow Buntings tells us that they are are seed eaters and in autumn and winter, Massachusetts beaches provide a wealth of seed heads remaining on expired wildflowers and grasses. Beach stones, along with piles of beach debris, trap seeds and I have captured a number of photos where the foraging songbirds pop up between the rocks with a mouthful of seed.

Early morning invariably finds Snow Buntings sleeping amongst beach rocks. It is a joy to watch as they slowly awaken, stretching and floofing, before tumbling out in a burst of black, white, and rusty brown to forage for the day.

Remarkably, Snow Buntings are nocturnal migrants. They are able to detect the geomagnetic field of the Earth for guidance to their breeding and overwinter grounds. The orientation of the Snow Bunting during migration is independent of any visual cue.

The 40 plus year old annual Christmas Bird Count shows a 64 percent decline in the Snow Bunting population. Climate change and neonicotinoids (pesticides) are thought to be the main reason for the decline.

Global climate change is not a HOAX as has been declared by the current administration. Recognizing that climate change exists and addressing the devastating effects on wildlife is imperative to insuring a richly diverse Planet Earth for our children and children’s children. Fifty-two percent of the world’s raptors are in decline and with the Arctic warming at twice the rate of the rest of the globe, the Snowy Owl faces a frosty future. The Snowy Owl population is especially at risk having declined by 64% since 1970.

The challenges we face because of climate change have been with us for decades. Administrations prior to the current administration have been working in the right direction and the Biden-Harris team plans to lead the world to address the climate emergency. Read more here:

THE BIDEN PLAN TO BUILD A MODERN, SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE AND AN EQUITABLE CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE [https://joebiden.com/clean-energy/]

Vote the Blue Wave!

Snowy Owl Film Project

https://www.ecowatch.com/snowy-owls-climate-change-2623954976.html

https://www.owlresearchinstitute.org/climate-change-and-snowy-owls

https://www.birdlife.org/worldwide/news/snowy-owl-faces-frosty-future-classed-vulnerable-first-time

In thinking about where have all the butterflies gone, I am reminded of the poignant song written by Pete Seeger “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” which although a song about the futility of war, sums up much about the environmental impact of habitat loss. Without wildflower habitat, there will be no pollinators of any sort.

Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time passing
Where have all the flowers gone?
Long time ago.

Buckeye and Seaside Goldenrod

Where have all the butterflies gone? Different species of butterfly populations fluctuate from year to year. For example, some years you may see far greater numbers of Buckeyes, the next year not so much. That same year you may hardly see any Tiger Swallowtails but will the following.

That being said,, everyone must realize that every year there are fewer butterflies than the year before. Butterflies thrive in meadows, the very same topography that is the easiest to build upon. Every time a new house or shopping mall is built on a meadow, we decrease not just butterfly habitat, but a whole community of wildlife habitat.

In the above photo you can see a Monarch with a Black Swallowtail flying overhead. This stunning patch of wildflowers and nectar plants was sited in Gloucester at a prime spot for Monarchs to rest and refuel after migrating across Massachusetts Bay. The new home owners ripped out most of the wildflowers and planted the site in a more formal style, with non-native perennials and shrubs. At this location, I would often see Monarchs, Tiger Swallowtails, Black Swallowtails, Painted and American Ladies, Sulphurs, and many other species. That is no longer true.

Tiger Swallowtail drinking nectar from Joe Pye-weed at the same wildflower patch, no longer in existence.

Butterfly and bee populations are declining overall, not only because of habitat loss, but because of the unbridled use of herbicides and pesticides in agriculture and home lawn care.

Butterflies are especially sensitive to fluctuations in weather, and also to overall climate change. This year we had a long, cold wet spring. The inclement weather is continuing, too, from a butterflies perspective, because although we are seeing some warmer temperatures the past few days, it has mostly been rainy, foggy, or overcast. Butterflies thrive during long stretches of sunny, hot weather. Their wings don’t work very well in the damp and cold. Because of global climate change, we have seen a seven percent increase in precipitation worldwide.

