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Climate Ready Estuaries Partners, 2008-2009
CLIMATE READY
ESTUARI ES
1
XL
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Table of Contents
Introduction
Program Accomplishments 2
Lessons Learned from CRE Partners. ..6
CRE Partner Activities 2008-2009.. . 10
Challenges and Next Steps: Where Is CRE Headed? 16
CRE Partner Web Sites.. . 19
www.epa.gov/cre
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This document may be downloaded from the Climate Ready Estuaries Web site at:
www.epa.gov/cre/downloads/2009-CRE-Progress-Report.pdf
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Introduction
Climate Ready Estuaries (CRE) is a partnership
between the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency (EPA) and the National Estuary Programs
(NEPs) to build capacity among coastal managers
to improve the resilience of coastal areas to
the impacts of climate change. CRE provides
tools and assistance to help NEPs and coastal
communities in their efforts to:
• Assess climate change vulnerabilities
• Develop a better understanding of climate
change at local and regional levels
• Engage and educate stakeholders
• Develop and implement adaptation strategies
• Share lessons learned with other coastal
managers
This document provides an overview of CRE's
accomplishments to date, including activities being
managed by the NEP Partners, lessons learned
in the adaptation planning process, challenges
encountered, and next steps for the program.
Estuaries and other coastal systems are
particularly vulnerable to many projected
effects of climate change, including erosion
and land loss from rising seas, altered
frequencies and intensities of precipitation, and
more-intense storm events. These effects will
change our coastlines, affecting the people
and species that inhabit them. The likelihood of
impacts requires that actions be taken now to
help coastal communities adapt.
How can you be "ready" for
climate change?
Climate change will continue to affect
the planet for many years, and the
magnitude and timing of many impacts
are uncertain. While we may not be
able to completely protect ourselves
from these changes, individuals,
communities, and societies can prepare
for what we expect will come our way.
EPA chose the term "Climate Ready
Estuaries" to recognize NEPs, and
eventually other coastal communities,
that have engaged in learning about
climate vulnerabilities, developed
adaptation strategies, and taken
steps to improve resilience. Climate
change will be the underlying context
for most planning, development,
and conservation decisions in these
climate-ready communities. CRE will
bring together communities that are
ready to adapt as the impacts of
climate change continue to occur.
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Program Accomplishments
Since its inception in 2008, CRE and its NEP Partners have made significant strides to improve
the "climate readiness" of estuaries and their surrounding communities. Highlights of these
accomplishments are described below.
Adaptation and Coastal Climate Change Awareness
CRE has promoted the development and implementation of adaptation plans. Through targeted grants
and technical support, these estuary programs are developing adaptation strategies and plans that are
a first step toward preparing for climate change. CRE has also begun raising awareness of the means
for coastal adaptation to climate change through the Coastal Toolkit, the CRE Web site, publications,
and workshops.
The efforts of CRE staff and Partners have promoted great interest in climate change adaptation
and estuaries among other federal and state agencies, public and private land managers, NEPs,
and coastal communities outside of the NEPs. CRE has also been showcased at local, national, and
international workshops on coastal protection and response to climate change.
CRE Partner Network
CRE works with each estuary program to pursue that NEP's own ecosystem- and community-specific
goals related to climate change adaptation. CRE provided grants and/or direct technical assistance
CRE Timeline
2008
CRE is announced
and issues first
solicitation for
pilot partners
I
FEB
APNEP&The Nature
Conservancy Adaptation
Meeting
MAR
T
APR
EPA selects 6 pilot estuaries:
* Albemarle-Pamlico National
Estuary Program
* Charlotte Harbor Estuary
Program
* Massachusetts Bays Estuary
Program
* Partnership for the Delaware
Estuary
* Piscataqua Region Estuaries
Partnership
* San Francisco Estuary Project
MAY
I
JUN
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to 11 NEPs in 2008 and 2009, responding
to their unique needs and spurring a growing
number of on-the-ground accomplishments.
Further details about these accomplishments can
be found in the section on CRE Partner Activities
2008-2009.
