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In: coastal resilience, Hannah Paulson, Keillor Fellows, WCMP, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program

Equity is top of mind for the newest J. Philip Keillor Wisconsin Coastal Management-Sea Grant Fellow, Hannah Paulson. Over the next year, she’ll bring that lens to bear in her efforts at the Wisconsin Department of Administration’s Coastal Management Program (WCMP), where she’s helping communities build their resilience to coastal hazards like bluff erosion and flooding.

Hannah Paulson (submitted photo)

For Paulson, a native of Manitowoc, Wisconsin, thinking about equity and vulnerable populations encompasses many factors. “While there are many ways to define social equity and social vulnerability, for me, it incorporates everything: socioeconomic status, age, accessibility to public areas, historical redlining and exclusionary practices… I want to be as inclusive as possible as we look ahead toward what resilience will mean in Wisconsin.”

During graduate studies at the University of Michigan, Paulson came to see how vulnerable people were sometimes not factored into community planning. Working with five other students in her program, she helped conduct over 50 interviews with coastal leaders in the Great Lakes region on both the U.S. and Canada sides.

Some of those leaders were disconnected from changing demographics in their communities. As a result, said Paulson, underserved populations are “not really incorporated into planning, and it just leads to more issues down the road.”

In many cases, it was limited capacity that hindered local leaders’ ability to factor equity issues into planning. “These are huge issues that require a significant amount of money to address the root cause, and sometimes local leaders don’t have the money or the staff capacity to get grants (to address these problems),” Paulson acknowledged. “Some communities are working with very little resources.”

During her time with WCMP, Paulson’s main project is contributing to the ongoing work on the Coastal Processes Manual. Her mentors there are Kate Angel, Todd Breiby and Lauren Leckwee. She’s also working with Sea Grant Coastal Engineering Specialist Adam Bechle, with whom she’s collaborating on a chapter about erosion and shoreline recession, which covers topics like the physics of bluff erosion.

Although she is interested in potentially working on marine issues someday, an affinity for Great Lakes coastal communities comes naturally to Paulson, who grew up near Lake Michigan. In college, she “came to appreciate how unique the freshwater resources we have here are.”

In addition to equity concerns, Paulson also has a strong interest in nature-based solutions for stabilizing shorelines, such as restoring wetlands and incorporating natural structures to absorb wind and wave action.

Paulson is eager to make the most of the professional development opportunities offered by her Keillor Fellowship year, such as learning more about how state governments and the federal government interact. “I’m seeking out every webinar, every conference and every field experience,” she said, as well as lining up informational interviews to learn more about coastal career paths.

Having started in late August, Paulson is already a couple of months into her fellowship experience. She’s finding it a rewarding way to continue her career development after earning her bachelor’s degree in conservation biology at the University of Wisconsin and master’s in ecosystem science and management at Michigan.

As Paulson summed it up, “Like Emily (Rau, her predecessor in the fellowship), I looked at other fellowship programs and ended up here since the staff is so supportive and so fantastic. They are committed to making sure this is a mutually beneficial experience. I’m already very happy with my choice.”

The post For new Keillor Fellow, social equity is an important element of coastal community resilience first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

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Jennifer Smith

On:
In: Coastal Processes Manual, Emily Rau, Keillor Fellow, Keillor Fellows, Keillor Fellowship, Wisconsin Coastal Management Program

For Emily Rau, whose term as the J. Philip Keillor Wisconsin Coastal Management-Sea Grant Fellow is coming to a close, the year-long position has been a homecoming in more ways than one. It brought her back to her home state of Wisconsin; to the city of her undergraduate alma mater, UW-Madison; and to a Sea Grant program.

Emily Rau, a 2021-22 Keillor Fellow, stands at Pebble Beach in Sister Bay, Wisconsin. For her fellowship, Rau has been stationed at the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program (WCMP). Some of the funding to help the Village of Sister Bay acquire this scenic shoreline came from the WCMP. (Submitted photo)

While in graduate school at the University of Michigan’s School for Environment and Sustainability, Rau spent two years as a research assistant at Michigan Sea Grant, where, among other projects, she was the lead author for a report about employment trends connected to the Great Lakes. At that neighboring Sea Grant program, she saw the organization’s value and that of the broader network of 34 university-based Sea Grant programs.

“Michigan Sea Grant helped me discover that I liked helping bridge the gap between science and decision making, especially when it comes to the Great Lakes,” said Rau. It also helped her locate her fellowship with Wisconsin Sea Grant—one that has felt tailor-made for her. Originally from Oak Creek, Wisconsin—a southern suburb of Milwaukee—Great Lakes coastal issues are close to her heart.

Said Rau, “This has been a perfect fellowship for me. I got to learn in depth about a specific subset of Great Lakes management and policy and how the Coastal Management Program works federally and on the state level. And I’m getting to broaden my network by interacting with experts and project partners who do coastal work.”

