Nature Wins Podcast: A Climate Adaptation Journey

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August 4, 2026Episode 258 min

Season 2 - Episode 2 - Google Maps for the Ocean? How GMGI Uses eDNA to Track Marine Life

Nature Wins Podcast Season 2, Episode 2: Host Maureen Aylward is in conversation with Ann Petersen to learn more about the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute’s newly funded project to study Gloucester Harbor’s vulnerability to the impacts of climate change – and create a virtual living ocean project. Description: In this episode of Nature Wins , host Maureen Aylward is joined by guest Ann Peterson from Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute. Brief Bios Ann Petersen, Research Program Director, Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute - Ann Petersen is the Director of Research Programs at Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute (GMGI). A marine biologist with more than 20 years of experience, she previously served as Fisheries Ecology Branch Chief at NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center, where she led research on the impacts of environmental change on marine species and ecosystems. Earlier in her career, she was a researcher and educator in the Oregon State University system, studying the effects of pollution and climate stress on aquatic organisms while mentoring undergraduate researchers. At GMGI, Ann leads strategic partnerships, grant development, new research program development, and research operations, helping advance innovative approaches to understanding and protecting ocean ecosystems.

May 27, 2026Episode 150 min

Season 2 - Episode 1: The Neighborhood Resiliency Project

In this episode of Nature Wins , host Maureen Aylward is joined by guests Collin Buckner and Kyle McWilliam-Lopez to discuss TownGreen’s Neighborhood Resiliency Project. This episode provides listeners with an overview of the Neighborhood Resiliency Project. The City of Gloucester’s Office of Emergency Management and the American Red Cross are partners with TownGreen. Discussion will touch on a growing network of nonprofit organizations and programming goals: completing household emergency plans and giving away emergency go-bags. The three entities are embarking on neighborhood-by-neighborhood programs that focus on social connectedness and flood risk information. Brief Bios Collin Buckner, City of Gloucester Assistant Director, Office of Emergency Management Collin originally moved to Massachusetts from Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2018 for a national year of service with the AmeriCorps Cape Cod program, where he served with the Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee and Town of Falmouth: Marine & Environmental Services. While there, Collin got hands-on experience with emergency planning and operations. Since then, Collin has lived between New England and the Gulf Coast, working in emergency management and disaster response roles for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the American Red Cross, the water and wastewater industry, and local government. His drive to make lasting, positive changes in systems and the environment is what brought Collin to Gloucester. Kyle McWilliam-Lopez, Executive Director, American Red Cross Northeast Kyle is a California native who found his way to Massachusetts through a career dedicated to community and humanitarian service. After serving as a Peace Corps volunteer in Bolivia—teaching beekeeping and leading water infrastructure projects—and working in workforce development and renewable energy in California, Kyle joined the American Red Cross in 2017. His eight years with the organization have taken him from hurricane recovery operations in Florida to managing statewide recovery services and government relations across Massachusetts. He now serves as Executive Director of the Massachusetts Northeastern Chapter, overseeing disaster response and emergency preparedness across 62 cities and towns. Kyle holds a Master's in Public Policy and International Relations from the Middlebury Institute and a BA in Sociology from UC Davis. Outside of work, Kyle coaches his son's soccer team and enjoys running, cooking, and cold water plunging in Cape Ann.

October 14, 2025Episode 857 min

Episode 8: Cape Ann MARCH

Nature Wins Podcast Episode 8: Cape Ann MARCH Host Maureen Aylward is in conversation with Greg Federspiel, Cape Ann MARCH Director, and Brendhan Zubricki, Town of Essex Town Administrator, to discuss the launch and details of the new municipal working group. Description: In this episode of Nature Wins , host Maureen Aylward is joined by guests Greg Federspiel, Cape Ann MARCH Director, and Brendhan Zubricki, Town of Essex Town Administrator, who discuss Cape Ann MARCH, a new municipal working group launched by TownGreen in September 2025. This episode provides listeners with an overview of how Cape Ann municipalities, community-based organizations, and academic institutions are convening to look at regional coastal adaptation projects and the possibilities of what they can achieve together.