CRE also provides a network for NEPs to
communicate and share information, including
challenges, lessons learned, adaptation
strategies, and data. In turn, CRE Partners are
developing region-specific capacity to become
leaders in climate change adaptation for
neighboring coastal communities.
Toolkit and Supporting Resources
The Coastal Toolkit (www.epa.gov/cre/toolkit.
html), launched in August 2008, provides
useful resources for estuary and coastal
program managers and stakeholders who are
interested in learning about climate change
Accomplishments at a Glance
• Enrolled 11 CRE Partners
• Published the Synthesis of
Adaptation Options for Coastal Areas
• Published the Coastal Toolkit, an
online information resource for
estuaries and coastal communities
• Distributed more than $300,000 to
the Partners through start-up grants,
which have been matched 1:1
• Provided more than $700,000 in
direct technical assistance to the
Partners
• Completed an adaptation plan with
the City of Punta Gorda, Florida
• Currently conducting six
vulnerability assessments
• Developed climate change indicators
for coastal monitoring plans
• Involved all Partners in public
outreach and stakeholder
engagement activities
• Held Partner workshop in
June 2009
7APNEP
listening sessions
I
CRE Web site
and Coastal
Toolkit launched
JUL
AUG
PREP culvert
inventory and
vulnerability
assessment
initiated
SEPT
SEEP
vulnerability
assessment
kick-off meetings
MBP vulnerability
assessment
kick-off meetings
OCT
NOV
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impacts and adaptation. The Toolkit provides information and links to other resources related to
the following areas:
• Adaptation Planning
• Coastal Vulnerability and Adaptation Tools
• Communications and Outreach Materials
• Monitoring Climate Change in Coastal Areas
• Smart Growth in the Context of Climate Change
• Sustainable Financing Options
• Where to Find Data
CRE has developed several additional resources for the Toolkit, including the following:
• Synthesis of Adaptation Options for Coastal Areas—Published in print and on the Web, the
synthesis document brings together information on climate change effects and adaptation in
coastal areas. It has been highlighted by agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
(www.epa.gov/cre/downloads/CRE_Synthesis_l .09.pdf)
• Adaptation Planning for the National Estuary Program—This Web-based resource tailored for NEPs
describes five critical elements of adaptation planning, provides examples of these elements, and
suggests additional resources. This guide has proven useful to the NEPs, and has potential wide
2009
Synthesis of
Adaptation
Coastal Areas
released
\ J
PDE Climate
Change Working
Group developed
1
L ^
Annual NEP
meeting
JAN
FEB
MAR
Adaptation
Planning for the
National Estuary
Program Guide
released
APR
MAY
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applicability to a number of other coastal management programs, (www.epa.gov/cre/downloads/
CREAdaptationPlanning-Final.pdf)
• "READY" Newsletter—CRE has published three issues of this electronic newsletter to date. The
newsletter explains program developments and news from CRE Partners, highlights relevant
resources, and announces key meetings and workshops.
• Program Brochure and Fact Sheet—These materials provide an overview of the CRE program. They
are available on the CRE Web site and are also distributed at conferences as well as outreach events.
Targeted Support to NEPs
In 2008 and 2009, CRE provided its Partners with support to catalyze efforts to identify climate
change vulnerabilities, explore adaptation strategies, develop adaptation plans, implement selected
actions by these plans, and share lessons learned with other coastal managers. The section "CRE
Partner Activities 2008-2009" presents activities of the 11 NEPs that have received start-up grants
and/or direct technical assistance.
• Start-Up Grant—A start-up grant provides financial and resource assistance to NEPs that have
committed to a timeline to develop and implement a climate change adaptation strategy for their
estuary. In many cases, these efforts build on pre-existing work by the NEP and its stakeholders.
Each CRE Partner can use its start-up grant to pursue adaptation solutions that best fit the needs of
its communities.
