Nantucket Hosts Islands Coastal Conference
Did you know that coastal hazards pose risks to three million people in Massachusetts alone, and that the recovery could cost the state $1 billion by the 2050s-2070s?
Attendees gather at the start of the 2025 Nantucket Coastal Conference.
Mass. Office of Coastal Zone Management Director Alison Brizius shared these facts during her keynote speech at the 2025 Nantucket Coastal Conference. Held June 10 at the Great Harbor Yacht Club, the conference attracted some 129 participants for a day of learning, information exchange, and networking.
In her keynote, Brizius emphasized the importance of resilient coast planning in Massachusetts, pointing to the state’s draft ResilientCoasts plan that describes actions the state and local communities can take to invest in resilience, avoiding the worst impacts and saving money doing it.
The conference featured 15 presentations by municipal resource managers, conservation organizations, ecological consultants, and researchers diving deep into the themes of local planning, coastal resiliency, and presenting case studies of community action, neighborhood- and property-scale adaptation, and retreat.
Next year, the Islands Coastal Conference alternates to Martha's Vineyard. Begun more than 10 years ago, the conference is valued for creating a space for community members, decision makers, scientists, and regulators in our region to gather, network, and ideate on strategies for building a sustainable future together.
The Great Harbor Yacht Club was the site of this year's Nantucket Coastal Conference.
In addition to WHOI Sea Grant, this year's conference was sponsored by MA CZM, Barnstable County, the Town of Nantucket, the Trustees, the Nantucket Conservation Foundation, the Land Bank, the Linda Loring Nature Foundation, and Remain.
More information about this and past Islands Coastal Conferences can be found on the WHOI Sea Grant website.