Author: COSTEP MA Exec

With winter weather on its way in, we wanted to provide the COSTEPMA community with a few winterization tips and and storm safety materials in order to best protect your historic buildings and collections! Winterizing Historic Buildings: https://ccaha.org/resources/winterizing-historic-buildings Winter Storm Safety Tips: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/winter-storm-safety-tips ‘Strategies for storage and display areas’ section from CCI: https://www.canada.ca/en/conservation-institute/services/agents-deterioration/water.html Emergency Alert … Continue reading Winter Tips

Massachusetts Governor Maura Healy revealed a new initiative on Tuesday to help coastal communities in the Commonwealth address the impacts of climate change, create policies, and secure funds. WHDH: https://whdh.com/news/gov-healey-unveils-new-strategy-to-help-coastal-communities-cope-with-climate-change/ Mass.gov: https://www.mass.gov/news/healey-driscoll-administration-launches-statewide-coastal-resiliency-strategy

On September 19th and 20th, the Foundation for Advancement in Conservation (FAIC) held the two-day, in-person Massachusetts Heritage Responders Training at the JFK Presidential Library and Museum in Boston. Representatives from over thirty Massachusetts cultural heritage institutions gathered to learn how to assess building and collection damage, as well as how to plan a recovery … Continue reading Massachusetts Heritage Responders Training and NPR’s Climate Week

The Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative (SCRI) and the Heritage Emergency National Task Force (HENTF) have announced that after a two-year hiatus, the Heritage Emergency And Response Training (HEART) program will be held in person in Washington DC from December 5-9, 2022. The call for applications is now open. The deadline to apply is Wednesday, October … Continue reading Heritage Emergency And Response Training (HEART) program accepting applications for 2022 cohort

On August 24th, the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) declared most of the state to be in a Level 3-Critical drought. This drought status, brought on by low precipitation, high temperatures, and increased fire risk, applies to the Connecticut River Valley Region, the Central Region, the Northeast Region, the Southeast Region, and … Continue reading Disaster preparedness resources: Droughts

The Boston Green Ribbon Commission -- in partnership with Ceres and Plan C Advisors -- is excited to offer a new webinar, Managing Climate Risk is a Fiduciary Responsibility, which will be held on Wednesday, November 2nd from 8:30am to 10:00am. This webinar is specifically developed for trustee fiduciaries of Boston's cultural institutions. The GRC … Continue reading Webinar: Climate Risk Webinar for Boston Cultural Trustees, Nov 2

The Center for the Future of Museums Blog from the American Alliance of Museums has recently published a post authored by Jenny Lyons, Historic House Manager and Preservation Administrator for the Louisiana Landmarks Society and Pitot House Museum, on adaptive strategies for historic homes facing extreme weather events due to the climate crisis. The post … Continue reading Historic Houses in the Shifting Landscape of Climate Change

Sign up to receive real-time weather notifications that include collections-related preservation tips when serious or inclement weather is about to strike. Now is an especially good time to do so, since the Atlantic Hurricane Season begins on June 1st. COSTEP MA weather alerts are sent out when the National Weather Service forecasts a severe storm … Continue reading Subscribe to COSTEP MA Weather Alerts!

UPDATE: Recording now available (embedded below). As mentioned in the presentation, Boston GRC is facilitating another round of Climate Action Planning for a second cohort of cultural institutions in the Metro Boston area. If you might be interested to be a part, please share your contact information in the following CAP interest form. https://www.youtube.com/embed/i1kUOK3Xvhc Recorded … Continue reading RECORDING NOW AVAILABLE: Friday March 4, Boston Green Ribbon Commission webinar: “Collaborative Climate Action Planning”

The John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum is hosting a virtual symposium on March 9th from 6:00-7:30pm called "Rising Seas: Planning for the Future." The event description is below: Rising Seas: Planning for the FutureMarch 9th from 6:00-7:30pm Baylor Fox-Kemper, professor of earth, environmental, and planetary sciences at Brown University; Courtney Humphries, journalist and author; Paul … Continue reading Virtual Symposium on Climate Change