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DIPP Newsletter  October 2016, Volume 12

 

Dear Stakeholders and Participants, 

 

It's been a busy month, and we're excited to share the latest Project news with you! First, we'd like to invite you to attend the November 1st Community Conversation on the Coastal Resiliency Assessment (details below). One topic we'll discuss at this meeting is the newly unveiled flood risk maps created by Maryland DNR and Eastern Shore GIS Cooperative for assessing flooding vulnerabilities on the Peninsula. Take a sneak peak of these maps below. We'd also like to say congrats to Andrew Webster and Michael Paolisso on their recently published letter on the role of faith in addressing environmental change, which you can read in the Chesapeake Quarterly's latest online issue. Finally, learn about a second NOAA proposal that was recently submitted by the Project coordinators to extend DIPP's collaborative efforts in exciting new directions down the road. All of this and more below!

 

Sincerely,

The DIPP Team

You're Invited to a Community Conversation: 

Next Steps for the Coastal Resiliency Assessment

 

About: Join us for a discussion about how to get involved in adaptation planning activities taking place in four focus areas around the Deal Island Peninsula.

 

Why Attend? 

We need input from homeowners, residents, and people who are familiar with the area in evaluating and addressing flooding, erosion, and other problems affecting the Peninsula! We're focusing on four areas identified by the stakeholder network: 1) Deal Island and Wenona Harbors; 2) Deal Island beach/ Hunts Hill and surrounding area around Middle/Hunts Creek; 3) Dames Quarter and Deal Island Rd. + surrounding marsh area; and 4) Oriole and marsh area on Manokin River. This meeting will be used to organize a series of workshops for each focus area, scheduled for December 2016-July 2017. We will also roll out a new flood map tool  that will enable you to assess current and future flooding and storm risks to your property, neighborhood, and other areas of the Peninsula. 

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When: November 1, 2016,  6:30-8:00pm

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Where: Rock Creek Church Community Hall

Meet a Project Stakeholder

 

My name is David Webster, better known as “Dave-Dave”, or “Pastor Dave-Dave.” I have been a life-long waterman (commercial fisherman) in the Deal Island Peninsula area. I am a lifelong resident of Dames Quarter, Maryland. I am currently the bi-vocational pastor of three small United Methodist churches in the Deal Island area, and am the father of five children and grandfather of 12. I also operate my own boat, the Kristy Sue, with a crew of two, and fish for crabs and oysters in the Tangier Sound. I am a 37 year member and Chaplin of the Deal Island/Chance Fire Department, as well as the Chaplin of the Skipjack Heritage Organization. I have been participating in the DIPP Stakeholders program from its beginning, focusing on the history and heritage of our local area. 

"A Letter from the Eastern Shore:

Faith Flies in the Face of Facts"

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Read DIPP members Andrew Webster's and Michael Paolisso's published letter in the lastest online Chesapeake Quarterly about the importance of faith in responding to community & environmental change on the Deal Island Peninsula. 

Announcement: Grant Application Submitted to NOAA to Expand Collaborative Learning Work on the Lower Shore!

 

Dr. Michael Paolisso and other researchers at the UMD submitted a proposal to garner funding to continue work that supports resilient coastal communities in the face of climate change. The proposal, titled “Building Coastal Resilience to a Changing Climate: Linking Rural Decision-Makers with Local Churches,” expands on DIPP's model of collaborative learning and decision-making by building networks between local churches and county level decision-makers across Dorchester and Somerset Counties. This project would connect church leaders (including those in the Deal Island Peninsula area) with decision-makers, coastal planners, and other County-level officials to better understand the vulnerabilities that local communities face, and to more effectively link information and resources in assisting communities impacted by climate changes. We are hopeful that the proposal will be funded so that we may integrate a broader network of church communities with DIPP's ongoing efforts to build key relationships with decision-makers and communities. We would like to thank Sasha Land and Jen Dindinger in particular for their efforts to identify and engage these individuals. For more information related to this grant, please contact Jo Johnson at kjohns11@umd.edu.

Questions? Email Jo or Liz at dealislandpeninsulaproject@gmail.com

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