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Rocky shoreline of Casco Bay

About

Climate Ready Casco Bay was developed as part of a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation funded project to develop nature-based coastal resilience solutions across eleven Casco Bay communities. This project sought to leverage current resources, weave together existing data and climate assessment efforts, identify and fill gaps, seek public input, and develop nature-based concepts and strategies for protecting the region’s coastline. It also serves as a resource for future regional efforts.

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The project provides a comprehensive, regional approach to climate resilience in preparation for climate risk and includes the work of multiple organizations and municipalities working on this issue in Casco Bay. This project — coordinated by Greater Portland Council of Governments and the Gulf of Maine Research Institute in collaboration with community volunteers, municipal staff, elected officials and community leaders — aimed to achieve the following outcomes:   

  • Increased municipal knowledge, capacity, and plans to protect coastal habitats and infrastructure from climate impacts.  

  • Identification of high priority coastal areas for future resilience project, including 14 sites across the 11 communities.

  • A regional resilience plan identifying community and ecosystem resilience needs, and actions and best practices to mitigate flood risks. 

  • An online portal supplementing the resilience plan and making information accessible to the region. 

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The 11 communities are: Brunswick, Freeport, Yarmouth, Cumberland, Falmouth, Portland, South Portland, Cape Elizabeth, Scarborough, Chebeague Island and Long Island.​​

​The Greater Portland Council of Governments and Gulf of Maine Research Institute are co-leads on this project. In addition, an advisory committee is overseeing this project.

 

Our advisory committee includes:

  • Casco Bay Estuary Partnership

  • Cumberland County Emergency Management

  • Friends of Casco Bay

  • Island Institute

  • Maine Coast Heritage Trust

  • Maine Geological Survey

  • The Nature Conservancy

  • National Association of Wetland Managers

  • Southern Maine Planning and Development Commission

Workshops

Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI) led community engagement on the project and leveraged their “Planning Forward” workshops to engage stakeholders on long-term planning exercises. GMRI enrolled each community in their Coastal Flooding Community Science program, which allows community members to support data collection and understand local flood risks. The monitoring sites identified by GMRI through this program were foundational to understanding regionally vulnerable sites.

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GPCOG and GMRI held two "Planning Forward" workshops during the project with municipal staff and committee members designed to build knowledge about the at-risk locations and resources in the region, and the potential for nature-based solutions to mitigate impacts. Participants used scenario planning to envision a more sustainable future, and to facilitate dialog between committee members, municipal staff, and regional and state planning officials.

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GPCOG also presented this project at:

  • Portland/South Portland Coffee and Climate – January 2023

  • Prince Memorial Library – May 2024 â€‹

  • Piper Shores Retirement Community – November 2024

  • National Coastal Resilience Fund Webinar – August 2024

  • GPCOG Regional Sustainability Roundtable – March 2025

  • GPCOG Executive Committee – March 2023, November 2024, and January 2025 

 

 

Click here to see the presentation 

Click here for slides

GMRI logo_edited.jpg
Workshop participants looking at materials on a table
Planning forward workshop participants seated around a table discussing materials

Newsletters

 

The project team sent out 4 newsletters over the course of the project updating communities on the progress and process.

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Project Timeline

Project Timeline: By November 2022, CRCB had completed an assessment of municipality capacity, data collection, and development of engagement materials. Municipal data profiles were developed and a regional map of at risk sites were compiled between December 2022 through June 2023. Stakeholder engagement workshops and local coastal engagement events were conducted between July 2023 and January 2024. The development of a regional coastal resilience report and online portal for ongoing monitoring of projects was completed between January 2024 and November 2024.

If you have questions or information to add to the site, contact GPCOG Sustainability Program Manager Kelly Rehberg at krehberg@gpcog.org. 

​This project is made possible through a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, with support from Gulf of Maine Research Institute, The Builders Initiative, and Jane’s Trust Foundation.

The views and conclusions contained on this website are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing the opinions or policies of the U.S. Government or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and its funding sources. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Government, or the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation or its funding sources.

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