Projects
MUSIC graduate researchers are involved in scoping possible joint fact finding (JFF) projects in coordination with USGS in various parts of the country. At the moment we are looking at four possible JFF projects.
Collaborating with the National Audubon Society to develop negotiation exercise for the Atchafalaya Basin
(National Audubon Society and MUSIC)
The Atchafalaya Basin is the largest contiguous cypress-tupelo swamp in the United States, and an important distributary of the Mississippi River. After the completion of the Old River Control Structure in 1973, changes in the flow of the Atchafalaya River led to significant disruptions of the environmental processes in the Basin, which in turn led to conflicts over how to manage and restore the wetlands. These conflicts have been ongoing since the 1980-ies, and after hurricanes Katrina and Rita the importance of coastal wetlands has reemerged to the top of the political agenda. As a sediment-carrying river, the Atchafalaya plays a key role in wetland creation in the Gulf of Mexico. The wide variety of interests around the Basin has complicated effective decision-making and planning for the last three decades.
Everglades Restoration—Addressing the Challenge of Climate Change Through Strategic Habitat Conservation: A Stakeholder-based Approach
(U.S. Fish and Wildlife, U.S. Geological Survey)
In order to help the responsible parties plan and manage the Greater Florida Everglades Ecosystem in the face of the uncertainties posed by changing climate; we propose to develop a stakeholder-based alternative futures process. As part of this research we will ask, “Is it possible to manage landscape-scale ecosystems if the effects of climate change require rapid intervention?” We will be developing new GIS-based scenario-casting tools that should facilitate broader-gauged stakeholder involvement in the review of adaptive management strategies.
The Massachusetts Climate Change Adaptation Project
MUSIC is working with the Consensus Building Institute, the Barr Foundation, Rabb Associates and the Environmental League of Massachusetts to increase public awareness of the risks associated with climate change and the need to reduce the vulnerability and enhance the resilience of coastal communities in the Commonwealth through adaptation planning. MUSIC seeks to work with public officials, corporate leaders, environmental action groups and neighborhood advocates to promote broad-gauged public education and public involvement in the assessment of climate change risks and the implementation of risk management strategies. We are particularly concerned about the disproportionate impacts that poor communities and communities of color are likely to experience as a result of sea level rise, storm intensification, coastal erosion, changes in precipitation patterns, creation of heat islands, and threats to infrastructure, water supplies and endangered habitats. MUSIC emphasizes the creation of role play simulations, scenario-casting and joint fact finding to identify "no-regrets" investments and policy shifts.
Assessing Ecosystem Sustainability and Vulnerability to Climate Change in the Lower Mississippi Valley
(U.S. Geological Survey)
MUSIC is conducting research to assess the potential impacts of changing climate on the trust resources and endangered species -- as well as the sustainability and vulnerability of the ecosystems that support them -- in the Lower Mississippi Valley (LMV). One question we address is, “When most of the land is privately owned, how can conservation practices at the landscape-scale be implemented?” This is a continuation of our on-going efforts to examine more effective ways of integrating federal and state resource planning efforts that begin with different, but overlapping, geographically defined boundaries.
Chesapeake Bay—A Collaborative Simulation Process and Toolkit for Building “Coast-Smart” Communities in Maryland
(NOAA)
We will be developing and testing (in a high profile public setting hosted by the governor) a multi-party negotiation game (simulation) and policy toolkit aimed at helping Maryland coastal communities understand the moves they can make (and their implied costs) in an effort to adapt to and blunt the adverse impacts of climate change. The goal is to publicize the toolkit so that all Maryland coastal communities can use it. Our client is the state Coastal Zone Commission that has the lead on climate change in Maryland.
Guidance Tools for Planning and Management of Urban Drainage Systems under a Changing Climate
(Aurora, CO and Somerville, MA)
Present and future management of urban runoff is made more complicated by the potential long-term impacts of climate change. Our objective is to formulate new options that urban water managers can use to respond to the challenges of drainage management in the face of climate change. Funding comes from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Offshore Wind Farms: Adaptive Strategies to Achieve Sustainable Energy in the Face of Changing Climate
For the United States to adapt to and prepare for the impacts of changing climate, we need to promote more sustainable energy production. We are working to document the new regulatory framework governing the siting of off-shore wind farms in the Eastern United States (as a result of the 2005 National Energy Policy Act). Our assumption is that state governments have a crucial role to play and that federal and state regulatory reviews will need to be coordinated, as will efforts to engage multiple stakeholders in implementing state-level sustainable energy policies. We hope to work with state officials in Rhode Island and Maine and to continue our work with officials in Massachusetts where there has been substantial opposition to the construction of off-shore wind farms. We have no specific agency client, but we do have industry support from a wind technology company.
