The Trustees owns and protects 120 miles of Massachusetts shoreline for recreation and conservation. We’ve preserved this sensitive landscape by working with landowners, land trusts, and philanthropists as well as government officials and agency experts.
Together with our public and private partners, The Trustees leverages public funds, creates and advocates for public programs and policies, leads coalitions, spear- heads education, and negotiates passage of legislative and regulatory reforms.
Going forward, investments in climate mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency are at the core of our coastal projects, which also help to provide some storm protection for our communities. Key to that is leveraging private resources and bringing conservation and restoration projects to scale—and we cannot accomplish this important work alone. We need you, our public partners. And today, we’re asking you to do more.
We applaud the Massachusetts legislature for passing measures designed to spare communities from the impacts of climate change, from a climate and environmental bond bill to the State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan, and Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant program. However, these actions are not enough.
Lawmakers need to prioritize climate-facing policies, increase investments in land conservation and restoration through traditional bond bills, and identify and pursue additional, creative funding sources to implement coastal protections and strategies.
Among other initiatives, The Trustees supports the permanent dedication of a new Sporting Goods Sales Tax to fund habitat conservation and outdoor recreation. We’re advocating for a new Flood Risk Recovery Pro- gram designed to buy coastal properties and relocate homeowners and businesses from current and future flood-prone zones. We’re contributing to pending legislation that incorporates nature-based, “green” solutions into new housing and transportation developments. We’re urging Congress to make significant investments
in green infrastructure. And we’re pushing for innovative ways to incentivize communities, nonprofits, and private landowners to improve critical natural resource management and capture greenhouse gases fast enough to make a difference. Public, nonprofit, and private sectors together need to set forth a bold vision for the future of our coast that goes beyond a traditional understanding of land conservation. That means:
Transformative climate strategies to heal and enhance our coastal resources
Legislative imagination and regulatory flexibility in support of future-thinking pilot projects
A comprehensive, collaborative assessment of coastal conditions and identification of strategies that work
And consistent, robust streams of dedicated local, state, and federal revenues for climate mitigation, adaptation, and resiliency
The Trustees has made progress toward our collective goal of protecting coastal habitats and resources, not only for the benefit of nature and outdoor recreation but also for the welfare of individuals, families, and communities confronted by the potentially devastating impacts of climate change. We continue to rely on our lawmakers and agency partners to help us accomplish conservation projects and restoration work.
Success hinges upon our bearing the future in mind and on the strength of our public partnerships. Given the time that has already passed, we will likely not be able to save everything. But if we act now, with vision and decisiveness, we can protect our communities and preserve our scenic coasts as ecological gems and valuable buffers against irrevocable loss from the changes to come.
Photo courtesy Above Summit