Resource

This fact sheet for Conservation Commissions in Connecticut reviews the role of these commissions for enhancing the climate resilience of their communities. The resource was developed by CIRCA and covers the authority and duties of conservation commissions as well as detailing specific strategies and approaches.

WEST COG developed this riparian zoning publication that is primarily focused on water quality, but also is highly relevant to climate mitigation.

The permitting process for shoreline modification projects is complex and it can be daunting to know where to begin. Check out New York Sea Grant’s NEW Guide to Permitting Shoreline Modification Projects in New York’s Tidal Waters for an overview of the process informed by federal, state, and local perspectives. It is intended for permit applicants using the New York State Joint Application for shoreline construction or modification, ranging from major to minor projects such as construction of floating docks, installing natural and nature-based features, bulkhead repair, development near a wetland, dredging, and invasive species removal.

The New York State Climate Impacts Assessment explores current and future climate change impacts to New York State communities, ecosystems, and economy. The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) assembled more than 250 New York–based, national, and Indigenous climate science experts and representatives from diverse communities and industries across the state to contribute to this assessment. The findings are intended to help residents, businesses, and decision-makers across the state plan and prepare for climate change impacts.

This resource outlines six different federal mitigation funding programs. It provides an overview of available options and links to learn more information and apply.

This study by Seth et al. provides up-to-date information on observed trends and projections of temperature and precipitation in Connecticut.

The CTDEEP document provides information about the many ways individuals, property owners, and communities can help protect Connecticut’s tidal wetlands.  

Guidance and training modules for Connecticut Zoning changes to address climate vulnerabilities. On the website there are examples of zoning policies municipalities could modify and/or adopt to enhance local climate resilience. Where applicable, model ordinances and examples of where the policies have been adopted are included.

Connecticut EJ Screening Tool is an interactive resource that combines both community and data-driven approach that incorporates environmental burdens and demographic indicators. This map allows users to explore the environmental health and the conditions (socioeconomic and or other distinguishing community characteristics) within a specific region, town, city, and or entire state.

The data included in this map finalize into a score that allows users to understand the relationship between the community and environmental justice. Through the presentation of this information, citizens and policymakers alike can understand what communities are experiencing and form policies that reshape these matters.

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA’s) Vulnerability Assessment and Adaptation Framework, 3^rd Edition, is a guide and collection of resources for use in analyzing the impacts of climate change and extreme weather on transportation infrastructure. Its purpose is to identify key considerations, questions, and resources that can be used to design and implement a climate change vulnerability assessment. The processes, lessons learned, and resources outlined in the framework are geared toward state departments of transportation (DOTs), metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), and other agencies involved in planning, building, or maintaining the transportation system. It includes suggestions and examples applicable to a wide range of applications, from small qualitative studies to large, detailed, data-intensive analyses. The resources included in the framework will be added to and updated over time.

Keep Forests Healthy: A Tool to Assess Resilience, Health & Productivity was developed by Cornell Cooperative Extension, the Northern Institute of Applied Climate Science, and The Nature Conservancy Central and Western New York Chapter to enable landowners to assess how their forest may be affected by changing climate conditions. This tool can help landowners identify potential risks to forests and highlight forest management options that may increase the ability of a forest to cope with the pressure of changing conditions. The document identifies 16 characteristics that may increase or decrease the risk of harm to a forest in a changing climate, which can then be discussed with a professional to plan forest management activities.

The Long Island Sound Watershed Land Cover Viewer contains all dates of land cover as well as Change To, Change From, Riparian Area Land Cover, and Impervious Surface Estimate layers. It also has many layers where HUC 12 watersheds are colored based on a single land cover. 

Connecticut Environmental Conditions Online (CT ECO) is the collaborative work of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP)  and the University of Connecticut Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) to share environmental and natural resource information with the general public. CT ECO’s mission is to encourage, support, and promote informed land use and development decisions in Connecticut by providing local, state and federal agencies, and the general public with convenient access to the most up-to-date and complete natural resource information available statewide.

