Prime Hook NWR and our last Oceans and Climate Change Class, 3/30/15

This short post confirms that the main topic for our last class will be a presentation about Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge coastal restoration plans, given by Al Rizzo, Project Leader, Coastal Delaware National Wildlife Refuge Complex. As I mentioned in our Mar 23 class, the plans, aka Draft Environmental Assessment, are available on-line. See my March 11, 2015 post, or just go directly to Building a Stronger Coast.

Above photo of Fowler Beach at Prime Hook, from Cape Gazette

Al has said his presentation will be 20 to 25 minutes. I have promised him unlimited time afterwards for questions and answers. If his presentation is convincing (which I am sure it will be), and questions are few, I will conclude our last class by presenting information on "Floating Cities"...a topic which, as an engineer, I find both fascinating and applicable to what the World faces.

 Above photo of 3 floating slum buildings from waterstudio.nl

Sea Level Rise and Preparations at Prime Hook

"Thanks" to Hurricane Sandy, Delaware is receiving almost 20 million dollars in US Government funding to REPAIR damage done by Sandy, and to PREPARE for future challenges from storms, and rising seas.

More to come...but so you can review US Gov documents whenever you have time, as they are very lengthy and detailed, but I also believe very scientifically well founded, see the following link.

Building a Stronger Coast

Delaware Executive Order 41 re Climate Change

After reading the news about the Florida climate change debacle (last blog post and last OLLI class), I was so encouraged to read what Delaware is doing, and being spurred on to do by Gov. Markell (link thanks to Sally F.)

Delaware residents, and anyone else who happens onto this information, I think will be encouraged. Now I am a realist, and good intentions do not always end up as good results, so we in Delaware still have a long road ahead.....and hopefully, the 2 below pics from Fowler Beach, are not indicative of a road ahead we will have to travel to get to our destination.

But lets get positive, The Climate Framework for Delaware....Dec 31, 2014.

YES, it is record COLD in the Northeast...

You saw we are just back from Africa (last post), so this current cold and snowy spell in Lewes DE is both unwelcome and unexpected. Now is it relevant OR irrelevant to climate change and often associated global warming???

You judge...and for background read James Taylor of Forbes.

Me, I miss my lobster dinners once each moth....because the lobster boats are frozen in.

Want a better answer....we will explore Alaska in our upcoming Osher Lifelong Learning class. The Arctic is where global warming is happening at a very accelerated rate in the past few decades. We tend to look at what is happening right now, and where we live, but OUR World is what really matters.

Below, a Hermit Thrush has found a holly berry in spite of the recent DE cold and snowy weather.

Bill Fintel photo on Prime Hook NWR field trip Feb 19, 2015