During her fellowship term from September 2021 to August 2022, Rau’s main task has been working on the third edition of the Wisconsin Coastal Processes Manual and shepherding it through the production process. That work has included writing and editing chapters, coordinating the review of chapters by Sea Grant Editor Elizabeth White, starting a reference system, cleaning up appendices, gathering images and more.

The manual has been a major undertaking that predecessors in her fellowship—including Sea Grant Coastal Engineer Dr. Adam Bechle, now one of Rau’s mentors—have also worked on. As Rau summarized, “The overall goal… is connecting the science of coastal processes with Wisconsin coastal communities along Lake Michigan and Lake Superior that can benefit from that information. It’s taking that science and bringing it to municipalities and local organizations in an easier-to-use format so they’re able to apply that work.”

When not occupied with the manual, Rau has tackled other projects, such as learning about the annual coastal grants cycle at the Wisconsin Department of Administration’s Coastal Management Program, where her office is stationed. Municipalities, local governments and university researchers can apply for funding from the program.

“That’s been eye-opening for me because I have never been a part of the grantmaking process before but wanted to experience it,” said Rau. Reviewing some of the submitted proposals and helping administer the grant program have broadened her professional skillset.

Rau also helped develop and facilitate a series of “research roundup” webinars with Carolyn Foley, Illinois-Indiana Sea Grant’s research coordinator, and Chiara Zuccharino-Crowe, Sea Grant liaison to NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) for the Great Lakes region.

While her Keillor Fellowship is ending, Rau has her next step in her sights: contingent upon funding, she will continue working on coastal issues under another fellowship that will also be based at the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program. Through funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act) that NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management administers, she anticipates serving as the coastal infrastructure project coordinator, helping to plan, coordinate and develop habitat-focused infrastructure projects funded through that legislation.

As for the Keillor Fellowship focused on coastal hazards, that post will continue with a new fellow for the 2022-23 year, with Hannah Paulson picking up the reins. Stay tuned for more information about Paulson, who, like Rau, hails from a Wisconsin coastal community and holds degrees from both the University of Wisconsin and the University of Michigan.

The post Keillor Fellow reflects on horizon-expanding experience assisting Great Lakes coastal communities first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

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News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

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Jennifer Smith

On:
In: Climate change, flood resilience, Flood Resilience Scorecard, flooding, Floods, Jackson Parr, Keillor Fellows, Keillor Fellowship, Public Health

Wisconsin’s Sea Grant’s “Lake Talks,” a series of informal science presentations, returns for the fall season with an event on Thursday, Sept. 23, from 7-8 p.m. Kicking off the new season is speaker Jackson Parr, the J. Philip Keillor Flood Resilience-Wisconsin Sea Grant Fellow. His talk is titled “Understanding Flood Resilience in Your Community.”

The virtual event will be held on Zoom. It is open to everyone, though registration is required. (Register for this event now.) The hour will include time for audience questions.

The Keillor Flood Resilience Fellowship is jointly supported by Wisconsin Sea Grant and the Climate and Health Program at the Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS), where the fellow is stationed. The goal of the position is to boost resilience to flooding events in communities around the state—particularly smaller ones that may have less capacity or fewer resources to devote to this issue than larger municipalities.

Jackson Parr (submitted photo)

Parr’s topic is a timely one, as flooding and other damage from Hurricane Ida has captured the concern of the nation. While Wisconsin does not face hurricanes, other severe weather events have caused damage and displacement here. For example, widespread and significant flooding in the southern portion of the state in 2008 led to 31 counties being declared disaster areas. According to the National Weather Service, more than 40,000 homes and 5,000 businesses were damaged, and state officials estimated the total damage at more than $1.2 billion.

In his talk, Parr will describe a tool called the Flood Resilience Scorecard, which helps communities assess their level of flood preparedness through three lenses: environmental, institutional and social. The tool also assesses readiness for dealing with the health impacts that often follow floods. Parr and colleagues at DHS and Sea Grant work with communities on completing the scorecard, and, based on the outcomes, they help those communities take action to boost their readiness.

Parr is well-versed in Wisconsin communities as both a former Door County journalist and a two-time graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He holds master’s degrees in public affairs and water resources management.

Future Lake Talks this fall will focus on Wisconsin shipwrecks (October); Great Lakes children’s literature by Native American authors (November); and a conversation with Minnesota-based poet Moheb Soliman, who draws upon his Great Lakes travels in his work, including his most recent poetry collection, HOMES (December). Those talks will also be delivered via Zoom.

For Lake Talks event and registration information, visit the Sea Grant website, or follow Wisconsin Sea Grant on Facebook or Twitter. You can register for Jackson Parr’s talk now.

For questions about this series, contact Wisconsin Sea Grant science communicator Jennifer Smith.

The post Series of informal science talks returns with a focus on flood resilience in Wisconsin communities first appeared on Wisconsin Sea Grant.

Original Article

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

News Releases | Wisconsin Sea Grant

https://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/news/series-of-informal-science-talks-returns-with-a-focus-on-flood-resilience-in-wisconsin-communities/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=series-of-informal-science-talks-returns-with-a-focus-on-flood-resilience-in-wisconsin-communities

Jennifer Smith