CT ECO includes a variety of online maps and tools for viewing Connecticut’s environmental and natural resources as well as high resolution aerial imagery, elevation data, and land cover. The Advanced Map Viewer provides flexibility to turn on and off layers of the map.

To better understand how Connecticut’s coastal area marshes and roads may respond to sea level rise (SLR), Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) was applied to Connecticut’s shoreline by Warren Pinnacle Consulting, Inc. This viewer displays the model’s results for Connecticut’s 21 largest marshes and all coastal area roads. For marshes, SLAMM was run two hundred times using alternative model inputs for key model parameters, including various SLR scenarios, to produce probability based results of likely future marsh conditions. For roads, the model uses a single SLR scenario of about 4.2 feet by 2100 from the base year of 2002. The Sea Level Rise Effects on Roads and Marshes projects is a project between CT DEEP and UConn CLEAR.

The Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group website has information on events, invasive plant information for Connecticut, and control information. The mission of the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group is to gather and convey information on the presence, distribution, ecological impacts, and management of invasive species; to promote uses of native or non-invasive ornamental alternatives throughout Connecticut; and to work cooperatively with researchers, conservation organizations, government agencies, green industries, and the general public to identify and manage invasive species pro-actively and effectively. Organized in 1997 as an ad-hoc group, the Connecticut Invasive Plant Working Group (CIPWG) meets 1 to 2 times per year to collaborate and share information about invasive plant issues affecting Connecticut and the region. The group includes federal, state, and town agency staff, researchers, nursery growers, educators, master gardeners, community members, and interested citizens.

The LINAP Embayment Water Exchange Study looked at how water exchange practices could affect the nitrogen impairments in embayments. A water exchange practice changes the amount, speed, or direction of water moving through an area. The results of the study show that water exchange techniques are not effective in large waterbodies like most of Long Island’s embayments. Often, the physical size of the water exchange practice is small compared to the large waterbodies to which they are applied, which means their impact is limited. Water exchange projects may be useful, however, for smaller Long Island waterbodies, where the volume of increased water exchange approaches the volume of the overall waterbody. The goal of the study was to provide communities with basic information on water exchange practices suitable for Long Island.

The Equitable Resilience Builder (ERB) is an application that supports communities in resilience planning with a focus on equity. It engages users in a guided process to inclusively assess local hazards, equity, and the resilience of built, natural, and social environment systems. Results can be used to collaboratively prioritize actions to build community resilience in an equitable way.

Data shows polygon locations of Potential Environmental Justice Areas (PEJA). PEJA’s have been identified based on data from the 2014-2018 5-year American Community Survey (ACS), conducted by the US Census Bureau. Environmental justice efforts focus on improving the environment in communities, specifically minority and low-income communities, and addressing disproportionate adverse environmental impacts that may exist in those communities. The designated areas are considered for additional outreach within the permitting process, for grant eligibility, and for targeted enforcement of Environmental Conservation Law violations.

Discover funding opportunities for your project that elevate the sustainability and resilience of Long Island Sound communities.

The New York State Stormwater Management Design Manual provides designers with a general overview on how to size, design, select, and locate stormwater management practices at a development site to comply with State stormwater performance standards.

This interactive map provides information on boat ramps and saltwater fishing access points on Long Island in Nassau and Suffolk Counties.

The NYSDEC document is to provide guidance on the issuance of permits for living shorelines techniques in the Marine and Coastal District Waters of New York (the Marine District) and encourages the use of green or natural infrastructure.

Use this website to find New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) permits, licenses, registrations or certifications.

This NYSDEC tool provides information on shellfish closures in NY’s marine waters and can be used to help resource users understand where it is safe to harvest to shellfish.

