North Carolina's Tough Shoreline Decisions

North Carolina has what is probably the worst and first set of tough decisions along the Atlantic Coast...what to do with the highway that runs the le...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Complications of Change - Coastal Gentrification?

The house in that picture - the one barely visible behind a massive wall of concrete and sand - could be the future of our coast. As coastal ris...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Virginia, Wetlands Watch Back in Court?

Yes, Virginia, there is danger from greenhouse gases - though Virginia wants to disprove it...still. Wetlands Watch joined with the Southern Enviro...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

The Other Shoe Drops in NC Coastal Power Grab

Remember the bill in North Carolina to outlaw sea level rise? Remember how it got changed to say that the state would empower North Carolina's C...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Cost of Climate Change Being Felt Now

An interesting article out in the National Journal on costs of climate change being felt today. I took the reporter out for a "windshield tour" ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Silly Season in Richmond

With a host of real challenges facing the citizens of Virginia, three members of the House of Delegates have chosen to spend their time fighting imagi...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Maryland Executive Order on Coastal Adaptation

Maryland's Governor O'Malley is trying to restart adaptation efforts post-Sandy with an executive order requiring state agencies in Maryland to start ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Washington Post Opinion Article on Coastal Policy

Now that we are entering the "post-Sandy" era in shoreline communities everyone expects things to be different. But I beg to differ, and wrote a...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Virginia Sea Level Rise Study Delivered

In the 2012 General Assembly, Senator Northam and Delegates Stolle and Lewis teamed up to pass a study on "recurrent flooding" in tidewater Virginia, ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Still Being Left Alone Along the Shoreline

"The failure by state and federal governments to develop climate change adaptation strategies leaves individuals, companies, and local governments to ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Move Away From the Shore? Hah!

North Carolina is again setting the pace for adaptation policy along the tidal shoreline. These south Nags Head houses to the left were hammered...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Sandy and Next Steps

Hurricane Sandy is changing national views on extreme weather and sea level rise impacts. Is this storm the result of climate change? A good ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

The Reality of Sea Level Rise and Flooding on One Small Business

Below the 30,000 foot view of sea level rise and flooding are many stories of individuals struggling with a changed reality along the shoreline. ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Excess Nutrients Killing Off Tidal Marshes

Wow, another link between today's healthy wetlands and tomorrow's abability to adapt to sea level rise. A new study at Woods Hole's marine Biolo...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

New National Report Puts Lead Role for Adaptation on Localities!

There is a new coastal climate change impacts report out, being prepared as technical background to the National Climate Assessment. I jus...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Flood Insurance Commentary

People who live along the tidal shoreline are exposed to flooding, especially when storms hit. The risk is high enough that, let alone, the priv...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

New Climate Change Study for Hampton Roads, VA

The Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) recently released a study on Climate Change - their third report in the last three years as par...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Delaware Issues Sea Level Rise Impact Assessment

We wrote before about the good work going on in Delaware to deal with sea level rise impacts. They have had a Sea Level Rise Advisory Committee meetin...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Our Sea Level Rise Message Covered in Press

Just back from yet another Rotary Breakfast and yet another talk on sea level rise impacts. This work is critical to informing our efforts - the cont...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Wetlands Watch Funded to Help Take Conservation Landscaping to Next Level

Wetlands Watch has been working on how to expand watershed group work with homeowners on conservation landscaping - rain gardens, removing impervious ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

New Home for Virginia Climate Change Commission's Website

This summer, Virginia updated some of its websites and discarded pages that were no longer needed...at least no longer needed under the current Govern...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Southestern Florida and Sea Level Rise Flooding

A very good article from the Miami Herald on the challenges they are facing in Southeastern Florida from flooding made worse by sea level rise. ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Daily Climate Story on Norfolk and Sea Level Rise

Another good story detailing the challenges we face here in Hampton Roads from flooding and sea level rise. Jennifer Weeks writing for the Daily...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

So Which is it - Extreme Weather Proves or Disproves Climate Change?