2009 Grants and Technical
Assistance Awardees announced:
* Barnegat Bay National Estuary
Program
* Casco Bay Estuary Partnership
* Charlotte Harbor National
Estuary Program
* Indian River Lagoon National
Estuary Program
* Long Island Sound Study
* Partnership for the Delaware
Estuary
* Tampa Bay Estuary Program
CRE Partner
Workshop held in
Washington, DC
CBEP stakeholder
meetings
3 CHNEP public
workshops, using 4
innovative public
involvement games
J
IRLNEP public and
stakeholder
meetings initiated
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEPT
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Direct Technical Assistance—Direct technical assistance, first offered in 2009, is individually
tailored support provided by EPA staff and contractors. Direct technical assistance is available to
both CRE Partner candidates and current CRE Partners. Examples include:
• Climate change vulnerability assessment
• Habitat and ecosystem services loss modeling
• Climate change indicators and monitoring plan development
• Stakeholder engagement and communication
• Design of model ordinances
^^^^^^^^^^^^•k,
CRE Partner Workshop
The first CRE Partner Workshop was held in
June 2009, in Washington, DC. Attendees
-| included representatives from all CRE Partners,
Q
S3 as well as EPA regional and program office
-§ staff. The workshop was an opportunity for
u 2008 pilot Partners to share their experiences
"S and discuss lessons learned with 2009
u
I Partners. Each NEP representative presented
-C
°~ their ongoing CRE activities and participated in
focused discussions and strategy sessions. This report includes a summary of key lessons learned and
challenges discussed at that workshop.
Lessons Learned from CRE Partners
The June 2009 CRE Partner Workshop and subsequent conversations with Partners revealed many
common themes, approaches, and hurdles to NEPs' efforts to address climate change. The summary
below presents the major lessons learned from those experiences.
Start Small
One common challenge identified by NEPs was deciding where to start and how to cope with the
magnitude of work involved in climate vulnerability assessment and adaptation. Several NEPs discovered
that focusing adaptation efforts on a particular issue or area proved effective. For example, some CRE
Partners have gained a footing through efforts specifically targeted on one local priority, such as salt
marshes or storm culverts, or one community within the larger study area. Starting small gives the programs
a chance to take on a project that meets time and funding constraints but still yields useful conclusions and
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outcomes. Once one issue or strategy proves successful, the Partner can build on that momentum to take
on additional priorities or communities and attract more resources and public support.
Move Forward with the Data You Have
Place-based data that show recent trends in climate change and its associated impacts can help
bridge the gap between abstract projections of impacts and observed local changes. Unfortunately,
these data often either do not exist or are not available with sufficient resolution. Moreover, there may
be limited resources to analyze and present existing data. The task of integrating—and decoupling—
the effects of climate change with other stressors, such as increasing development pressure in a
watershed, is a common challenge faced by NEPs.
Efforts to obtain and analyze better data should be an element in any strategy. However, limited data
are not necessarily a barrier; in fact, some CRE Partners have benefited from projects developed
with limited data, including the creation of conservation strategies for threatened habitats to address
expected climate change impacts. Even without complete sea level rise projections and precise
elevation data, some NEPs have begun to protect upland areas to ensure that coastal marshes have
open space to move into as these habitats are inundated by sea level rise.
Involve the Community
Adapting to climate change cannot be accomplished by NEPs alone; it requires ownership and
involvement from coastal and watershed residents and officials. Preparing for increasing and uncertain
change will require significant support from communities, since they have historically managed their own
growth and supported habitat protection, and will also have to implement climate change adaptation. A
number of NEPs have used innovative approaches to engage stakeholders and the public:
• Use iconic, popular resources to gain support for broader initiatives. The public may be more
receptive to campaigns framed in terms of wildlife and landscapes they are emotionally attached
to. For example, residents of the Delaware Bay may be more supportive of a campaign to protect
critical breeding grounds of horseshoe crabs if sea level rise threatens to inundate these habitats.
• Be ready to benefit from the shift in public opinion that often comes from direct experience of
coastal disasters (e.g., hurricanes, flooding). It may be easier to attract support for adaptation
while the topics of coastal resilience and adaptation are pressing political issues.
• Use locally relevant facts and information when discussing vulnerability. The Casco Bay Estuary
Partnership found that it had more success in delivering its message when it referred to local
observations (e.g., ice-out date, the date after which no ice is present, is now three weeks earlier
on Sebago Lake than it used to be).