September 15, 2025Episode 71 hr 1 min

Episode 7: Coastal Relocation

In this episode of Nature Wins , host Maureen Aylward discusses coastal relocation with Emma Gildesgame from The Nature Conservancy, and Leigh Meunier and Lexi Lafferty from CREW (Communities Responding to Extreme Weather). Across the New England coast and the Eastern Seaboard, coastal relocation and retreat are difficult but necessary topics for communities to tackle. This episode provides listeners with an overview of how communities are thinking about relocation, how they’re talking about it, and examples of where it's working. Brief Bios Emma Gildesgame, Climate Adaptation Director, The Nature Conservancy https://www.nature.org/en-us/about-us/who-we-are/our-people/emma-gildesgame/ Emma Gildesgame is a Climate Adaptation Director for The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts. Emma is passionate about elevating and empowering communities most often impacted by climate change Leigh Meunier, Project Manager, CREW https://www.climatecrew.org/our_team Leigh Meunier is a Project Manager at Communities Responding to Extreme Weather also known as CREW, which is based in Cambridge. She coordinates community engagement work for a number of CREW projects including the Charles River Flood Model project, Coastal RnR events, and a community participatory research study in downtown Boston. Lexi Lafferty, Community Engagement Intern, CREW https://www.climatecrew.org/our_team Lexi Lafferty is the Community Engagement Intern at CREW. She is pursuing a masters degree in urban and environmental policy and planning at Tufts, and has worked on environmental justice and floodplain management and policy research.

April 30, 2024Episode 641 min

Episode 6: Neptune’s Harvest and SaLT

Host Maureen Aylward is in conversation with Ann Molloy from Neptune’s Harvest about the spring planting season and Bart DiFiore, a core crew member of Gloucester Land and Sea Together. In this episode of Nature Wins , host Maureen Aylward speaks to Ann Molloy from Neptune’s Harvest about the spring planting season and discusses how Neptune’s Harvest fish fertilizer builds organic matter to retain moisture so a garden needs less water, plus it will sequester more carbon. In Segment 2 we will hear from Bart DiFiore, a core crew member of Gloucester Land and Sea Together . Gloucester SaLT is a group of farmers, fishermen, scientists, educators, and community members passionate about increasing understanding for how food is grown and harvested from local lands and waters. Its goal is to increase access, promote education, and support professional training programs related to local food harvested from both land and sea. Since fall 2022, SaLT has offered community courses during the fall and spring seasons. Typically, courses are offered weekly for 3-4 weeks, culminating in an celebratory evening preparing the "fruits" of your labor. Previous topics have covered optimum growing conditions for your farm or garden, introduction to fish species, ecology of the Gulf of Maine, and fish fileting and preparation. BIOs Ann Molloy, Neptune’s Harvest Ann Molloy was born and raised in Gloucester, MA. After several years of traveling around the country and world, she settled back there and has been helping run her family business. For almost 25 years, Ann has overseen the marketing and sales for the Neptune’s Harvest division of Ocean Crest Seafoods, which came about to fully utilize 100% of the fish, by turning the gurry (everything that’s left after you filet a fish) into an organic fertilizer. She has a wide knowledge of organic fertilizers, and the fishing industry. She also loves to paint, write, and see live music. Bart DiFiore, Gloucester Land and Sea Together Bart is currently finishing a PhD in marine ecology at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Before deciding to pursue a career in the marine sciences, Bart managed diverse vegetable and fruit farms in Massachusetts and Hawaii for six years. He is a licensed captain with the USCG and has worked on and around the waterfront in Gloucester since he was 14. He currently lives in Gloucester. Notes and Resources Resources for Neptune’s Harvest Segment Click Here For The Website Resources for Gloucester Land and Sea Together Click Here For The Website connect@gloucestersalt.org ========================= Want to discover more about climate change and what difference you can make!? Subscribe, Follow and Like us on all of our channels to stay in touch, it also helps us out! Connect with us! Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/towngreeninc Follow us also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/towngreeninc/ Come see some of our important webinars, talks and watch all the other informative and useful content we have! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi4yhC3sUXM29xHZH4sha2A ____________________________________ Come watch The Nature Wins podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdhv6InnwkKUMnmI3ngTFYzOnVhuTQwD4 You can also listen to us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nature-wins-podcast-a-climate-adaptation-journey/id1710371497 If you want to learn more check out our website to subscribe to our newsletter, see updates and have access to resources! https://towngreen2025.org/ ========================= Thanks for listening to Nature Wins Podcast, we appreciate your support! #naturewins #climatechange #saveourplanet #capeann #sustainability #lovecapeann #saveourplanet