Back in the winter of 2010, after a huge snowstorm in the East, the Virginia Republican Party ran ads against two Democratic incumbents saying their s...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Wetlands Watch Study on Conservation Landscaping to "Save the Bay"

Wetlands Watch's study on "conservation landscaping" needs in Virginia was just approved by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission (HRPDC) - d...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

What a Long Strange Trip it's Been in North Carolina on Sea Level Rise

Final moves in North Carolina on Sea Level Rise....the amended bill was sent to the Governor, who let it become law. The final version of HB 819...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Another Article on Norfolk's Sea Level Rise Challenges

The Washington Post's Darryl Fears filed a story that ran today about Norfolk and its sea level rise/recurrent flooding problem. Darryl offers m...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Alabama Bans Sustainable Development

Yep, you read that heading right - the Alabama state legislature WITHOUT A SINGLE VOTE AGAINST! has sent a bill to the governor to ban sustainable dev...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

North Carolina Action on Sea Level Rise No Longer Funny

[SINCE THIS WAS POSTED, THE NC SENATE PASSED THE BILL! NO DEBATE.] We recently posted a story on North Carolina's moves to "outlaw" sea level...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Eastern Shore of Virginia Talks About Sea Level Rise

The Eastern Shore of Virginia is at high risk from sea level rise impacts, with so much low-lying areas along the Atlantic Coast and in communities li...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

North Carolina Sea Level Rise Fight Makes Comedy Central

I wrote a couple of weeks ago about moves in North Carolina to make it illegal to consider acceleration of sea level rise due to global warming. ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Virginia Moving Ahead on Sea Level Rise Adaptation

I'm the first to prod our state on its lack of attention to adaptation. With good reason: four years after we laid out an adaptation strat...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Virginia's New Tool for Wetlands Conservation and Sea Level Rise Adaptation

The story on Connecticut's sea level rise adaptation bill reminded me that we have some of those pieces in place in Virginia as well In the 2011...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Connecticut Takes A Bold Step on Sea Level Rise Adaptation

We've been following the debate in Connecticut about how to deal with the increased flooding they've been having - driven by the post-Irene damages.&n...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Opposition to North Carolina Sea Level Rise Adaptation Takes New Turn

North Carolina is among the leaders in coastal states for addressing future impacts of sea level rise. But that pioneering work comes at a cost....

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Repair or Retreat along the Connecticut Shore?

Add Connecticut to the list of states struggling with sea level rise adaptation. When Tropical Storm Irene slammed into the coast, the impacts of inu...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Norfolk Gets Attention on its Sea Level Rise Work

The region's problems with sea level rise, its efforts to deal with it, and Wetlands Watch's role are featured in a recent PBS segment of "Need to Kno...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Virginia Sea Level Rise "Toolkit" for Local Governments

For over four years, Wetlands Watch has been working on sea level rise adaptation, with a special focus on local governments. We decided at the ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Watershed Science Bulletin Article on Our Work

Over a year ago, I wrote an article on our work to get sea level rise adaptation in place at the local government level in Virginia. The Spring ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

North Carolina Developers Say "No" to First Adaptation Steps

The adaptation saga in flood-prone eastern North Carolina goes on. First, there was the fight over the NC Coastal Commission's 'advisory' that t...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Delaware Sets the Standard for Sea Level Rise Adaptation

Lots of activity around the US these days planning for sea level rise. Lots of urgency added by new studies. If you're looking for a good ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Virginia's Eastern Shore Marks Adaptation Progress

Much of Wetlands Watch's work is motivated by a line from the 2005 movie "Robots" = "See a need; fill a need." that applies in spades to t...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

More Sea Level Rise Activity in North Carolina

North Carolina has some more adaptation activity that needs exploring. As you recall, NC has had a busy time of late with adaptation planning an...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Sea Level Rise Study Shows Extent of Impacts

Another day, another study that shows we have a problem along our shoreline from sea level rise. This latest one from Climate Central was splashed in...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Wetlands Related Legislation in General Assembly (part II)

We reported a while ago on pending legislation in the General Assembly related to wetlands. The sea level rise study is updated elsewhere, so le...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Conservation Landscaping Survey

Wetlands Watch has been working in Southeastern Virginia to amplify efforts to get private property owners to practice better stewardship on their lan...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Virginia Sea Level Rise Study Moves Ahead

The Sea Level Rise {Recurrent Coastal Flooding} adaptation study we mentioned before is moving ahead in the Virginia Legislature. Delegate Stoll...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Sea Level Rise Planning: Maine to Louisiana

The sea level rise adaptation planning push is gaining speed with new studies in Portland, Maine and Coastal Louisiana. The Portland Study was requ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

San Diego Bay Sea Level Rise Strategy

Another in a continuing series of regional efforts to deal with sea level rise impacts - this time in San Diego Bay. This effort has been underw...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Tea Party Climate Deniers Funding Exposed

