Voices Amplified: Coastal Action

Brooke Nodding, Executive Director 

Brooke Nodding is executive director of Coastal Action. Brooke graduated from Acadia University with a BScH in Environmental Science. She spent time with Environment Canada (National Office of Pollution Prevention) and Fisheries and Oceans Canada (Habitat Management Division) before joining Coastal Action. Since 2001, she has led the successful development and delivery of numerous community-based projects throughout Nova Scotia covering a wide range of environmental topics. She has also developed regional, national, and international projects addressing many environmental issues including microplastics, agricultural biodiversity, coastal management, and youth leadership. 

 

Coastal & Marine Team

Our Coastal & Marine Team works to protect ocean wildlife and habitat through the research and monitoring of various marine ecosystems. The team is focused on expanding marine debris work and exploring various recycling options for end-of-life fishing gear. Another priority of the team is monitoring salt marshes and engaging communities in ocean-based stewardship. We are involved in expanding on current plastic pollution datasets and communicating findings to encourage individuals, industry, and communities to adopt positive changes for Atlantic Canada’s expansive coastal and marine environment. Some other projects the team is currently involved in are Ghost Gear Retrievals; at-sea and shoreline, Coastal Wetland Monitoring, Coastal Island Stewardship, Microplastics and Aquatic Invasive Species.

 

Climate Change Team

We are helping our local communities understand and adapt to the impacts of climate change. Our natural infrastructure projects range from low-impact developments like rain gardens and bioswales to larger projects such as living shorelines, salt marsh restorations, and other nature-based solutions. Our many planting initiatives help to enhance biodiversity, sequester carbon, and restore habitat among other benefits. Additionally, our 3D interactive coastal flood mapping project provides communities, individuals, and decision-makers, with a powerful tool to visualize the impact of storm surge, tide, and sea-level rise projections, along with associated risks.

 

Species at Risk & Biodiversity Team

Our Species at Risk and Biodiversity team works towards the conservation and recovery of many species at risk. We conduct several projects and educational initiatives. Our project portfolios focus on ecosystems approaches and targets species at risk such as the Atlantic whitefish, American eel, Snapping turtle, Eastern ribbonsnake and Eastern painted turtle. Our team hosts a landowner biodiversity program facilitated with the Climate Change team, to support biodiversity friendly practice on private lands. We also facilitate species at risk education coordination within Kespukwitk in partnership with the Environmental Education team. All our projects involve community engagement initiatives to foster appreciation for our delicate ecosystems and the species that roam within them.

 

 

 

Watersheds & Water Quality Team

Our Watersheds and Water Quality focuses on watershed health for both wildlife and humans. Our water quality monitoring efforts provide long-term datasets across entire watersheds, investigate the impacts of development, pollution, and climate change, and monitor risks for public health and safety related to water use. Our aquatic habitat restoration efforts help to protect and restore the ecological integrity of our watersheds while fostering a sense of stewardship in our local communities. A large portion of our work focuses on the conservation and recovery of culturally significant species such as brook trout, Atlantic salmon, and American eel.

Environmental Education Team

The Environmental Education Team brings Coastal Action’s values into our immersive programs for children and youth, which we have been successfully developing and delivering for over 10 years. The main goals of our programs are to (1) engage children and youth in appreciating the values of nature through active learning and play in an outdoor setting and (2) develop leadership skills in youth to affect positive change in their communities through hands-on experiences.

The Education team offers;

• Curriculum-linked field trips and programs for grades 2-8
• Extra-curricular programs for grades 4-9,
• Youth leadership opportunities for ages 12+
• Earth education summer camps for ages 6-15.

 

More information including links to our projects and getting involved can be found here https://www.coastalaction.org/