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Talk about impacts rather than causes. In
general, audiences will still support actions
that address local concerns: for example,
"dangerous weather is more frequent," "sea
level is rising," or "mangrove habitats have
"Estuaries are ready, people are not/
- Bill Crowell, Albemarle-Pamlico NEP
director, explaining the need to educate
coastal residents and policy makers on
the risks of climate change, the changes
that are already occurring in estuaries,
and the need to address those risks and
changes through adaptation planning.
moved 30 miles north over the past 40 years." Find a clear impact that people can agree is
occurring, is supported by the science, and move forward from there.
• Develop effective public involvement activities such as listening sessions to learn what community
members have seen on the ground, gauge their interest in adaptation, and solicit their
recommendations for responses. Albemarle-Pamlico NEP and Charlotte Harbor NEP, for example,
have successfully used this extremely effective approach.
• Support a local or regional climate change working group consisting of local scientists/academics,
public officials, planners, and interested members of the public. For example, the Partnership for
the Delaware Estuary has formed a climate change working group with three subcommittees to
address priority issues in the estuary.
Coordinate with Government Entities
A common challenge encountered among CRE Partners is that key stakeholders are often absent from
the table. In addition, coordinating with municipalities and states can be difficult, as their budget and
staffing challenges limit the resources available for adaptation planning in collaboration with NEPs.
In other situations, coordination is necessary because multiple organizations may be undertaking
adaptation planning, each according to its own mission and project goals.
NEPs that made it a priority to set up or use an existing advisory committee from the beginning of
their efforts have seen great benefits, including reduced duplication of efforts, enhanced access to
resources, and increased support for adaptation plan development.
Any adaptation effort needs to ensure awareness and involvement of the NEP Management
Conferences, government agencies at all levels (e.g., U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), U.S.
Geologic Survey (USGS), NOAA, Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), Army Corps of Engineers (ACE)),
local planning boards, mayors and governors), and other key stakeholders. Engaging all of these
parties will help keep them informed and involved in projects and program development and, if
possible, implementation.
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Use No Regrets Strategies and Adaptive Management to Deal with Uncertainty
While there have been significant advances in the science and scientific consensus on likely climate
change scenarios, the projected effects of climate change still vary. Many NEPs recognize that the
complexity of climate change and the uncertainty in the timing and magnitude of impacts may present
barriers to gaining public support for adaptation planning within their estuary.
In response to this uncertainty, NEPs have used possible ranges of effects to examine most likely
outcomes and willingness to proceed to protect local priorities. For example, NEPs can use a range of
climate change projections (e.g., precipitation increases of 5, 10, and 15 percent or sea level rise of 1,
3, and 5 feet) to identify actions that lead to beneficial outcomes under all or most predicted futures.
NEPs are also exploring "no regrets" actions as a first step to respond to projected effects. These
strategies—such as adopting rolling easements, creating new waterfront parkland that serves as a buffer
to built-up areas, and strengthening building codes in storm surge areas—can provide immediate local
or regional benefits, as well as reduce future impacts under a range of climate change effects.
Furthermore, uncertainties can serve as an opportunity to employ more adaptive and open planning
approaches that are easier to update in response to new information and changing events. Time-
intensive revisions to comprehensive or master plans should be replaced by more nimble, iterative
approaches for community planning and decision making. Under this approach, strategies should
incorporate "no regrets" or "low regrets" actions with an emphasis on monitoring the changing climate
and evaluating the effectiveness of initial adaptation actions. By continuously learning from and
incorporating new information into adaptation plans, coastal managers can, overtime, make more
informed decisions that reflect a greater understanding of the changing climate and ensure public
support for additional action.
Maintain the Attention of Elected Officials
Many decisions and issues rest in the hands of locally elected officials, who may hold term
appointments and are thus compelled to focus on issues of immediate concern to their constituents.
With such turnover and focus on issues in the near term, some NEPs have had difficulties convincing
elected officials to act on the long-term issue of climate change adaptation. One possible solution
is a two-fold approach to focus directly on constituents through outreach campaigns and listening
sessions, while preparing direct and effective information to quickly educate new officials on significant
constituent concerns early in transitions. CRE Partners play a crucial role in bringing the general
public's interest and concern about this issue to the attention of policy makers.