Recently I talked about my experience sitting through a meeting sponsored by the TEA Party at which climate denier, Fred Singer continued his rant aga...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

US Army Corps Addresses Sea Level Rise - Part 2

A while ago we reported that the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) has a new engineering guidance that takes sea level rise into account in its...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Be Careful How You Adapt to Sea Level Rise

A great article in The Economist on the cost of natural disasters - with a lesson for those of us working on sea level rise adaptation. The arti...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

TEA Party Meeting in Virginia Beach

I sat through a TEA party meeting on climate change at which long-time climate skeptic Fred Singer and others were talking about their views on global...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Feds Issue Draft Wildlife and Climate Change Strategy

The federal government issued its draft strategy on how to manage wildlife, fish, and plants to better cope with climate change. The effort was ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Wetlands Related Legislation in General Assembly

The General Assembly is in full swing in Virginia and some wetlands bills have popped up. Delegate Robert Marshall has a bill in (HB67) that would ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

South Florida Develops a Model for Adaptation Planning

South Florida has been in the news lately as a model of regional planning for climate change. Of note is the work they are doing on adaptation t...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Coastal Conservation and Climate Change

I was privileged to be part of a group of folks who helped the National Wildlife Federation put together a valuable study, "Practical Guidance for Coa...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Environment, Taxpayers Lose in Development Decision

A while ago, we reported on efforts to block a development in Northampton County, on Virginia's Northern Neck. Wetlands Watch joined with local ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Opposition to Sea Level Rise Work Gains National Attention

As we reported a while ago, the Tea Party in Virginia has started organizing against our work to get sea level rise adaptation plans in place. N...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Court Makes Wetlands Destruction Easier

A very troubling decision from the federal courts threatens to undo decades of policy to protect wetlands. The DC Circuit Court of Appeals allow...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Chincoteague, VA and Sea Level Rise

Chincoteague, VA has a problem with sea level rise: It is causing changes that the city does not like. Sea level rise is eating away at the b...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Norfolk Asks State for Sea Level Rise Adaptation Study

Norfolk, Virginia, became the first city in the state to ask for help in putting together a plan for adapting to sea level rise. In its legislat...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

US Army Corps Addresses Sea Level Rise

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE)has been considering climate change impacts on their work for some time. In 2009, the USACE issued an eng...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

TEA Party Takes on Environmental Issues

As if it were not getting tough enough with opposition to sea level rise popping up in San Francisco and North Carolina, now the TEA Party has taken o...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Clean Water/Wildlife habitat - One Yard at a Time

Seven years ago, Wetlands Watch embarked on a campaign to get waterfront homeowners to better manage their backyard wetlands. This was the origi...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Wetlands Watch Awarded Grant to Work with Business Sectors on Adaptation

Wetlands Watch was notified that it was awarded a grant from the Virginia Environmental Endowment to begin work with the business sector on sea level ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Opposition to Adaptation: West Coast Version

A previous post noted opposition to sea level rise adaptation in North Carolina. San Francisco Bay has been in an uproar over the same issue for...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

North Carolina Coastal Counties Fight Sea Level Rise Adaptation

An interesting development "South of the Border" in North Carolina showed up in the Virginian Pilot. North Carolina has led sea level rise adap...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Hampton Engages on Sea Level Rise and Shoreline Conservation

Lots of folks talk about the need for shoreline strategies in the face of sea level rise. Lots of folks talk about the need to engage the public...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Bad Development Idea on Virginia's Northern Neck

Wetlands Watch has joined with a citizen's group, Concerned Citizens for Preserving Bluff Point, and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, in opposing a prop...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

NASA Looks at Climate Change Impacts in Virginia

NASA has a series of reviews underway to look at climate change impacts on its facilities. At the end of September, it was the Langley Research ...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Irene Storm Surge

Irene is coming and so is her storm surge. To find out what is going on, click on the NOAA Extra-Tropical Storm Surge website. Find the ti...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Sea Level Rise Article In Virginian Pilot on Monday

The Virginian Pilot published an article today (Aug 22) detailing the sea level rise adaptation needs in Norfolk. The article applies to every c...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Old Dominion University Sea Level Rise Reseach Forum

ODU held a sea level rise research forum today, August 10, with about 25 people to identify the region's research needs. Corporate, local, state...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)

Wetlands Watch Wants Your Photos

Wetlands Watch is updating its website and needs images of wetlands, wildlife, and people to make it sing. We also are collecting evidence of th...

[Read the rest of this article...]

Actions: E-mail | Permalink Comments (0)