The Long Island Tidal Wetlands Trends Analysis measures wetlands loss and changes in marsh condition within the Long Island Sound, Peconic, and South Shore estuaries including all or parts of Westchester, Bronx, Queens, Nassau, and Suffolk Counties between 1974 and 2005/2008. The results of this project are intended for use by environmental managers, conservation advocates and elected officials across a variety of regulatory agencies, environmental organizations, and governments.

The New York State Department of State worked with the Department of Environmental Conservation and other partners to create model local laws to help local governments be more resilient to sea-level rise, storm surge, and flooding. Cities, towns, and villages are invited to adapt model local laws to meet the resilience needs of the community with the assistance of their municipal attorneys.

This document developed in support of the NYS Community Risk and Resiliency Act 1) Describes natural resilience measures and how they can be used to mitigate the risks of flooding and erosion, 2) Provides definitions for different types of natural resilience measures and distinguishes among conserved, restored, nature-based and hard structural approaches, 3) Provides information on the value and benefits of using natural resilience measures, along with information on the co-benefits they provide, 4) Lists key factors to consider in the restoration, design and construction of natural resilience measures, and 5) Provides background to support the development of NYS agency guidance on natural resilience measures in the future

Information from the NYS Department of Health (DOH) on extreme heat impacts and resources for the public.

This fact sheet is intended to assist landowners in understanding the various shoreline management options and considerations for their shoreline.

The purpose of this fact sheet is to assist landowners in identifying and understanding the primary causes and processes responsible for erosion.

This guidance document is intended for stakeholders pursuing FEMA HMA grants for nature-based solutions to mitigate risks associated with flooding (riverine and coastal) and wildfire.

This toolkit describes “how” local government leads and partners can design more fundable projects by pulling specific policy levers, seeking key partnerships, using innovative accounting practices, inverting power structures, and rethinking and redesigning internal processes. It will help local government leads and partners operate within current finance and policy systems to better prepare themselves and their communities for climate resilience funding and finance.

National Report with State-based County-level data detailing the experiences of communities as a result of climate change. State reports include eight maps that show where major disasters have occurred, where post-disaster support has been given, where the most socially vulnerable populations reside, and the energy reliability by utility area. It also provides county-level disaster data within State Assembly, Senate, and Congressional district boundaries.

ReduceFloodRisk.org was developed by the Association of State Floodplain Managers to help property owners and buyers in flood prone areas identify strategies to reduce their properties risk of flooding.

The Resilience Implementation and Strategic Enhancements (RISE) Local Assessment Tool helps you approach hazards and risks comprehensively; and assess and refine your laws and policies in a way that improves resilience and helps achieve desired community outcomes. The tool works by assessing two critical elements of building resilience:
the “how” – once identified, resilience-enhancing measures can be successfully integrated into existing land use laws, building codes, and planning policies; and
the “what” – gaps in policies and regulations that support resilience.

Developed by The Nature Conservancy, this tool identifies priority road-stream and tidal crossings in Suffolk County for replacement or upgrades. Prioritization is based on social and ecological criteria. Additionally, it includes data on current and future projected flooding and marsh extent under various sea level rise scenarios. The tool is meant to be a screening tool for planning efforts.

Save the Sound’s Sound Health Explorer displays information on water quality for Long Island Sound beaches, embayments, and open waters.

The River Revival Project Map is a GIS-based map that identifies every river and stream in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. It also identifies the tributaries where river herring runs are known to exist, and shows all existing, planned or proposed connectivity projects on the island. The map is intended to be a tool to engage citizens in the restoration of rivers and streams in their communities.

Seatuck and the Greentree Foundation, in association with Cameron Engineering, initiated the Long Island Water Reuse Roadmap and Action Plan to catalyze the implementation of water reuse on Long Island and ensure that the strategy plays a larger and more meaningful role in safeguarding the region’s drinking water and surface water resources.

Suffolk County and the local governments within Suffolk County developed a FEMA approved Hazard Mitigation Plan, which documents risks from natural hazards and strategies to mitigate hazards.

