Abbot library Salem Sound series

Abbot Public Library is undergoing a $10 million renovation. Photo by Spenser Hasak

The Underwater in Salem Sound series begins Jan. 18 in the program room of Abbot Public Library or via Zoom. Salem Sound Coastwatch’s (SSCW) Executive Director Barbara Warren will kick off the series with a lecture about saving shorelines.

Warren also serves as the Lower North Shore Regional Coordinator for the Massachusetts Bays National Estuary Partnership. She has a Master of Science in Environmental Studies from Antioch University – New England and a Master of Education from Lesley University. Warren has completed training in communicating climate risk communication and engaging stakeholders in solutions. As a certified Massachusetts Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Provider, she focuses much of her work on climate awareness and coastal resilience projects in Salem, Manchester, Marblehead, Beverly, Peabody and Danvers.

Other speakers include Ainsley Smith, Regional Marine Mammal Stranding Coordinator, National Oceanic, and Atmospheric Administration; Mike Armstrong, Deputy Director Division of Marine Fisheries, Cat Cove Marine Lab; and Alison Frye, Salem Sound Coastwatch Associate Director.

Warren will share new projects whose goals include reducing stormwater flooding, restoring riverbanks and wetlands, and increasing public access to the shoreline. One project called Winter Ocean Bird Field Trip will take place on Jan. 7. More information can be found on salemsound.org.

Following the “saving shorelines” lecture on Jan. 18 will be a lecture on marine mammals on Feb. 15, a lecture on Cat Cove Marine Lab on Mar. 15 and a lecture on horseshoe crabs on Apr. 19.

The series is free and open to the public. To attend via Zoom, please register in advance here: tinyurl.com/Jan-2023-Salem-Sound-Zoom. No registration is required for in-person attendance.

For the past 11 years, Underwater in Salem Sound has been jointly sponsored by Salem Sound Coastwatch and the Abbot Public Library.  For additional information on the series, please visit www.abbotlibrary.org, email mar@noblenet.org or call 781-631-1481.