April 19, 2024Episode 555 min

Episode 5: It’s Regional: North Shore Climate Groups

This is Cape Ann’s climate story. Nature Wins is exploring the climate adaptation journey of this storied coastal region of Massachusetts. Gloucester, Rockport, Essex, and Manchester-by-the-Sea are communities of people who know their way around a storm. Yet, the region and its people face serious climate change impacts – and the mitigation, adaptation, and acceptance work that needs to happen is slowly making progress. In this episode of Nature Wins, host Maureen Aylward speaks to members of climate groups on the North Shore about their organizations and program offerings. Listeners will hear from Dean Berg from Green Beverly , David Smith from Hamilton/Wenham Climate Action Team, and Louise Bullis Yarmoff of Sustainable Marblehead. Dean Berg is Green Beverly’s executive director. The organization’s mission is to help all Beverly residents and businesses lead more sustainable lives through actionable information, inspiration, and education. David Smith from the Hamilton/Wenham Climate Action Team will explain the group’s success over the last several years with climate mitigation initiatives and provide a history of the organization. Its mission is to protect and preserve the environment for future generations and work towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions, conserving natural resources, and promoting sustainable living practices. Louise Bullis Yarmoff former Executive Director of Sustainable Marblehead, is an educator and communicator. Louise has a long-held interest in sustainability. She previously taught English as a second language at Pathways Adult Education in Lynn and served as project manager for an educational exchange program for French young professionals. ======================================== Want to discover more about climate change and what difference you can make!? Subscribe, Follow and Like us on all of our channels to stay in touch, it also helps us out! Connect with us! Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/towngreeninc Follow us also on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/towngreeninc/ Come see some of our important webinars, talks and watch all the other informative and useful content we have! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCi4yhC3sUXM29xHZH4sha2A ____________________________________ Come watch The Nature Wins podcast on YouTube! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdhv6InnwkKUMnmI3ngTFYzOnVhuTQwD4 You can also listen to us on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/nature-wins-podcast-a-climate-adaptation-journey/id1710371497 If you want to learn more check out our website to subscribe to our newsletter, see updates and have access to resources! https://towngreen2025.org/ ======================================== Thanks for listening to Nature Wins Podcast, we appreciate your support! #naturewins #climatechange #saveourplanet #capeann #sustainability #lovecapeann #saveourplanet

January 24, 2024Episode 41 hr 6 min

Episode 4: Cape Ann’s Waste Story

In this episode of Nature Wins, host Maureen Aylward speaks to Cape Ann-based waste professionals to learn more about Cape Ann’s waste story. Listeners will hear from Sharon Byrne Kishida, solid waste and recycling expert, who advocates for better waste policies across Cape Ann. Conor Miller and Andrew Brousseau talk about their inspiring composting business – Black Earth Compost. Segment 1: Host Maureen Aylward interviews municipal waste expert, Sharon Byrne Kishida. Segment 2: Maureen Aylward speaks to Conor Miller, CEO, and Andrew Brousseau, Compost Manager, from Black Earth Compost. Notes and Resources Nature Wins Episode 4: Sharon Byrne Kishida, Massachusetts Product Stewardship Council Sharon Byrne Kishida is a planning committee member for the Massachusetts Product Stewardship Council (MassPSC) that advocates for product stewardship legislation for mattresses and paint and extended producer responsibility legislation for packaging. A long-time resident of Rockport, Sharon recently retired from MassDEP where she served 23 years as the regional waste/recycling coordinator for the Northeast District 3 (39 cities and towns North of Boston). She is a municipal solid waste consultant and member of the Cape Ann Climate Coalition Legislative and Interfaith Climate Justice Committee. Segment Resources Website: https://massrecycle.org/initiatives-events/massachusetts-product-stewardship-council/ Black Earth Compost’s Conor Miller and Andrew Brousseau Conor Miller, Partner, CEO, started Black Earth in 2011 after moving east from Jackson Hole, WY where he worked for a recycling collection company. A once avid backcountry skier and surfer, he now finds running Black Earth to be the greatest adventure, focusing on the collection side of the company and capital allocation. Having been the truck driver, welder, salesman, and many other hats in the beginning due to necessity, Conor has a strong foundation in all aspects of business that you only get from experience. Andrew Brousseau, Partner, Compost Manager Black Earth Compost was founded in January 2011 in Gloucester, MA. Originally a one man, one truck, Cape Ann company, it has steadily grown to become the leading full service compost company in New England. With over 35 trucks, it is dedicated to collecting food scraps from residents, schools, supermarkets, colleges, and more, all across eastern MA and RI. It is also the only vertically integrated company that composts the material too, returning it to customers and selling it in garden centers across Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire. Segment Resources Black Earth Compost Website : About Black Earth Compost Black Earth Compost’s Manchester compost facility