Resources and information on Suffolk County’s Reclaim Our Water Initiatives and Septic Improvement Program. Through the Septic Improvement Program homeowners can access grants from New York State and Suffolk County to replace their cesspool or septic system with a nitrogen removal septic system and leaching structure.

Sustainable CT provides a wide-ranging menu of resilience best practices, opportunities for grant funding, and a voluntary certification program that recognizes thriving and resilient CT communities. Municipalities choose Sustainable CT actions, implement them, and earn points toward certification.

Coastal Resilience is a Connecticut-based decision support tool that provides local, regional, state and national stakeholders a step-wise process to guide decisions to reduce the ecological and socio-economic risks of coastal and inland hazards.

In cities across America, trees have historically been planted along race and class lines. Ensuring equitable tree cover across every neighborhood can help address social inequities so that all people can thrive. The map shows your city or town’s current Tree Equity Score and how it can be improved. Each score is calculated using a science-based approach and readily available data from a variety of sources.

The U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) is a map released every Thursday, showing where drought is and how bad it is across the U.S. and its territories. The map uses six classifications: normal conditions, abnormally dry (D0), showing areas that may be going into or are coming out of drought, and four levels of drought: moderate (D1), severe (D2), extreme (D3) and exceptional (D4).

The Coastal Science Navigator is intended to help users discover USGS Coastal Change Hazards information, products, and tools relevant to their scientific or decision-making needs.

This mapper is intended to provide federal, state, and local managers with tools to estimate the vulnerability and ecosystem service potential of wetlands. It allows you to display information on the unvegetated to vegetated ratio (UVVR), marsh elevation, tidal range, and shoreline change rates for New York’s tidal wetlands.

WaterTraq program is the first of its kind in New York State that allows for research of groundwater contamination by location, compound, depth of wells, and other criteria.

This Story Map was developed to provide an overview of the Westchester County Multi-Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan (HMP) to facilitate county-wide access to the plan. The Westchester County HMP was developed to provide a roadmap to resilience by identifying hazards affecting the county and its communities.

Click through all the pages to find guidance on native vs non-native plants, where to buy native plants in Westchester, how to guides, and local ordinances.

This EPA StoryMap communicates the importance, history, and threats of Long Island Sound eelgrass meadows. It highlights Long Island Sound Study’s ongoing efforts to protect and restore these essential ecosystems, and emphasizes the importance of understanding climate change implications on eelgrass distribution and productivity.

The Long Island Nitrogen Action Plan (LINAP) is a multiyear initiative to reduce the amount of nitrogen entering Long Island’s groundwater and surface water from wastewater (sewer and septic systems), stormwater runoff and fertilizers. LINAP is led by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Long Island Regional Planning Council (LIRPC) along with Suffolk and Nassau counties, with input from multiple partners and stakeholders. Learn more about LINAP and actions you can take to reduce nitrogen to Long Island’s waterways.

10 Things You Can Do to Reduce Personal Nitrogen Pollution

This story map by the by the UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR) and the Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments (NVCOG) shows a snapshot of Connecticut Municipalities’ Low Impact Development Policies (LID) that are included plans of conservation and development, zoning/subdivision regulations, and stormwater/LID design manuals.

NOAA overview of living shorelines and their benefits, steps to construction. There is a good map of places where they have been constructed around the US. It is a good place to get basic info about living shorelines, with appropriate links to more specific information like how to get a permit

CT state resource on living shorelines, with a few good fact sheets and pages about types of living shoreline techniques and permitting for our state. There is also a list of pilot projects in CT.

A website and a downloadable app for your mobile device. The resource has information about rain gardens, designing, selecting plants, and installing a garden on your property.

This website provides an overview of each chapter of Connecticut’s new Stormwater Quality Manual, which includes guidance on how to design, install, and maintain these types of practices.

