Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program
The Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program (MVP) is a Massachusetts state-level, climate program “that supports cities and towns as they build resilience to climate change.” Funds are provided through this program for cities and towns to plan and implement infrastructure changes to prepare the town for the inevitable and already-seen effects of climate change. The Town of Dartmouth was chosen to participate in this program in July 2023.
The plan consists of contracting with: Comprehensive Environmental Inc. to complete an inspection of at-risk Town sites and design development; the Lloyd Center for the Environment, who are tasked with creating educational curricula to inform and engage the community; and Round the Bend Farm, A Center for Restorative Community (RTB) to disseminate project and educational information, in addition to RTB's current efforts to engage in climate change resiliency.
The goal of this program is to: complete a vulnerability assessment and develop an action-oriented resiliency plan for municipal storm-water infrastructure, culverts, sewer pump stations, and areas with known problematic coastal flooding; and develop a comprehensive public education program that will serve to educate the general community of Dartmouth, the identified climate vulnerable populations, and the many outside visitors and students who frequent the area.
The project largely focuses on implementing Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and how regular community members can participate in solutions. NBS are ways that humans can mimic natural processes in developed areas to increase climate resilience.
To read the full report click the MVP Info Booklet to the right.
Comprehensive Environmental Inc.
CEI is leading the environmental assessments surrounding the Town of Dartmouth’s environmental resiliency, specifically surrounding the Town’s waterways and systems, both natural and municipal. In addition to on-site inspections, a GIS-based analysis identified 30 areas in town that are likely to be affected by climate change - most seen in the form of coastal flooding. This portion of the MVP project includes identifying Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) to “improve climate resiliency, protect water quality, and address pollution runoff.”
CEI will also include a more detailed evaluation of six of the 30 sites. These six sites will be the locations where a nature-based solution would cause the greatest improvement in Dartmouth's resiliency to climate change.
Finally, of the six, two sites will receive NBS designs that the Town of Dartmouth can use for future infrastructure improvements. Site surveys will be included in these final designs, as well as operation and management manuals for both sites which will aid with possible future infrastructure improvements.
Round the Bend Farm
Round the Bend Farm (RTB), a Center for Restorative Community, located in South Dartmouth, is a 115-acre working farm and educational non-profit. Within the MVP program, RTB acts as an example of NBS actively being used to maintain healthy soils, prevent erosion, enhance waste mitigation, and as a way to achieve other environmentally minded goals. Examples of their NBS include composting toilets to reduce waste, using grazing animals rather than landscaping tools, and composting, other techniques can be seen in the MVP Info Booklet on page 8.
RTB bases many of its NBS on traditional ecological knowledge. "Indigenous people have been practicing 'nature-based solutions' long before the term existed. At RTB, we’ve borrowed and benefited from their wisdom and seek to emulate their ways of inhabiting the Earth." An example of this is what is known as "Three Sisters" a traditional Indigenous American method of growing corn, beans, and squash together.
"Beans naturally absorb nitrogen from the air and convert it to nitrates, fertilizing the soil for the corn and squash. In return, they are supported by winding around the corn stalks. The squash leaves provide ground cover between the corn and beans, preventing weeds from taking over the field. These three plants thrive together better than when they are planted alone," U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Through its work, the farm works to promote appropriate consumption and diversity as a way to support local ecosystems, read more in the MVP Info Booklet on pages 9 and 10.
Lloyd Center for the Environment
For the MVP Grant, the Lloyd Center is contributing a curriculum regarding education around the local watershed. It is important to include an educational aspect in this project so that the children in Dartmouth's Public Schools have information on local the climate and ecosystems and a vocabulary to interact with the climate crisis.
The Lloyd Center is also planning several, drop-in public programs to explore the local ecosystems affected by climate changes, the current status of Dartmouth’s local water systems, and the role of humans in these two environments. The programs are designed to be hands-on and engaging to encourage the community to become involved in Nature-Based Solutions.
What Comes Next for the Town of Dartmouth?
The MVP grant is annually awarded, so the Town of Dartmouth will have the opportunity to apply each year. Future grants will be used to implement the final CEI designs, continued public outreach, and continued education on NBS.
