East Hampton Town Gets $250,000 for Coastal Planning

The Town of East Hampton last week was awarded a $250,000 state grant to develop a Coastal Assessment and Resiliency Plan (CARP).

Comprising $250,000 from the state and a matching $250,000 from other private and public sources, the grant will be used to develop the CARP through gathering and analyzing scientific coastal data and ensuring broad public awareness and input, according to the town.

“The impacts of climate change and sea-level rise lend ever-greater urgency to coastal resiliency planning,” Town Supervisor Larry Cantwell said. “This grant will provide the funding to complete a Coastal Assessment and Resiliency Plan that examines erosion risks, storm vulnerability and natural recovery.”

The work will be in line with the town’s Local Waterfront Revitalization Plan.

East Hampton Town participated in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Climate Adaptation for Coastal Communities training course held at Stony Brook Southampton from December 9 to 11. NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management and local coastal experts led sessions covering such topics as climate science, vulnerability assessment and adaptation planning and implementation, and East Hampton Town’s Natural Resources and Planning departments were represented.

“This three-day intensive course, sponsored by East Hampton and Southampton towns, the Peconic Estuary Program, Concerned Citizens of Montauk, the Peconic Institute and Stony Brook University, focused on providing coastal community organizations with a climate adaptation toolkit to proactively address coastal planning priorities and, as a result of our participation, we fully expect to immediately integrate climate adaption strategies into our coastal policies, plans and programs,” said Kim Shaw, the town’s director of natural resources.