The Superstorm Sandy Review Task Force conducted an in-depth review of the preparation for and response to Superstorm Sandy in Suffolk County by government agencies, first responders, nonprofits and private sector entities to determine which measures were effective and what actions must be taken in the future to increase resiliency and improve response to extreme weather events.

The Suffolk County Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan serves as a county-wide roadmap for how to address nitrogen pollution through wastewater upgrades and other nitrogen pollution mitigation strategies. It was developed in collaboration with numerous project partners, stakeholders, and technical experts, and is the product of rigorous, science-based evaluations.

This booklet from the EPA and CDC summarizes why extreme heat is on the rise, how it might affect people, and outlines steps to prepare for extreme heat events to reduce health risks.

The CCVI combines built, social, and ecological factors to identify areas that are vulnerable to flooding and heat related impacts of climate change. These mapping tools can be used to view vulnerability at both a regional scale and at specific sites to see how factors are contributing.

This document offers foundational learning opportunities for the emergency management community and beyond. By sharing communication techniques, climate information, data resources, and guidance for connecting with experts, this resource helps advance the integration of climate change considerations into actionable efforts before, during, and after disasters.

Contains guidance documents and information on coastal permitting from the State of Connecticut.

Guide that lists various beach-related actions/activities, permitting pathways, and other considerations

This interactive map can help you find your way to over 350 diverse shoreline sites in Connecticut that provide a variety of opportunities for coastal enjoyment.

Provides information about coastal hazard management in Connecticut including steps for developing plans and responses.

A centralized source of information for municipal officials, coastal property owners, state coastal managers, and the general public on coastal hazards in Connecticut.

Connecticut-specific site with maps, data, and visualization tools. Contains: Blue Plan, MS4 Viewer, CT Parcel Viewer, Sea Level Rise Effects on Roads & Marshes, CT DEEP Fish Community Data – Inland Waters, CT Aquaculture Mapping Atlas, CT Coastal Hazards Viewer, Carbon Stock & Land Cover Viewer

This Guide provides planning tools, regulatory information, and best management practices to jumpstart shellfish restoration-based project planning.

The Map Viewer is the state’s first geospatial collection of key ecological, biological, and human-use data intended to assess the viability of a coastal location to support shellfish restoration. Further, qualitative oyster habitat surveys characterize, for the first time, the condition of intertidal oyster populations across the state and establish a baseline to inform the planning of future quantitative assessments.

The Connecticut Shoreline Change Project analyzes how the Connecticut shoreline has changed between the late 1800’s and 2006 through loss (erosion) and gain (accretion) over time.

Resource guide for CT shellfish and aquaculture. It provides information and tools about all things shellfish and aquaculture in Connecticut with sections for businesses, consumers, recreational shellfishing, and shellfish restoration.

Guidance for coastal property owners, buyers, contractors, or real estate professionals to understand if a shoreline structure, construction, or repair requires a permit.

This web mapping application displays Water Quality Plans (TMDLs) developed by the 303 (d) program in conjunction with Water Quality Assessments conducted by the 305 (b) program.

This resource provides a variety of Aquaculture geodata in CT and can be used to support the decision-making process for aquaculture permitting applications, but does not include authoritative content.

This Story map illustrates climate change projections, considering scenarios that factor in temperature, precipitation, extreme heat, storms, and sea level.

EJScreen is an EPA environmental justice mapping and screening tool comprised of a nationally consistent dataset and approach for combining environmental and demographic socioeconomic indicators. EJScreen users choose a geographic area; the tool then provides demographic socioeconomic and environmental information for that area.

This mapper provides a view of estuary data and the option to retrieve and save information about water quality, nutrients, land use, etc. There are also instructions provided to assist with usage.

Includes information about preparing for, and implementing green infrastructure with helpful links to other fact sheets and resources.

This story map illustrates historical hurricane tracks, strike frequency, and potential areas of coastal flooding and inundation from storms.