One of the best years I have ever seen for dozens and dozens of species of butterflies, including Monarchs, in the Northeast, was the summer and fall of 2012. That year, we had a warm winter followed by a warm spring, then a warm, dry summer, and a long, warm Indian summer. It was butterfly bonanza that summer and autumn!Adding to people’s concern is the fact that last year, there was an abundance of spring rain that in turn created an extraordinary wildflower bloom in Texas, which got all the butterflies off to a good start. In 2019, we were seeing Monarchs as early as early June, which was very unusual for Cape Ann. Folks are comparing this year to that of 2019, however, 2019 was not an average year.

Monarchs are a case unto themselves. Their spring and summer numbers depend upon a variety of additional conditions, including how successful was the previous year’s autumn migration, whether or not there were nectar providing wildflowers on their northward and southward migrations, and wind and weather conditions from Canada to Mexico.

Note the bar graph in that the eastern population of the Monarchs plummeted by half, according to this year’s spring count by the World Wildlife Fund Mexico.

Particularly in the northeast, the wind patterns during the Monarchs spring northward migration matter tremendously. My friend Charmaine at Point Pelee, in southern Ontario, which is 49 degrees latitude (we are 43 degrees latitude) has been raising and releasing Monarchs for over a month now, while most of us on Cape Ann have only seen a smattering. The Monarchs moved this year in a straight northward trajectory. If the wind does not blow from west to east during some part of their northward migration, far fewer will end up along the eastern shores.Monarchs and Seaside Goldenrod

All is not lost. I am 90 percent certain we will soon be seeing some of our migratory and non-migratory local populations, we just need some good weather. They are later than usual, but not gone entirely.

For so many more reasons, I am hopeful for the future of wildlife and their habitats and see such tremendous, positive change. Despite the current administration’ s extremely harmful stance against the environment, many, many individuals and organizations are gaining a deeper appreciation about the importance of habitats and taking positive action. Many have made it their life’s work. These individuals and organizations are creating wildlife sanctuaries and conserving existing habitats. If the Monarch is declared an endangered species, that will surely bring an added awarenesses and increased federal spending for protecting and creating habitats.

How can you help the Monarchs, which in turn will help myriad species of other butterflies and pollinators? Plant wildflowers! Both Marsh and Common Milkweed for their northward migration, and lots of nectar-rich later summer blooming wildflowers for their southward migration, including New England Aster, Smooth Aster, Purple-stemmed Aster, Seaside Goldenrod, and Canada Goldenrod.Monarchs and New England Aster

Eastern Point

Shoreline, home, and garden have been hard hit by the third nor’easter to take place this March. The waves and spindrifts were magnificent, taking a short drive around the back shore this morning, but it was difficult to observe the further damage to coastline habitats.

Kim Smith Films

Tag Archives: climate change

PLANNING FOR REALITY: SYMPOSIUM ON DOWNTOWN GLOUCESTER AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Planning for Reality: Climate Change and Downtown Gloucester

Saturday, November 19th, 2022, 1:00pm

THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY AND CLIMATE CHANGE KIM SMITH PRESENTATION

LINK TO MY MONARCH BUTTERFLY PRESENTATION FOR CAPE ANN CLIMATE COALITION

PLEASE JOIN ME TUESDAY NIGHT FOR “THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY AND CLIMATE CHANGE” PRESENTATION

HERE IS THE LINK

DONATE HERE

PLEASE JOIN ME TUESDAY NIGHT FOR “THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY AND CLIMATE CHANGE” PRESENTATION

Tuesday evening I will be giving a presentation about how climate change is impacting Monarch Butterflies for the Cape Ann Climate Coalition’s quarterly meeting. Jennifer Wallace Brown is giving a presentation “Electrifying Everything.” I hope you can join us!

BEAUTIFUL SNOWSHOEING AND SLEDDING SNOW BUNTING SNOWFLAKES

WHEN SNOW BUNTINGS FILL THE SKIES!

VOTE FOR SNOWY OWLS!

THE BIDEN PLAN TO BUILD A MODERN, SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE AND AN EQUITABLE CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE [https://joebiden.com/clean-energy/]

Vote the Blue Wave!

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BUTTERFLIES GONE?

