Boxford Plans for the Future

Congratulations to the Town of Boxford for holding a rich discussion of future climate impacts to the community last week. Sponsored by a Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant from the state’s MVP program, the workshop brought together town planning, conservation, public health, utilities, and public works staff with nonprofit groups, community volunteers, and homeowners. The mix of participants provided local knowledge on areas that are currently vulnerable to hazardous weather as well as infrastructure, environmental resources, and societal attributes that will become more vulnerable in the future. Subjects that were discussed included drought and water supply, flooding and power outages, and vulnerable people and natural systems.

While a team of planners from Boston’s Harriman Associates led Boxford’s two-part workshops, the focus of the gathering was to elicit local input about the town’s most vulnerable areas, and to strategize with a mix of stakeholders about solutions. Priorities were developed, guided by the goal of making the town more resilient to these future impacts. Ultimately, the plan that will result from this workshop will provide a roadmap of actions and projects that Boxford can implement, and will give the town eligibility for further state funding.

Ipswich River Watershed Association’s purpose is to protect our water, for people and nature, which is why we participate in planning events like these. Water is the resource that will be most impacted by climate change, whether through drought, storms or flooding. We bring our expertise and local knowledge to these planning sessions to help our North Shore communities plan for the future. More MVP workshops are also being held across the watershed this year in Wenham, Andover, and Beverly. Ipswich River staff will be leading the Town of Ipswich’s MVP workshop later this winter. To see how your town may be affected by weather-related impacts in the future, go to the newly published Massachusetts Climate Change Clearinghouse at: http://www.resilientma.org/ , which has maps, data, and other resources.

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