Sea level rise to be focus of May CONA meeting

Panelists to offer insights based on their expertise, with Q&A session to follow

Image from the CONA website

On Monday, May 8, the Sarasota County Council of Neighborhood Associations will host a discussion of sea level rise, its anticipated effects on the community “and local efforts to address how, as a waterfront region, we adapt,” the nonprofit has announced.

A panel discussion involving professionals in the area who are working on these issues will be led by Lorrie Muldowney, a historic preservation consultant practicing out of Sarasota and a director of the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation, a news release says.

David Shafer, executive director of the Science and Environment Council of Southwest Florida, will discuss the recently launched Sarasota-Manatee Climate Council, the release notes. That organization is an independent regional group whose mission is to advance understanding of climate change and then translate that into projects, planning and policies that will connect a wide variety of groups in information-sharing initiatives and collaboration, the release continues.

Jack Merriam, “a natural scientist with extensive governmental experience in water management” — who also is a director on the boards of the Sarasota Bay Foundation and the Suncoast Waterkeeper — will discuss the expected effects of sea-level rise on Sarasota County, the release adds.

Tim Rumage, co-founder of This Spaceship Earth, co-author of the recent book bearing the same title and the coordinator and professor of environmental studies at Ringling College of Art + Design, will round out the panel, the release notes.

Muldowney will end the discussion by providing information about the efforts of local governments in Florida to protect historic resources and apply “community planning and building documentation tools” to the issue of sea-level rise. A question-and-answer session will follow.

See www.conasarasota.org/meetings.html for more about CONA.

A social period will begin at 6:30 p.m., with the meeting to follow at 7 p.m., the release notes. CONA holds its sessions at the Sarasota Garden Club, which is located at 1131 Boulevard of the Arts in Sarasota. The building is at the intersection of Tamiami Trail, just south of the Municipal Auditorium. The parking area and the entrance are reached from Van Wezel Way.

1 thought on “Sea level rise to be focus of May CONA meeting”

  1. Thank you so much for your coverage! We count upon your wonderful work in the community. I failed to notice this early this morning, but David Shafer’s last name is misspelled. There is no “c” in it. Is there any chance the correction can be made before the article is archived? I know he would be most pleased, he often has to deal with this — and I made the error in my early press releases for this meeting and the initial post to the CONA web site — which may have been your source for the copy.

    Editor’s Note: We have corrected the spelling of his name in the article. Thank you for bringing this to our attention, and for your kind words.

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