Save the date! SNEP will host its next biennial Forum on June 13. The goal of the Forum is to engage with our community members and program partners through an introspective look at the work of SNEP to provide input on the work that our Program has completed, the work ongoing, and the work still to be done. Take the time to make your voice heard by joining us for this free event.
Date: Tuesday, June 13, 2023
Location: Bristol Community College
Margaret L Jackson Arts Center
777 Elsbree Street
Fall River, MA
SNEP welcomes poster session abstracts on a wide range of topics that address SNEP’s program goals and the overarching environmental challenges facing the region, applied research to better understand those challenges, and innovative approaches/solutions to manage those challenges. Presenters will be selected based on relevance to SNEP’s mission, goals, and priority actions as outlined in the 2021 – 2025 SNEP Strategic Plan. Easels and poster boards for mounting will be provided. The last day to submit a poster session abstract submission form is Wednesday, June 7th.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE 2023 FORUM POSTERS
CLICK HERE TO VIEW POSTERS FROM LAST YEAR
https://www.epa.gov/snep/forums-and-symposia
Goal: The goals of the Forum are to engage with our community members and program partners, share information gained collectively by SNEP and our partners, and to seek input on the work that our Program has completed, the work ongoing, and the work still to be done.
Purpose: The Southeast New England Program (SNEP) Strategic Plan identifies three priority goals: safe and healthy waters, thriving watersheds and natural lands, and sustainable communities. Because our cities and towns face unprecedented climatic and economic disruptions, this Forum seeks input on how SNEP and its partners can best help to meet local needs while also building the framework for more effective approaches to address today’s environmental, social, and economic challenges. SNEP will incorporate the results of the Forum’s discussions into our funding and policy strategies for the next several years.
Agenda
Access the Forum virtually by clicking on the links in the Agenda!
08:00 – 08:30 Set Up
Poster presenters are asked to arrive during this time to set up their stations.
08:30 – 09:30 Registration and Poster session
09:30 – 9:40 Opening Remarks
David Cash, Region 1 Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
09:40 – 10:00: Engaging Diverse Communities in Green Infrastructure Planning, Design, and Construction
Dr. Christopher Obropta, Rutgers University
Dr. Obropta has a background in watershed management, water quality modeling, hydrologic and hydraulic modeling, and coastal engineering. He teaches Bioresource Engineering Design I & II, where he directs student design teams to develop solutions to complex real-life engineering problems. With his extensive and impressive background Dr. Obropta leads his highly specialized team of professional staff who are determined to create innovative solutions to water quality issues in New Jersey.
10:00 – 10:45 SNEP Overview and Program Partner Introduction
10:45 – 11:00 Networking Break and Transition
Discussion Sessions: For the remainder of the day, Forum participants will engage in focused discussions across three 60-minute sessions. During each moderated discussion, Forum participants are strongly encouraged to provide their input on a wide range of regional challenges. For each discussion, please consider and provide input on the following questions as it relates to the discussion topic:
- What is SNEP doing well?
- How can SNEP better work with you or your organization? Benefit you or your organization, or integrate your work?
- What could SNEP improve upon or do differently?
- Where do you see regional gaps in information, funding, etc. that SNEP could fill?
- What do you think SNEP should do?
Notetakers will be provided for each discussion. Community feedback will then be synthesized and used to inform the future direction of the Program. Forum summary documents will be made available on the SNEP website.
11:00 – 12:00 Session 1: Regional Resources and Blind Spots
Room 1: Increasing Public-Private Partnerships| Elizabeth Scott, Elizabeth Scott Consulting
To date, SNEP has had limited engagement and partnership with private organizations (individuals and for profit companies). In this session, we will discuss how SNEP, the SNEP Network, and the SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants program currently engage with private organizations; and identify opportunities for our Program and partners to strengthen these partnerships as well as those with non-governmental and/or non-profit organizations to help build the framework for more effective approaches to address today's environmental, social, and economic challenges.
Room 2: Understanding the SNEP Region Through Existing Data| Tim Pasakarnis, Cape Cod Commission
Monitoring and stewardship organizations throughout the SNEP Region are collecting valuable data that help us better understand environmental conditions and how they are changing. Their data can be stored in numerous repositories with varying metrics and units of measurement that can prevent easy regional comparison and access to long-term data. In this discussion, we will review existing data sources, introduce SNEP’s approach towards improving regional data harmonization, and identify additional opportunities to bring data together and improve its accessibility and utility.
Room 3: Keeping Track of Funding Opportunities | Tom Ardito, Restore America’s Estuaries
In this session, we will identify major funding sources offered throughout the region, discuss how applicants can access these funding sources; and ask if these regionally available resources provide enough opportunity to address the environmental challenges that SNEP has identified as a priority.
