In order for Southwest Harbor’s Community Resilience Plan to be effective, it is critical that the direction, priorities, and strategy are driven by resident input. A practical plan will center community members’ concerns, observations, and hopes for the Town’s future. This will allow the plan to prioritize solutions that are relevant to residents’ daily lives and will connect the Town to critical resources specific to challenges within the town. 

As the beginning of an ongoing conversation, the first listening session will take place on October 27th, at 5:30 p.m. at the Southwest Harbor Public Library. Meetings with town staff, committees, elected officials, and other community engagement events will continue throughout the coming months. 

 Currently, additional opportunities to provide feedback include: 

1. Virtual feedback can be submitted through this survey.

2. Stop by at the polls on the 4th of November to learn more about Southwest Harbor’s resilience planning process and share your perspective and feedback.

3. More community conversations are coming! Southwest Harbor residents can email  wilson@aclimatetothrive.org to be kept in the loop as we schedule more in-person listening sessions and other events throughout the year in partnership with community spaces and local businesses. 

If you would like to have a one-on-one conversation or are interested in connecting us with a specific community member who brings a critical perspective, please reach out. 

Southwest Harbor’s Community Resilience Plan will be a practical roadmap designed to:

• Establish a strategic, focused, and coordinated approach to dealing with pressing resilience concerns, allowing the Town to be proactive and lightening the load on Town staff;

• Focus specifically on climate-related resilience, integrating concepts outlined in the comprehensive plan and providing a path to collaborative planning with other coastal towns;

• Prepare the Town for effective and accessible implementation of priority resilience-building measures;

• Reduce cost and maximize access to funding opportunities by allowing the Town to plan around the availability of grants and other support, identifying technical assistance programs, and collaborate and learn from other towns to reduce duplication of effort;

• Overall, prepare the Town to be more resilient in the face of climate-related impacts like sea level rise and increased storms.

In 2023, Southwest Harbor updated the Town’s Comprehensive Plan, including a new section entitled: “Climate Change and Adaptation.” This section of the update includes recommendations for the town to consider and plan for the impacts of climate change, primarily citing the threat of sea level rise. Increased public awareness and concern surrounding the impacts of climate change to the town and community of Southwest Harbor prompted the town to enroll in the State of Maine’s Community Resilience Partnership. As a member of the Partnership, Southwest Harbor became eligible to apply for Community Action Grants, awards that are designed to fund emissions reduction and climate resilience projects throughout the state. In 2024, the town was awarded their first Community Action Grant which amounted to $50,000. This funding was used to perform a suite of tasks including a Vulnerability Assessment conducted by the Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Anticipating the forthcoming results of the vulnerability assessment, the Town applied for another Community Action Grant to maximize the impact of the assessment. In late April, Southwest Harbor was notified that they would receive another round of funding to combine the results of the vulnerability assessment with community input and feedback to support a resilience planning process. Over the next two years, the Town will collaborate with A Climate to Thrive to gather insight from residents, town leadership, and the vulnerability assessment with the goal of preparing to navigate challenges and opportunities associated with climate change. 

The Community Resilience Partnership (funded through the Governor’s Office of Policy Innovation and the Future) was created to help Maine communities reduce emissions and prepare for the effects of climate change. Southwest Harbor joined the Community Resilience Partnership in 2023 and successfully applied for grant funds in December 2024 that will fully fund the creation of a Community Resilience Plan. 

The town is collaborating with A Climate to Thrive (located in Southwest Harbor) to provide support throughout this process. ACTT volunteered time to help the town enroll in the Community Resilience Partnership and to apply for two rounds of grant funding. ACTT developed the Mount Desert Climate Action Plan, the Tremont Community Resilience Plan, and has consulted with Bar Harbor during their Climate Action planning process. Through their work with communities across the state, ACTT is able to offer insights on what has worked well for other communities facing similar challenges to Southwest Harbor. Because the planning process is fully funded by grant money from the state, this plan will be created at no extra cost to the town or to taxpayers in Southwest Harbor.