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CRE Partner Activities 2008-2009
The following section provides brief highlights of the activities that CRE Partners have undertaken
using the start-up grants and direct technical assistance provided by CRE. While all CRE Partners are
working to develop an adaptation plan, each program is involved in specific activities to progress
toward this goal. Please note that this section describes just a few of the ongoing activities among the
11 Partners. For more detailed information on CRE Partner activities, please visit the CRE Web site
(www.epa.gov/cre).
Communication and Outreach—Public
Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program partnered with the Albemarle-Pamlico Conservation
and Communities Collaborative to host a series of seven public listening sessions throughout the
estuary region. Residents from a variety of
backgrounds attended these sessions to voice
their concerns about the combined impacts of
sea level rise and population growth, and to
discuss potential solutions. The estuary program
plans to continue improving public outreach and
education efforts to respond to the community's
evolving needs.
Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program is
gauging public interest in—and soliciting input on—climate change impacts and adaptation through
a series of facilitated listening sessions, planned for the Spring of 2010. To seek further dialogue on
this topic, a technical workshop on climate change adaptation, "Preparing Your Communities in the
Face of a Changing Climate: Starting the Dialogue," will be held. The workshop will bring together
coastal decision makers, resource managers, and the science community to exchange information
and views regarding the impacts of climate change
on the Barnegat Bay estuary and to set the stage
for future regional discussions that will advance
the development of a climate change adaptation
strategy. Ultimately, these products will enable
BBNEP to produce a climate change adaptation
plan sensitive to regional vulnerabilities and
including input from affected constituencies.
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Communication and Outreach—Stakeholders/Policy Makers
APNEP is also engaging directly with policy makers. The program is working with the Nicholas Institute
for Environmental Policy Solutions at Duke University to interview local and state elected officials. The
interviews will gauge officials' understanding of climate change issues and the actions they are taking
to address challenges. Findings will be used to develop a needs analysis and underpin a climate
change and adaptation communication strategy for local policy makers.
During the summer of 2009, BBNEP established a Climate Change Work Group under its existing
Science and Technical Advisory Committee to provide critical technical support and peer review
for all BBNEP's climate change adaptation activities. With guidance from the work group, BBNEP
will conduct a needs assessment to identify gaps in data, potential challenges in adaptation, and
opportunities to tie BBNEP's work in with existing county and state level hazard mitigation planning.
The Work Group will also guide the technical conference in February 2010. In addition, two municipal
level case studies will be carried out to develop local adaptation strategies and decision making tools.
Casco Bay Estuary Partnership is developing
a comprehensive approach to sharing
I information with local leaders to encourage
= effective planning for climate change. CBEP is
§> conducting a series of surveys and focus groups
! ; to better understand specific information needs
; and potential barriers to incorporating climate-
j related information into current decisions. After
identifying those needs and barriers, CBEP
will prepare an outreach plan detailing cost-effective, locally relevant means of communicating with
target audiences. Ultimately, CBEP will develop outreach materials and templates to implement its plan.
CBEP's efforts will develop capacity that enables local decision makers to incorporate climate change
considerations into all aspects of land use planning.
Tampa Bay Estuary Program is developing a
Gulf Coast Community Handbook with specific
recommendations, best management practices,
and options for incorporating resilience into habitat
restoration and protection strategies for coastal
communities throughout the Gulf of Mexico.
The handbook will complement a larger effort
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by TBEP and the Coastal Bend Bays and Estuaries Program to build and test locally developed and
implemented restoration and protection efforts with resilience built in. Ultimately, the handbook will
assist communities throughout the Gulf Coast in using the best available science and information
when thinking about climate change in the context of habitat protection and restoration.
Vulnerability Assessments
Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program
and its host agency, the Southwest Florida
Regional Planning Council, are conducting a
climate change vulnerability assessment for
southwest Florida, including the CHNEP study
area. The vulnerability assessment incorporates
Sea Lake and Overland Surges from Hurricanes
(SLOSH) modeling to assess storm surge and
improve land use decisions, infrastructure investment, and conservation management.