December 13, 2023Episode 353 min

Episode 3: Climate and the Arts

Nature Wins: Nature Wins: JoeAnn Hart JoeAnn Hart is the author of Highwire Act & Other Tales of Survival , a collection of short fiction from Black Lawrence press released in September 2023. Her most recent book is Stamford ’76: A True Story of Murder, Corruption, Race, and Feminism in the 1970s (University of Iowa Press, April, 2019), a crime memoir that weaves together the personal and public threads of a friend’s 1976 bow-and-arrow death. Her novels are Float (Ashland Creek Press, 2013) a dark comedy about plastics in the ocean, and Addled (Little, Brown, 2007) a social satire that intertwines animal rights with the politics of food. Her work, which also includes articles, essays, and drama, often explores the relationship between humans and their environments, natural or otherwise. Segment 1 Resources Website: https://joeannhart.com/ About JoeAnn Hart Black Lawrence Press Leaf blower ban in Gloucester, MA Nature Wins: Kim Radochia Artist Kim Radochia's creations capture movement and energy to immerse viewers in the moment. Her intense process of making, exploring materials and connecting to place has led to inventive, vibrant artworks that convey fragility and strength. Highlights of Radochia’s career include an invitation from the Cape Ann Museum to create a community sculpture for the opening of their Sculpture Green in 2021, titled Heart in the Haystack . Kim has lectured throughout the country on creativity, art, and sculpture. Segment 2 Resources Website: https://kimradochia.com/ About Kim Radochia Great Marsh Cape Ann Museum Heart in the Haystack Giving Meadows at Blackburn Circle

November 22, 2023Episode 253 min

Episode 2: Money for Something

In this episode of Nature Wins, host Maureen Aylward speaks to NOAA Biologist Eric Hutchins (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/feature-story/meet-eric-hutchins-habitat-restoration-biologist). In segment 1, Eric will outline the $5.38 million National Grid settlement with the US Department of Justice in July 2023. The former Gloucester Gas Light Company damaged the marine environment with chemicals from coal tar released during manufacturing gas. In segment 2, Maureen and Eric will discuss beech leaf disease and biodiversity loss on Cape Ann. NOTES AND RESOURCES TownGreen: https://towngreen2025.org/ Department of Justice Press Release: https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/national-grid-agrees-pay-538-million-natural-resource-damages Gloucester Daily Times article: https://www.gloucestertimes.com/news/business/national-grid-to-pay-5-38m-for-damages-caused-by-gloucester-gas-light-company/article_d8211c03-a9d5-526f-be1a-80e2f18a14c3.html#:~:text=National%20Grid%20agreed%20to%20pay,Light%20Company%2C%20officials%20said%20Friday. Nature Wins: Losing the Beech Trees and Biodiversity Loss on Cape Ann Beech Leaf Disease in Massachusetts: https://www.mass.gov/guides/beech-leaf-disease-in-massachusetts Gloucester’s Dogtown Preservation Commission: https://gloucester-ma.gov/904/Dogtown-Preservation-Commission The Other Cape article about Dogtown: https://theothercape.com/blog/a-plan-to-keep-dogtown-wild-and-free

November 21, 2023Episode 152 min

Episode 1: Decarb Gloucester

In this episode of Nature Wins, host Maureen Aylward speaks to Dick Prouty, TownGreen Board Chair, and Candace Wheeler a member of Gloucester’s Clean Energy Commission, about #decarbonization and mitigation actions in Gloucester and why these actions are important. In Segment 2, Maureen interviews Gemma Wilkens, City of Gloucester Sustainability Coordinator, about her role, progress on the City’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan, how residents can take climate action, and the Energy Savings Fair. Segment 1: Host Maureen Aylward is joined by Dick Prouty, TownGreen Chair and Candace Wheeler, a member of Glocuester’s Clean Energy Commission to discuss #decarb actions in #Gloucester.Segment 2: Maureen Aylward has a one-on-one interview with Gemma Wilkens, City of Gloucester Sustainability Coordinator.#Resources#NatureWins: Decarb Gloucester, Segment 1 - TownGreen--- https://towngreen2025.org/ - Gloucester’s Clean Energy Commision--- https://www.gloucester-ma.gov/130/Clean-Energy-Commission - Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Massachusetts--- https://www.massdevelopment.com/what-we-offer/key-initiatives/pace/- Gloucester EDICDaymark Energy Advisors Presentation on Cape Ann Grid--- https://gloucesteredic.com/- Cape Ann Climate Coalition (CACC)--- https://capeannclimatecoalition.org/- Gloucester Fishermen's Wives Association--- https://gfwa.org/#NatureWins: Decarb Gloucester, Segment 2 - Gemma Wilkens, Sustainability Coordinator, City of Gloucester--- https://gloucester-ma.gov/266/Sustainability-Division - Gloucester’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan--- https://gloucester-ma.gov/DocumentCenter/View/8813/2022-Gloucester-Climate-Action-and-Resilience-Plan-CARP_10-27-2022?bidId=- Climate Action Toolkit--- https://climateaction.gloucester-ma.gov/- Gloucester Energy Challenge--- https://www.homeworksenergy.com/gloucester/