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Science and Innovations

City of Flagstaff Seeks Public Input on Climate Action Plan

Melissa Sevigny

The City of Flagstaff will seek public input this year on a plan to take action on climate change. KNAU’s Melissa Sevigny reports.

The City held its first public meeting this week. Nicole Antonopoulos Woodman, sustainability manager for the City of Flagstaff, described the plan as a “roadmap” for the community.

"We know that we’re already experiencing impacts of climatic changes in our community," she says. "The idea behind the Climate Action and Adaption Plan is to help create policies and programs that help address those current changes, but help us better prepare longer-term changes as well."

Woodman says that includes preparing for wildfires, floods, and droughts. She’s also concerned about decreased snowpack and its effect on Flagstaff’s water supply and tourism.

Jeff Bousson of the American Conservation Experience is a member of the steering committee. "What do we want our community to look like ten years, twenty years, thirty years, fifty years from now?" he says. "I want this to be as inclusive as possible, and provide a lot of opportunities for us to live in a community that we’re incredibly proud of."

City leaders will seek input at two more public meetings this year. They expect to finalize the plan and present it to the Flagstaff City Council for adoption this fall.

Melissa joined KNAU's team in 2015 to report on science, health, and the environment. Her work has appeared nationally on NPR and been featured on Science Friday. She grew up in Tucson, Arizona, where she fell in love with the ecology and geology of the Sonoran desert.
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