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Evansville board flags county burn ban, unveils plans for 2025 Climate Action Plan and resiliency assessment
Summary
The Evansville Climate Collaborative confirmed a county-issued burn ban through Sept. 24 and outlined work on a 2025 Climate Action Plan revision and a city resiliency assessment that will identify climate hazards, adaptation strategies and funding pathways.
The Evansville Climate Collaborative on Sept. 11 told residents the county’s burn ban issued Aug. 29 remains in effect through Sept. 24 unless rescinded and said the city posted parallel guidance to make applicability clear. “The collaborative issued a burn ban on August 29, and it was extended through September 24 unless it's rescinded earlier,” said Lauren Norvell, Climate Action Director.
Beyond that immediate public-safety notice, staff outlined work to produce a revised 2025 Climate Action Plan with measurable, actionable strategies and an accompanying resiliency assessment. Norvell said the revision will refine strategies into transportation, waste, buildings and energy, and agriculture/local food/green-space categories while staff consider adding a distinct resilience strategy that emphasizes equity, access and affordability.
“We are revising the strategies… to make sure they're measurable and actionable, and we are updating the plan to suit what is going on in our area right now,” Norvell said. She told board members the staff will share a draft of the revision with the board for review before it goes to city council, likely over the next two months.
On resilience, the collaborative said it is working with an Indianapolis consultant, Caramita, to conduct an assessment that will evaluate climate hazards (extreme storms, heat, intense rain, cold snaps), the potential impacts on people, assets and natural systems, and the probability and magnitude of those risks. Norvell said the assessment will produce adaptation strategies and a roadmap that includes analysis of funding and implementation responsibilities.
The board emphasized public outreach and review: staff urged board members and community volunteers to participate in technical teams and a core review team to ensure the plan reflects Evansville’s needs. Contact information for climate staff was shared (climate@evansville.in.gov) and staff said they will return with materials for board input.
The meeting also reiterated that small cooking grills, chimineas and patio fire pits are exempt from the burn ban. No formal rescission action was taken at the meeting; the ban’s status will depend on conditions and any separate decision by county authorities.
