The South Coast could be getting its own climate change and environmental advocacy group, as a group of citizens and officials are working to establish the South Coast Climate Coalition.

Over the past week, Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary has been hosting a series of discussions on climate change. On September 21, a program was held on salt marshes at Stone Barn. The program was hosted by Dr. Judith Weis of Rutgers University and Sam Whitin, New England Operations Manager for EA Engineering, Science and Technology, an environmental consulting firm.

The second round of presentations and lectures kicked off on September 30 with a six-hour program packed with a variety of topics on climate change, including a discussion on new techniques for modeling marsh migration caused by rising sea levels, climate education and training, what communities can do to prepare for the coming changes, and a talk on science-based land management strategies to help prepare for the effects of climate change.

According to a pamphlet provided by David Cole, who has been planning the presentations, the coalition's goals would include increasing public awareness of the consequences of climate change for local communities, and promote change to combat potential problems. The coalition would concentrate on tracking efforts to monitor and model climate change effects, educate the public on climate issues, assist cities and towns adopt by-laws and regulations to prepare for adverse climate changes, and analyze and develop guidelines to protect bodies of water.

Each event was well attended, with more than 50 people gathering to hear the presentations. From concerned citizens to non-profits such as the Dartmouth Natural Resources Trust to members of municipal boards, the overall goal was to bring together key stakeholders and people with an interest in environmental issues to form a coalition, said Jennifer Costa of the Allens Pond Wildlife Sanctuary.

Costa said the next step will be determining if there is enough interest in establishing a formal coalition, and what the coalition will look like. She added that she has seen a lot of interest in the program.

“We have had a very good turnout of concerned citizens, municipalities, and non-profit organizations,” Costa said. “It’s great that everyone is thinking about climate change.”

Cole said the inspiration for the potential coalition came from the formation of the Resilient Taunton Watershed Network, which was founded in 2014 to protect the natural resources and promote ecological restoration of the Taunton River watershed. The program was spearheaded by the Southeastern Regional Planning and Economic Development District (SRPEDD).

“We saw that there is a need for this,” Cole said. “We saw that SRPEDD had created something like this in Taunton, and we wanted to do something like it on the South Coast.”

Those interested in the coalition can email allenspond@massaudubon.org for more information.