One item at the meeting was a presentation by Rebecca Haney from Coastal Zone Management (CZM), who introduced the My Coast app to the committee. Haney explained that the app, originally designed to assist with emergency response, has evolved into a comprehensive tool for storm reporting, king tides documentation, and shoreline restoration monitoring. The app aims to standardize the reporting of coastal storm damages, allowing users to submit real-time data through photos and location details. The presentation emphasized safety in data collection and demonstrated how users can select reporting types such as storm impacts or king tides, providing a valuable resource for both individual decision-making and municipal planning.

The committee expressed interest in incorporating the My Coast app into their report as a means to engage residents in tracking local tidal effects. They discussed the value of citizen science and how the app could facilitate data collection on king tides, which are the highest tides of the year, influenced by the alignment of the moon and sun. This data could prove crucial for assessing risks to infrastructure and other community planning efforts. The discussion also touched upon involving local drone operators for aerial documentation of high tides, although the app primarily supports still images.

Attention then shifted to the committee’s ongoing report, with a review of an introductory letter drafted by a member, John Bullard. The letter aims to provide context for the report, emphasizing resilience and incorporating feedback from previous discussions. The committee recognized the need for a cohesive narrative across the report sections, which cover various topics such as historic sites, infrastructure, water, and agriculture. Some sections were noted as being complete, while others required further development to align with the report’s template. The committee highlighted the importance of collaboration and communication to ensure that the report reflects a unified perspective on climate risks and resilience strategies.

The meeting also addressed the logistics of River Days, a community event where the committee plans to educate attendees about the My Coast platform and climate resilience issues. Members discussed creating a two-page informational flyer to outline the committee’s work and the upcoming report. While planning for River Days, the committee considered engaging activities such as giving away ice cream and climate-related stickers to attract participants. The timing of high tides during the event was humorously noted as a potential factor in their table’s location.

A member volunteered to prepare the flyer for River Days, and the committee discussed securing necessary materials for the event. They also explored the possibility of receiving mapping data contributions from UMass, which had already provided data for the climate projection chapters of their report.