massFM Events

UPCOMING EVENTS:

2023 Annual massFM Conference

The massFM 2023 Annual Conference on October 23, 2023, you can signup for the event using Everbrite here and our Preliminary Program is available here.

Members only “Lunch & Learn” Meetings

Members only “Lunch & Learn” meetings will be held every other month on Thursdays at noon. A notification will be sent out prior to our next Lunch & Learn meeting.

Our next scheduled meeting is on: September 28, 2023 noon ET:

Title: Pollinate Now: Bioregional Strategy for Habitat Restoration in the Hudson River Estuary Watershed

Speaker: Evan Abramson, MSc, Landscape Interactions

Evan Abramson, MSc is a results-driven designer and planner on a mission to rebuild biologically diverse ecosystems through pollinator-plant interactions. As Founder and Principal of Landscape Interactions, he works closely with project partners along every step of the process, from conception through design, implementation and maintenance. Since 2019, Landscape Interactions has been responsible for over 300 acres of habitat installed in the Northeast, specifically targeting at-risk bee and lepidoptera species for each project location. He holds a Master of Science in Ecological Design from the Conway School of Landscape Design, Certificates in Permaculture Design and Biodynamic Gardening, and is the author of numerous publications, including Pollinate Now; Lincoln Pollinator Action Plan; Egremont Pollinator Pathway; and Great Barrington Pollinator Action Plan.

Description:

Pollinate Now is a comprehensive plan for creating and maintaining habitat on a wide range of landscapes, to support at-risk bees, butterflies and moths in the Hudson River Estuary watershed. While the designs, plant lists and management guidelines are based on the prevalent landscape conditions in the Hudson Valley, their relevance stretches far beyond the boundaries of a single property, town or watershed. The product of a year-long collaboration between designers, planners, scientists, activists, educators and citizens, this project endeavors to make pollinator habitat creation easy, exciting and aesthetically pleasing — and inspire landowners to view their properties as integral parts of a network of ecosystems that stretches throughout the watershed and beyond, into surrounding communities and across the wider bioregion.

The November scheduled meeting is on: November 2, 2023 noon ET:

Title: The Maximum Extent Practicable Guidance / Policy along with the Statewide Hydraulic Model

Description: The Maximum Extent Practicable Guidance / Policy along with the Statewide Hydraulic Model once complete, will help improve flood resiliency and aquatic organism passage for stream crossings across Massachusetts. The Guidance and Policy define a new hydraulic design standard (e.g., 10-year, 25-year, etc.) for replacement crossings, and provide enhanced flexibility for meeting the full Stream Crossing Standards when applicable. The output of the Model includes stream crossings sized with the hydraulic design storm and full Stream Crossing Standards to aid in capital planning, grant applications, and preliminary design.

Speakers:

David Hilgeman is a professional engineer working for MassDEP-Boston as the Supervisor of the Major Project and Policy Unit in the Wetlands Program. Prior to MassDEP, he worked as an environmental consultant and most recently as a hydraulic engineer at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers specializing in stream and wetland projects.

Scott Jackson is Extension Professor in the Department of Environmental Conservation at the University of Massachusetts Amherst where he teaches courses on wetlands and wildlife conservation and management. Scott’s research interests include landscape connectivity, wetland assessment and monitoring, impacts of roads and highways on wildlife and ecosystems, and landscape-based ecological assessment. As a member of the UMass Landscape Ecology Lab, Scott contributed to the development of landscape assessment tools and approaches including the Conservation Assessment and Prioritization System (CAPS), Designing Sustainable Landscapes (DSL) and Critical Linkages.

Gardner Bent is surface-water specialist in the U.S. Geological Survey New England Water Science Center. He has been involved in a number of surface-water related studies in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. These studies have involved state-wide equations for estimating streamflow statistics and bankfull channel geometry, sediment transport assessments, watershed assessments, flood-documentation, and more recently this stream crossing hydraulic modeling tool.

Interested in this and becoming a member? Go to our Become a Member page here and if you would like information on a specific event please email us at massfloodplain@gmail.com.

PAST EVENTS:

MassFM 2022 Annual Conference (our first in-person conference) on October 13, 2022. Event details can be downloaded at: 2022 Annual Conference Details.

MassFM Annual Conference 2021: Climate Data Update: Evaluating Rising Risks (held October 21, 2021). The event flyer can be downloaded at: Annual Conference Flyer.

Elevation Certificate Virtual Workshop (Friday October 23, 2020)

Workshop Flyer

massFM First Annual Meeting (held on October 22, 2020) including annual conference training and and annual conference keynote panel.

Event Flyer

Exclusive Webinar: Floodplain Design, Construction + Impacts on Flood Insurance (held on May 13, 2020)

Webinar Flyer

massFM/NMCOG Floodplain Management Workshop: Tewskbury, MA (held on October 10, 2019):

Event Flyer

Presentations:

A Brief Overview on Impacts of Climate Change and why Floodplain Management Matters

FEMA Flood Studies and Maps - Letters of Map Change
Flood Insurance and Mitigation
NFIP Basics in Massachusetts
Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program
MEMA HMA Briefing
2018 MA State Hazard Mitigation and Climate Adaptation Plan