An overview of the processes that cause bluff erosion and how to mitigate erosion.

An effort by Save the Sound and Earth Economics to identify opportunities for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and other federal agencies and funders to improve the ability of benefit-cost analysis tools to account for ecosystem-based benefits.

The site includes updated design storm rainfall amounts. Includes estimates of extreme rainfall for various durations (from 5 minutes to 10 days) and recurrence intervals (1 year to 500 years). Regional extreme rainfall maps and graphic products are also available. This updates existing analyses to account for changes such as the increasing frequency of heavy rainfall events.

The primary goal of this guide is to help communities identify and engage the staff and resources that can be used to implement nature-based solutions to build resilience to natural hazards, which may be exacerbated by climate change.

This guide gives community leaders five main strategies to carry out Nature-Based Solution projects: 1) Building Strong Partnerships, 2) Engaging the Whole Community, 3) Matching Project Size With Desired Goals and Benefits, 4) Maximizing Benefits, and 5) Designing for the Future. This is not a technical guide for planning, constructing or funding NBS. It covers the value of each strategy and suggests how to move forward with NBS projects.

The Community Rating System (CRS) is a voluntary incentive program that recognizes and encourages community floodplain management practices that exceed the minimum requirements of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

The FEMA Flood Map Service Center (MSC) is the official public source for flood hazard information produced in support of the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Use the MSC to find your official flood map.

These community profiles are intended to be used by municipal officials and planners working to make their communities more economically, environmentally, and socially resilient. Includes datasets related to FEMA disaster and non-disaster funding, flood insurance claims, social vulnerability, and other community stats.

RAPT provides access to important data and analysis tools to support your community before, during and after a disaster.

This toolkit features legal and policy tools, best and emerging practices, and case studies to support learning and decision making around managed retreat and climate adaptation. It is meant to be used by state, territorial, and local policymakers in U.S. coastal jurisdictions

Provides the most up-to-date sea level rise projections for all U.S. states and territories, out to the year 2150. Extrapolations of available tide gauge observations are also provided. The sea level scenarios and information contained in this tool originate from 2022 technical report produced by the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flood Hazard Scenarios and Tools Interagency Task Force.

This program provides financial rewards for homeowners on Long Island who add green alternatives to their properties that benefit the environment. It also provides guidance on how to install green alternatives on your property.

The purpose of the interactive viewer is to illustrate the fate of significant marsh systems on Long Island Sound under future Sea-Level Rise conditions. Model results are combined with tax-parcel information and integrated with information about marsh ecosystem services to assist municipalities and conservation groups in defining and assessing various land-management alternatives.

Learn about living shorelines and their benefits to communities. This website contains training modules, a white papers database, a database of living shoreline projects, professionals directory, and online forum.

New York Sea Grant (NYSG) created a new “Protecting Coastal Bluffs of Long Island” Sign (pdf) that is available for municipalities, community groups, homeowner associations and property owners to print and install next to your bluff. NYSG has created a post card version of “Protecting Coastal Bluffs of Long Island” (pdf) available for distribution.

Providex guidance and tools to help Connecticut municipalities and institutions comply with the MS4 general permit.

Submit your coastal flooding photos through this website/app. Photos are linked to real-time environmental conditions to create flooding reports that help stakeholders understand our changing environment and make informed decisions.

MyCoast NY collects and catalogs photos provided by volunteers that document changing water levels, shorelines, and hazardous weather impacts across New York’s varied coasts and water bodies. Photos are linked to real-time environmental conditions to create flooding and storm impact reports that help stakeholders like government agencies, business owners, and residents understand our changing environment and make informed decisions.

The Nassau County Hazard Mitigation Plan was developed through a year-long interactive planning process in close coordination with stakeholders. The process included identifying the hazards of concern within the County, assessing those hazards, estimating risk, and developing a strategy to mitigate risk to these hazards throughout the County.