In a move to prepare for the impacts of climate change, Wiscasset established the Wiscasset Climate Action Team (WCAT) in May. This marks the start of an effort to plan and implement climate action projects, led by WCAT and supported by Maine’s Community Resilience Partnership, a state program that helps communities reduce emissions and prepare for the effects of climate change through direct support and grants of up to $50,000.

The primary objective of WCAT is to help our community plan for the many impacts of climate change, like increasingly extreme weather, rising sea levels, and public health issues. WCAT will also help advise the town to execute projects aimed at adapting to these changes and reducing our contribution to climate change.

The creation of WCAT was led by SelectmanHeather Jones, who was motivated by insights shared by young voices in Wiscasset during a selectboard meeting. Shri Verrill of Sunrise Ecologic, a service provider endorsed by the Governor’s Office of Policy, Innovation, and the Future, played a pivotal role in initiating WCAT by introducing the Maine State Community Resilience Partnership program. Cassaundra Rose, Wiscasset resident and former coordinator of the Maine Climate Council, is the current chair of WCAT in partnership with a group of six enthusiastic community members.

The members of WCAT are deeply committed to the community and are actively creating avenues for more people to participate in climate action. They are dedicated to ensuring that every voice is valued in the decision-making process concerning actions to combat climate change.

Stay tuned for more information about WCAT’s first of two public climate workshops. It will take place from 6 to 8 p.m. Oct. 25 at Wiscasset Community Center. This important meeting will help guide Wiscasset’s application to the Community Resilience Partnership. WCAT invites you to share your climate change concerns and priorities ahead of the meeting by taking its short survey: https://tinyurl.com/wiscassetclimatesurvey

For more information about WCAT and its initiatives, please contact Rose at WiscassetClimate@gmail.com<mailto:WiscassetClimate@gmail.com>, or visit https://tinyurl.com/WiscassetClimate