Kate Sherren

Landscapes - People - Global change

Category: research impact (Page 1 of 13)

Fundy Monday

June 3, 2026 /

The marquee at the Al Whittle Theatre shows Fundy Monday on the bill

This past Monday we culminated the Bay of Fundy Dykeland case study of NSERC ResNet with a big-screen near-full-house showing of our new short documentary, Sea, Soil, and Soul: The Evolving Bay of Fundy Coastline. It was magic to show it at the lovely Al Whittle Theatre, right behind where my own segments were filmed on the Bishop-Beckwith marshland. This ten-minute video was flanked by an optional survey, so we could understand how it was received, and followed by a great conversation chaired by ResNet principal investigator and documentary producer, Elena Bennett. The star of the movie and the show was Don Webster, a dykeland farmer in the Belcher Street area who sold land so that a section of his marsh could be restored to tidal wetland. Danika van Proosdij of Saint Mary’s and TransCoastal Adaptations, Tony Bowron of CBWES and TransCoastal, and I were also panelists. It was wonderful to see ResNet student alum and partners showing up to celebrate with us, and to have such an engaged group to ask questions. The audience showed such clear love and concern for their dykeland landscapes, and had a strong appetite for information to help them understand its future. Thanks to postdoc emcee Elson Galang, MES assistant Bethany Poltl, the folks from TransCoastal, from the Apple Blossom Festival (we were its final event) and from the theatre itself, for the successful event. Action shots to follow soon.

Nearly a full house at the Al Whittle Theatre for Fundy Monday

Panel for McCall MacBain scholars

February 13, 2026 /

Me, Shannon, Rachael, Nicolas and Patricia ‘paneling’ for the McCall MacBain scholars.

Two weeks ago the McGill McCall MacBain scholars were on a site visit to Halifax, and invited me to join a panel at the Halifax Public Library called Rising Seas & Coastal Futures: Community-led Strategies, Impacts and Adaptation. It was a great line-up, with Shannon Fernandes from Halifax Regional Municipality, Nicolas Winkler from the Ecology Action Centre and Rachael Cadman from the Marine Affairs Program, all ably chaired by retired Dal Planning Professor Patricia Manuel. It was like a chat amongst old friends, and the students asked wonderful questions. Great to see ResNet HQP Siena Margorian amongst the McCall MacBain fellows (she is one of those thanking us above)!

TCA TranSECT workshops

February 12, 2026 /

Day 1 of the TranSECT workshops.

I spent Monday and Tuesday this week in workshops with my colleagues in the Transforming Climate Action TranSECT project. Overlooking the new blue whale skeleton in the Beaty Centre for Marine Biodiversity, we talked about nature-based solutions, dykeland futures, risk governance and citizen science, with an eye toward policy impact. The conversations were particularly enriched by the UQAR colleagues who made the trip from Rimouski for the event, Guillaume Marie, Pascal Bernatchez and Antoine Police. Particular thanks also to the expert discussants–Danika van Proosdij, Tony Bowron and Nancy Anningson–who joined us for the dykeland session from the ‘other TCA’, TransCoastal Adaptations Centre for Nature-based Solutions, to talk about their experience with managed dyke realignment in the province. A final thanks to all the HQP who helped out, working as organizers, note-takers, presenters, etc. Great to see this team in action, and make some concrete progress toward our milestones.

What’s scarier? Article about flood mapping in The Narwhal

January 9, 2026 /

One of the better titles I’ve seen recently is for a recent article in The Narwhal by Xavi Richer Viz, What’s scarier for Canadian communities — floods, or flood maps? It’s an open question, as far as I can tell. Richer Viz tells some interesting stories about public push-back in various locations after the release of flood risk mapping, putting Canada decades behind other jurisdictions with respect to such public interest information. I enjoyed my conversation with Richer Viz,  telling him about the situation in Nova Scotia and sharing some of the research done with recent MES Samantha Howard.

Have you moved due to climate change? Study recruitment underway

October 11, 2025 /
Cars and houses in a flood

Sydney, NS, during the Thanksgiving floods of 2016.

A woman wearing glasses

Robin Willcocks-Musselman

Lab member Robin Willcocks-Musselman is currently looking for people who have had to relocate in the face of risks like floods, fire, or erosion. Her IDPhD study is trying to understand the experience of such relocations. This morning, coinciding with the anniversary of the Thanksgiving floods in Cape Breton back in 2016 that led to some residential buyouts, Frances Willick from CBC has published an excellent article to support Robin’s recruitment process: Have you moved due to climate risks in Atlantic Canada? This researcher wants to talk to you. Participating in the study will involve interviews to explore the experience and its impacts on attachment to the places that people care about. Learning more about this can help us advise governments about how to design programs when relocation becomes necessary in the face of unavoidable risks.  Please help spread the word if you know anyone who has been affected. Robin’s contact details are in the article linked above.

 

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