Farewell to Jeff Allenby
Jeff has been working with IAN through a partnership with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources to help local communities to realize and proactively adapt to climate change and coastal hazards. Jeff will be going to the Chesapeake Conservancy in Eastport to be their Conservation Planner. He will be working on incorporating climate adaptation into conservation targeting and exploring new ways to use technology to access data and increase public outreach and communications. We wish Jeff all the best with his future endeavors.
Job vacancy: Coastal Communities Planner
The successful candidate will work on programs related to coastal planning in the context of coastal hazards and climate change to: (1) support efforts to incorporate coastal hazards, sea level rise adaptation, and coastal resource values into local planning and management efforts; (2) develop program objectives and review, evaluate, and manage projects; and (3) work to translate science, policy, and planning information to coastal decision-makers, including facilitated training events. The position requires a strong background in the environmental sciences, particularly as it relates to coastal hazards and climate change adaptation.Welcome to Kate Skaggs
Kate comes to IAN through a partnership with UMCES and MD DNR. She is serving as DNR's new CoastSmart Communities Planner. Kate will be coordinating Maryland's CoastSmart Communities Initiative, helping local communities identify and implement strategies to protect life and property vulnerable to coastal hazards and climate change. Kate received a BS in Environmental Science from Lynchburg College in 2006 and an MS in Environmental Studies, with a Certificate in Urban and Regional Planning, from the College of Charleston, SC in 2010. After graduating, Kate accepted a two-year NOAA Coastal Management fellowship in Olympia, WA with the Washington State Department of Ecology. The final deliverable for the fellowship was a guidebook for local governments in WA to help plan for sea-level rise adaptation. Outside of coastal work, Kate picked up a great interest in many stereotypical PacNW activities such as yoga, rock climbing, hiking, a huge appreciation for sunshine, as well as a love for good coffee and smoked salmon.
Welcome to Sarah Lane
Sarah joins IAN as part of the UMCES and MD DNR partnership. She is providing technical support for DNR's coastal non-point source pollution reduction programs. Sarah will manage Maryland's Innovative Technology Fund, incorporate climate adaptation considerations into natural filter implementation, and integrate the latest research information to improve the state's coastal non-point source programs and policies. Prior to joining UMCES, she worked with UMD College of Agriculture, and has also worked for the Mid-Atlantic Water Program, Chesapeake Bay Program Office, and Center for Watershed Protection. Sarah received a BS in Geography and Environmental Systems from the University of Maryland Baltimore County, and a MS in Environmental Sciences and Policy from Johns Hopkins University. When she's not estimating best management practice efficiencies, Sarah is training for triathlons, playing soccer, tasting a new hot sauce, or traveling with her husband Ian.
Climate Change Best Management Practices newsletters
IAN and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources published these newsletters on the ways to best preserve Maryland's water supply and aquatic ecosystems with the increasingly variable weather patterns associated with climate change. Issues discussed include uncertain access to drinking water, salt water intrusion, flooding, property damage, changes in precipitation, temperature, tropical storms, and human activity. Human development and pollution have degraded the natural resilience of aquatic systems, leaving them more vulnerable to climate change and extreme events. Best Management Practices (BMPs) should be sited and designed with climate change impacts in mind.