Alaska Coastal Resilience Planning

AML has been awarded funding through the Environmental Protection Agency’s Environmental Justice Collaborative Problem Solving (EJCPS) Cooperative Agreement program to work through local governments to increase local leadership and capacity to increase community resilience.  In partnership with the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Alaska Department of Health, and other partners, AML is collaborating with coastal communities that are interested in advancing local priorities related to resilience planning, which will be informed by community vulnerabilities and social, economic, health, and infrastructure assets.

All coastal communities are invited to participate, with multiple opportunities to engage. Interested local governments can join the Alaska Municipal Coastal Resilience Council (AMCRC), an advisory body of municipal officials that will provide recommendations and guidance on the development of the EJCPS project and feedback on the work possible at the local level. Members of the AMCRC will meet quarterly virtually and in-person at the AML annual conference, and will be invited to optional trainings related to climate change, public health, and resilience planning.

Communities can also benefit directly from participating in a cohort of local representatives that are interested in collaborating with AML, the University of Alaska Anchorage, the Alaska Department of Health, and other partners to develop a health impact assessment and a climate and resilience plan for their community. These plans will provide a roadmap for each community, and enable project identification and development that improves community resilience. With extensive facilitation support from AML and project partners, participants will form a Local Resilience Planning Committee (LRPC) in their community that will receive technical assistance and additional resources. AML staff and partners will conduct the majority of work so that communities with limited capacity can engage to the extent they are able and contribute input to ensure that final products are tailored and responsive to community priorities and needs. This efficiency of effort is a critical component of a cohort approach –- AML will work with communities as a group so that participants have the opportunity to learn from each other and coordinate.