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New York Sea Grant has announced educational opportunities for municipal leaders involved with land use management planning and implementation along New York's Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River.
A two-part Coastal Community Development webinar series will feature information on coastal processes that impact the shorelines along Lake Erie, the Niagara River, Lake Ontario, and St. Lawrence River. Webinar participants will learn how to successfully move from community planning to action and results. The webinars are free; to register, use the link at nyseagrant.org/ccd or call 315-312-3042 for more information.
Supervisors, mayors, code enforcement and building inspectors, planners, board members, and others involved with local land use and planning are invited to participate in these webinars. On May 26, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., New York Sea Grant Coastal Processes and Hazards Specialist Roy Widrig will provide information on how shorelines respond to the natural, dynamic and changing action of the waters along New York's Great Lakes and St. Lawrence River shorelines.
On June 9, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m., a panel of local government representatives who have successfully developed and implemented land use planning goals will share tips for keeping an active process moving after completing a local plan to accomplish the desired objectives and benefits for the local community.
New York Sea Grant Coastal Community Development Specialist Mary Austerman said, "It is critical for those at the forefront of land use decision making and implementation to understand the coastal processes that impact the land in their area, as well as New York State regulatory and permitting requirements."
New York Sea Grant Coastal Resiliency Specialist Lauren Darcy works with communities along the eastern shore of Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River. Darcy said, "A lot of visioning and work go into comprehensive, open space, climate smart, and local waterfront revitalization planning, this webinar series is designed to keep that momentum going to ensure that the planning goals come to fruition."
New York Sea Grant provides this assistance with support from the New York State Environmental Protection Fund, in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Great Lakes Program.
New York Sea Grant is a statewide, university-based program that connects research, outreach, and education to the needs of New York's coastal communities, environments, and economies. It is a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York, with 14 offices statewide and part of the National Sea Grant College Program of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Learn more about New York Sea Grant's "Resilient Communities and Economies" programming under Focus Areas at nyseagrant.org.