The Partnership for the Delaware Estuary
is conducting vulnerability assessments and
develop adaptation plans for three case study
resources: drinking water, tidal wetlands, and
shellfish. The assessments will consider how
these resources may be affected by increases in
temperature, salinity, precipitation, heat waves,
and storms. PDF has also created a team to
estimate the value of losses in natural capital
from climate change and determine how these
losses might be reversed or improved through
restoration. Through the three case studies, the team plans to demonstrate how ecosystem services
valuation can be used in adaptation planning.
The Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership
launched a project to identify road culverts in
the Oyster River watershed that are vulnerable
to increasingly severe storms and hydrological
modifications related to development in the
watershed. PREP began the assessment by
completing a comprehensive inventory of
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significant culverts in collaboration with the town of Durham and the Strafford Regional Planning
Commission. A key finding that PREP plans to convey to decision makers is that all future precipitation
projections for the area point toward additional strain on the existing culverts. PREP plans to
communicate these findings to decision makers and the public by using maps to show each culvert's
ability to handle projected precipitation events. Project findings will be used to inform decisions about
culvert maintenance and upgrade options.
^^^
Massachusetts Bays Program is conducting
a climate change vulnerability assessment in
partnership with EPA's Global Change Research
Program. The assessment concentrates primarily
. ^ J on the sensitivity of salt marsh ecosystems to
projected impacts of climate change. The MBP
H 1> will share its enhanced understanding of salt
• | marsh vulnerability and related management
implications with partners at the community,
state, regional, and federal levels. This ecosystem-focused study will complement work being done
by the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management's StormSmart Coasts Program, which
addresses the impacts of climate change on infrastructure and coastal property.
San Francisco Estuary Partnership has also
assessed climate change vulnerability in partnership
with EPA's Global Change Research Program. As
with the MBP project, SFEP's assessment focuses on
the sensitivity of salt marsh ecosystems to projected
climate change effects. SFEP and the San Francisco
Bay Conservation and Development Commission
have brought together Bay Area scientists
and resource managers to discuss ecosystem
vulnerability and to share ongoing research. This helps policy makers and scientists consider how changes
in climate drivers such as temperature, precipitation and storms may affect salt marsh ecosystems.
Development of Adaptation Plans
While all CRE Partners are working to develop adaptation plans, several efforts are highlighted here.
In December 2008, the City Council of Punta Gorda, Florida, voted unanimously to partner with
CHNEP's 2009 pilot adaptation planning effort. This initiative has greatly benefited from the
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support of the
citizens of Punta
Gorda, including
a grassroots
volunteer group
that helped rebuild
the city after the
devastation of Hurricane Charley. Adaptation planning included three successful public workshops.
These workshops built upon a pre-meeting survey and include interactive exercises to engage the
public in helping to consider and prioritize
vulnerabilities and adaptation strategies. CHNEP
has already provided the city with resources such
as diagrams showing alternative adaptation
strategies to help pursue grants. The plan was
approved by the City Council in November 2009.
Thus, CHNEP is the first Partner to have an
approved adaptation plan.
Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program
is working with the City of Satellite Beach, Florida, to
include goals and policies addressing sea level rise
in the city's Comprehensive Growth Management
.8 Plan. By proactively preparing for sea level rise and
J~ communicating key lessons learned, the city can
^ reduce its vulnerability, protect the Indian River Lagoon
J ecosystem, and help neighboring communities and
"o
£ other NEPs prepare effectively for sea level rise impacts.
The project has three components: assessment, policy development, and public outreach.
The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, a partner of the Long Island Sound Study,
has joined forces with ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability to prepare a coastal adaptation
plan for the town of Groton, Connecticut. Preparing a coastal adaptation plan for this northeastern
municipality will serve as a model for other local and regional initiatives. The main focus of this effort
will be facilitating workshops to engage representatives from federal, state, and municipal governments
to explore their roles in adaptation efforts and define strategies for maximum benefit. To this end, LISS
and ICLEI are convening three workshops to 1) orient appropriate stakeholders to adaptation planning
14
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and regional climate change impacts, 2) identify
vulnerabilities and appropriate adaptation efforts,
and 3) create a plan for implementation. The final
product of this work will be a local climate change
adaptation plan, to be presented to local officials
and to serve as a model for other communities
beyond Connecticut.
