WELLS, Maine, October 29, 2012  The Town of Wells has begun a two-year study to understand and prepare for the potential impacts of climate change. Wells public officials and local residents, with help from researchers from the Consensus Building Institute (CBI), the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), will be using short games played face-to-face in community meetings to clarify possible climate change risks and to reach agreement on appropriate adaptation measures.

"Climate change has the potential to impact coastal communities such as Wells in a variety of ways," said Dr. Christine Feurt, Coastal Training Program Coordinator at the Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve. "Storm surge and stream flooding can put municipal infrastructure, businesses and homes at risk."

"While it is not feasible to forecast exactly how and where impacts will occur, coastal communities can make investments and policy changes that will reduce their vulnerability. These actions can increase resilience to climate change, while protecting local environments and the communities that depend on them," Feurt added.

Wells is one of four New England communities chosen for the study. The others are Dover, New Hampshire, Cranston, Rhode Island, and Barnstable, Massachusetts.

The project is funded by a grant from the NERRS Science Collaborative, a program administered by the University of New Hampshire that focuses on putting estuarine science to work for coastal communities. Four National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERR) are involved in this effort: Great Bay NERR, Narragansett Bay NERR, Waquoit Bay NERR, and Wells NERR.

For more information about this project and how to participate, please contact Annie Cox at acox@wellsnerr.org or 207-646-1555 ext 157.

###