GLOUCESTER MARCH NOR’EASTERS STORM COVERAGE 2018

LIVE FROM ATLANTIC ROAD WITH HUGE WAVES THREE HOURS BEFORE HIGH TIDE

LITTLE RED SHED NO MORE

BANGERS, CRASHERS, COASTAL FLOODING, BEACON MARINE BASIN, PIRATE’S LANE, AND THE GOOD HARBOR BEACH FOOTBRIDGE BOMBOGENESIS RILEY NOR’EASTER #GLOUCESTERMA

#GLOUCESTERMA RILEY STORM DAMAGE ATLANTIC ROAD PASS AT OWN RISK, GOOD HARBOR BEACH FOOTBRIDGE DAMAGE, PHOTOGRAPHERS WITH DEATH WISH, CHURNING SEAS, YOU WANTED TO BUILD A HOUSE WHERE?, AND THE THIRD SUPER HIGH TIDE ON THE WAY

#GLOUCESTERMA RILEY STORM DAMAGE MORNING AFTER, EASTERN POINT ROAD IMPASSABLE DUE TO STROM SURGE, CLEAN-UP BEGINS, HUGE SHOUT OUT TO GLOUCESTER’S DPW AND POLICE OFFICERS, GOOD HARBOR BEACH FOOTBRIDGE IN THE EMBANKMENT

DOWNED PHONE POLE AT THE ELKS BASS ROCKS #GLOUCESTERMA RILEY NOR’EASTER

BREAKING: BRACE COVE-NILES POND CAUSEWAY ANNIHILATED, NILES POND FLOODING #GLOUCESTERMA NOR’EASTER RILEY

BREAKING: EASTERN POINT LIGHTHOUSE ROAD WASHED AWAY AND PARKING LOT LITTERED WITH STORM SURGE DEBRIS; DO NOT DRIVE DOWN, NOWHERE TO TURN AROUND! #GLOUCESTERMA NOR’EASTER RILEY

DISASTER AT PEBBLE BEACH #ROCKPORTMA MARCH STORM NOR’EASTER RILEY

BEFORE AND AFTER ATLANTIC ROAD ESTATE MARCH NOR’EASTER STORM RILEY

ATLANTIC OCEAN WAVE WATCHING -EXPLODERS, BANGERS, ROLLERS, CRASHERS, AND SONIC BOOMERS – #GLOUCESTEMA #ROCKPORTMA MARCH NOR’ESTER STORM RILEY

CLEAR EVIDENCE OF THE DESTRUCTIVE FORCE OF GLOBAL WARMING ON THE MASSACHUSETTS COASTLINE AND HOW THIS NEGATIVELY IMPACTS LOCAL WILDLIFE

NILES POND BRACE COVE RESTORATION UNDERWAY 2018 #GLOUCESTERMA NOR’EASTER STORM RILEY

SHORING UP THE NILES POND-BRACE COVE CAUSEWAY BEFORE THE NEXT NOR’EASTER (ARRIVING TONIGHT)

MARCH NOR’EASTER #GLOUCESTER MA ATLANTIC OCEAN EXPLODING WAVES, SPINDRIFTS, AND THE PRICE TO PAY

MARCH NOR’EASTER #GLOUCESTER MA ATLANTIC OCEAN EXPLODING WAVES, SPINDRIFTS, AND THE PRICE TO PAY

Planning for Reality: Climate Change and Downtown Gloucester

Saturday, November 19th, 2022, 1:00pm

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PLEASE JOIN ME TUESDAY NIGHT FOR “THE MONARCH BUTTERFLY AND CLIMATE CHANGE” PRESENTATION

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Tuesday evening I will be giving a presentation about how climate change is impacting Monarch Butterflies for the Cape Ann Climate Coalition’s quarterly meeting. Jennifer Wallace Brown is giving a presentation “Electrifying Everything.” I hope you can join us!

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THE BIDEN PLAN TO BUILD A MODERN, SUSTAINABLE INFRASTRUCTURE AND AN EQUITABLE CLEAN ENERGY FUTURE [https://joebiden.com/clean-energy/]

Vote the Blue Wave!

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