Coastal Hazards of Superior Community of Practice

A community of practice is a group of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do, and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly. This definition reflects the fundamentally social nature of human learning. The CoP consists of a steering committee and community members. The Coastal HAzards of Superior (CHAOS) Community of Practice steering committee helps coordinate meetings, events, and communications; while members join to benefit from the community and share their knowledge. As a member of CHAOS, you will have the opportunity to connect with colleagues facing similar coastal hazard challenges and find the space and projects on which you can collaborate. Through CHAOS, we’ll be able to pool our knowledge and resources, accomplishing more together than we can apart.  

The Coastal HAzards of Superior is a Community of Practice (CoP) focusing on the Minnesota and Wisconsin coasts of western Lake Superior. CHAOS is a platform for engaging local community leaders, managers, researchers, and communicators with a shared concern about coastal hazards and their impacts.

What will CHAOS do? CHAOS aims to help build strong collaborations between those impacted by coastal hazards and those with resources to study, address, or mitigate impacts. Through events and communications, CHAOS will keep the community informed and facilitate regular updates on efforts to protect the coasts of western Lake Superior. Members will have an opportunity to participate in projects that will provide resources and tools to local communities, decision-makers, and private citizens to make our coastal areas more resilient.   

Why focus on coastal hazards? Coastal hazards are a pressing issue for most communities on western Lake Superior. Recent coastal storms, flooding, and shoreline erosion have placed enormous strain on local communities, while new projects to address these concerns work in isolation. The CoP bring together agencies, departments, and organizations working on research, management, and outreach projects related to coastal hazards. The CHAOS CoP supports Sea Grant's mission to enhance the practical use and conservation of coastal, marine and Great Lakes resources in order to create a sustainable economy and environment. 

Founded in 2020, CHAOS continues to hold quarterly community of practice meetings, drawing an average of 60 participants per meeting. In 2021 topics included: coastal flooding, Tribal hazard mitigation planning, case study virtual field trips, coastal regulation, tools from NOAA's Digital Coast, and more. We also said goodbye to the original CHAOS Coordinator, Melanie Perello. In 2022, we welcomed new CHAOS Coordinator, Sarah Brown, sarah.brown@wisconsin.gov. 

Membership in the Coastal HAzards of Superior (CHAOS) Community of Practice (CoP) is free and open to all. The CoP strives to have representation from across the region, across disciplines, and all levels of government. All members should participate with a desire to learn about and share efforts to study, address, or prevent coastal hazards and their impacts throughout the region.

Why join? Members have access to a larger network of individuals working on coastal hazard issues, receive newsletters and learn firsthand about meetings, events, trainings, and funding opportunities. Participation gives members a chance to voice their needs, share resources, and engage with all of the federal, state, and local agencies and organizations dealing with coastal hazards.

How to join. Send an email indicating your interest to Sarah Brown, CHAOS coordinator, sarah.brown@wisconsin.gov.

Support for the Coastal HAzards of Superior (CHAOS) Community of Practice (CoP) comes from the steering committee: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Minnesota's Lake Superior Coastal Program; the Wisconsin Management Program; the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration; Minnesota Sea Grant; Lake Superior National Estuarine Research Reserve; and Wisconsin Sea Grant.