ResilientWoodsHole is coordinating institutional, village, and town climate resiliency plans within its initiative
Key Outcome
A comprehensive, phased strategy for increasing climate resiliency in Woods Hole, including development of village-wide design concepts and planning. This strategy addresses alternatives for institutional, private, and municipal infrastructure, as well as for natural habitat features and waterways.
Project Milestones
Click on each tab (+) to see how our project has evolved since our inception in 2020.
Presentation at the Islands Conference - October 2024
RWH Leads the RWH Climate Walking Trail - September 2024
Woods Hole Science Stroll - August 2024
Phase 4 Report is Released- June 2024
ResilientWoodsHole released the Phase 4 Report, which outlines the floodproofing demonstration projects at WHOI and MBL, the Stoney Beach Feasibility study, and our outreach and engagement projects. You can read the report here.
Demonstration Projects at WHOI and MBL Complete - June 2024
ResilientWoodsHole completed floodproofing demonstration projects at WHOI's Bigelow building and MBL's Lillie building. At WHOI's Bigelow building, RWH identified key windows and doors that required floodproofing and deployable flood barriers were installed in June 2024. At MBL's Lillie Lab, RWH initially identified key doors and windows that required floodproofing, but opted for an alternative deployable flood barrier that attached to either ends of the external masonry of the building. You can read more about the project in our Phase 4 report and follow us on social media to keep up to date on RWH's projects.
RWH Collaborates with the Nobska Lighthouse and Maritime Museum - May 2024
ResilientWoodsHole collaborated with the Nobska Lighthouse and Maritime Museum on a climate resilience exhibit. This exhibit space includes information on climate change in Woods Hole, climate projections in form of a 3D model, and information on the RWH initiative. Visit the museum website for visiting hours and directions.
RWH Presents at Falmouth Select Board Meeting - February 2024
ResilientWoodsHole presented an overview of the RWH to the Falmouth Town Select Board during their Select Board Meeting on February 12, 2024.To view the meeting and the presentation (around the 40 minute mark), please click here.
RWH Climate Walking Trail Launch - October 2023
ResilientWoodsHole formally launched the RWH Climate Walking Trail on October 24th, 2023. Our new self-guided tour can be taken online or via the RWH app. This trail highlights:
- Impacts from historic storms
- Discusses sea level rise and coastal storm flooding projections
- Evaluates current impacts of storms on organization, town, and residential properties
- Identifies some solutions to alleviate climate impacts.
This trail takes the user around 12 stops in Woods Hole Village, with each physical location marked by a post, and takes about 2 hours to complete. You can read more about the RWH Climate Walking Trail launch here.
Neighborhood Working Group Meeting - August 2023
ResilientWoodsHole held its third NWG meeting with residents, business owners, employees, and other stakeholders in Woods Hole on August 29th. This meeting was an open-house format and combined all the neighborhoods in Woods Hole Village. This workshop had 5 main stations and objectives:
- Woods Hole Village Vulnerabilities: Learn about Woods Hole’s flood risk and envision a resilient Village.
- Flood Pathways: Visualize Woods Hole’s flood risk in 3D and comment on designs that mitigate a flood pathway at Stoney Beach.
- Property Owners: Get technical assistance on protecting your property from sea level rise and storm surge.
- Adaptations: Share your input on ways to reduce your neighborhood’s vulnerability to sea level rise and storm surge.
- Community: Talk to your neighbors and leave your parting thoughts
To read a summary of the meetings, visit here.
Neighborhood Working Group Meetings - June 2023
ResilientWoodsHole held its second set of NWG meetings with residents, business owners, employees, and other stakeholders in Woods Hole. Several areas of concern and action steps were identified in the meetings:
- Mill Pond and the wetlands - increase ecological health of Mill Pond, increase filtration behind seawall
- Culverts between Eel and Mill Pond - repair culverts and increase flow between the two ponds
- Bar Neck Rd - elevate the road and restore dunes on either side of the road
To read a summary of the meetings, visit here. Visit this page for updated resources.
Neighborhood Working Group Meetings - March 2023 - April 2023
ResilientWoodsHole has held its first set of meetings where it engaged residents, business owners, employees, and other stakeholders in Woods Hole from 9 areas in Woods Hole. Several main themes were identified during the neighborhood working groups:
- Need for collaboration between town, institutions, and community on the long-term vision of Woods Hole
- Need for changes in regulation to help with climate resilience action
- Need to establish community associations or improvement districts in Woods Hole neighborhoods to help fund resilience projects
To read a summary of the meetings, visit the ResilientWoodsHole Neighborhood Working Group Meeting Summary.
Visit this page for resources.
ResilientWoodsHole in the News - October 2022
Phase 4: October 2022 - June 2024
ResilientWoodsHole was awarded its second Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management (CZM) grant to continue its work in implementing community climate resiliency solutions. Phase 4 has three main scopes focusing on the short-term, medium-term, and long-term.
- For the short-term, RWH is conducting climate resilient demonstration projects in MBL, WHOI, and NOAA Fisheries.
- For the medium-term, RWH is conducting a feasibility study for nature-based solutions on Stoney Beach.
- For the long-term, RWH is continuing outreach and engagement efforts by conducting neighborhood working groups, establishing social media pages, creating a climate resilience podcast, and developing a self-guided walking tour.
Phase 3 Report is Released: June 2022
Regulatory Report is Released - June 2022
Community Visioning Workshop #2 - May 2022
Community Visioning Workshop #1 - February 2022
A participatory workshop beginning with a review and update on Woods Hole’s vulnerability to sea-level rise and storm surge. Followed by breakout room discussions on:
- Important aspects of Woods Hole to adapt for resilience
- Your observations of flooding in Woods Hole
- Your preferred strategies for building resilience
- Private-property flood protection opportunities
- Sewer adaptation ideas
You can watch the workshop here.
Phase 3: October 2021 – June 2022
Phase 2 Report is Released - January 2022
Symposium, November 2021
A public symposium was held to raise awareness about climate-change research in Woods Hole, the ResilientWoodsHole initiative, and state, regional, and local climate resiliency planning.
You can view the symposium here.
Phase 2: October 2020 – October 2021
Symposium - September 2020
Phase 1 January – September 2020
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Biological Laboratory, and NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center commissioned Woods Hole Group to prepare the Woods Hole Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment (CCVA) and Adaptation Plan.
Periodic impacts include
Nuisance flooding of developed areas and infrastructure due to the shifting tidal range, coastal wetlands migration/loss in undeveloped areas due to the shifting tidal range, and potential erosion of natural shorelines due to repetitive storm damage.
Episodic impacts include
Risk of flooding to developed areas and infrastructure during more frequent and more intense coastal storms with greater potential for impact due to sea level rise.