Room 4: Better Addressing the Unique Needs of SNEP's Communities!| Kimberly Groff Consulting & Phaeng Southisombath, SNEP Network
The SNEP Program needs your input on how we can better improve or reorient programming to better meet the needs of the Communities that we serve throughout southeast New England. During this session we will take a deeper dive into your program and project needs to address stormwater, watershed management, ecological restoration and climate resilience.
12:00 – 12:50 Lunch Break – Lunch options are available on campus for purchase. We encourage Forum participants to enjoy the poster presentations displayed throughout the lobby.
1:00 – 2:00 Session 2: Opportunities for Improvement
Room 1: Improving/Tweaking the Existing Structure of SNEP | Ian Dombroski, U.S. EPA Region 1
SNEP currently consists of two main affiliate programs: The SNEP Network, administered by the New England Environmental Finance Center, which offers no-cost technical assistance to Tribes and municipalities; and the SNEP Watershed Implementation Grants program, administered by Restore America’s Estuaries, which funds implementation projects throughout the region. EPA-SNEP also provides grants and technical assistance directly. This discussion will focus on perceived strengths and weaknesses of the current program structure. We encourage attendees to provide their input and feedback based on previous experiences with these programs; and to additionally provide insight on other programmatic areas SNEP could consider focusing on the next 3-5 years (e.g. research, monitoring, technology incubation etc.).
Room 2: Communicating Project Successes in The SNEP Region| Bryce DuBois, College of the Holy Cross
In this session we will focus on the narrative success of our region and ask specific questions: who is telling good stories about environmental challenges and restoration? What data is used to support those narratives; and how can SNEP do a better job of capturing, emulating, and amplifying those narratives? Whose stories should we be telling?
Room 3: Scaling Up from Pilot to Progress | Marcel Belaval, USGS & Adam Reilly, U.S. EPA Region 1
SNEP is an innovative program that funds original, pilot-scale approaches. In this session, we will provide a review of some of those approaches and discuss how our Program might better amplify the successes and lessons-learned from those projects. How should our Program share information? How do we better support a sustained regional impact?
Room 4: Coordinating Among Technical Assistance Entities| Phaeng Southisombath & Martha Sheils, SNEP Network & Matthew Stamas, U.S. EPA, Region 1
The Mission of the SNEP Network is to empower communities within the region to achieve healthy watersheds, sustainable financing, and long-term climate resilience through management of stormwater and restoration projects. This discussion will provide an overview of the existing resources offered by the SNEP Network and regional partners, such as leadership exchanges and peer-to-peer learning opportunities; as well as new opportunities coming online such as the EJ Thriving Communities Technical Assistance Center, which was recently awarded for Region 1. This session will encourage discussion on identifying opportunities for increased collaboration of regional technical assistance entities and increased access to these resources.
2:00 – 2:15 Networking Break and Transition
2:15 – 3:15 Session 3: Looking Towards the Future
Room 1: Increased Engagement with Academic Institutions| Adam Reilly, U.S. EPA & Tim Pasakarnis, Cape Cod Commission & Bryce DuBois, College of the Holy Cross
Southeast New England is an immense hub of technical experience and academic resources, however SNEP to date has not fully engaged with these institutions. In this discussion, we will review SNEP’s existing relationships with regional academic institutions, discuss SNEP’s research goals and approaches; and ask how SNEP might better support a sustained level of partnership with academic institutions in support of those regional goals.
Room 2: Community-led Project Design, Learning, and Engagement| Tom Ardito, Restore America’s Estuaries
In this session, we will engage in an open discussion on how SNEP can better incorporate community-based design practices throughout its Program. Where are these opportunities for our Program to grow and better address community needs? Are there opportunities for our Program to become better accessible at the community level? Where are these opportunities for improvement and how can we become a more equitable program?
Room 3: How can SNEP better meet its habitat goals?| Mary Schoell, Narragansett Bay NERRS & Haley Miller and Margherita Pryor, U.S. EPA, Region 1
The SNEP Strategic Planhas identified several priority actions in support of Thriving Watersheds and Natural Lands. This session will provide a review of some of those supporting priority actions; a review of actions that SNEP has taken to date in support of these goals; and will include a focused discussion of ways that SNEP can better work towards meeting these priority actions.
3:15 – 3:20 Networking Break and Transition
3:20 – 4:00 Report Out, Next Steps, and Group Discussion
Additional information:
- Free parking is available on site.
- Lunch will not be provided. However, the dining hall will be open for attendees to purchase lunch/coffee. Alternatively, feel free to bring lunch from home!