Climate Change Indicators and Monitoring
Building on a region-wide vulnerability assessment and an adaptation plan developed over the
past year for the City of Punta Gorda, Florida, CHNEP's primary objective is to develop a set of
climate change indicators relevant to coastal resources and a climate change monitoring plan. In
concert with similar work already underway by the Southwest Florida Regional Planning Council
and informed by CHNEP's Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan, these products
will help federal, state, regional, and local agencies plan for future climate change impacts to
coastal resources and communities. The project's main goals are to 1) identify potential climate
change indicators; 2) assess, select, and prioritize indicators; and 3) develop a draft climate change
monitoring plan based on the indicators.
LISS and partners are developing a bi-state sentinel monitoring strategy to monitor and predict climate
change impacts in Long Island Sound. This includes researching and cataloguing the drivers, predicted
indicators, and responses from climate change applicable to this estuary. Focus topics will include
what monitoring is occurring, what new monitoring and synthesis is necessary, and what prioritization
of indicators will make for an effective overarching monitoring strategy. The LISS work team will use
current research, including lessons learned from assessing climate change monitoring in other coastal
systems. Finally, the work team will facilitate communication between state-level work groups to reach
consensus on an adaptive monitoring strategy for the entire estuary. This strategic plan, which is the
output of this grant award, will lay the groundwork for a Sound-wide climate change monitoring
program on both a pilot and a comprehensive basis.
Model Ordinances
Recognizing that most land use decisions are made at the local level, and that it will be increasingly
important to factor climate change into these decisions, CHNEP is developing model ordinances for
use by counties and municipalities in land use planning. These ordinances will serve as a template on
which local planners can build when directing land use and infrastructure decisions in the future.
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Challenges and Next Steps: Where Is ORE Headed?
Based on guidance from the CRE Partners and other coastal managers on challenges they have faced
in developing and implementing adaptation strategies, CRE plans to explore options to respond to the
challenges presented below.
The Need for Direct Assistance Initiatives
Challenge: Some CRE Partners have requested technical teams to assist them with adaptation and
related work. For example, mapping, modeling, monitoring, and economic data are often very hard to
find, fund, or translate for local circumstances.
Nexf Steps: Expand Place-Based Support
• Provide additional CRE support to NEPs for development of an adaptation strategy, or direct
technical assistance to test tools and other innovative ideas to promote coastal climate change
adaptation.
• Explore the feasibility of short-term technical field teams to assist coastal communities.
Interpreting Climate Change Information and the Need for Resources
Challenge: Some CRE Partners have mentioned the difficulty of keeping up with the enormous
amount of climate change information and scientific research on coastal impacts. Similarly, promoting
adaptation efforts and pursuing funding opportunities can be complex tasks. Partners also mentioned
the need for adaptation-planning templates and model ordinances, which could be met through
technical transfer from other communities and institutions. Finally, there is no ongoing forum to
facilitate communication and coordination among Partners, or a way for them to tap into broader
networks of information.
Nexf Steps: Enhance Coastal Toolkit
• Create graphics for use in presentations by coastal partners. Graphics would explain vulnerabilities
to climate change faced by coasts, and highlight solutions others have employed.
• Develop a broad-based needs assessment methodology.
• Provide examples of local and international communities that exemplify coastal resilience, including
model ordinances, assessment and adaptation techniques, and other innovative approaches.
• Assemble a series of fact sheets and case studies to highlight lessons learned and allow for the
transfer of techniques and approaches that worked in one NEP to other interested partners.
• Create a portion of the Web site dedicated to information on funding opportunities.
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Nexf Steps: Communication Forum among NEPs/CRE
• Provide a broadly accessible and user-friendly means to exchange ideas, knowledge, resources, and
technical expertise. This will likely take the form of an interactive online web forum moderated by CRE
staff where documents can be posted and discussion groups can be formed and supported.
• Facilitate communications among the NEPs and CRE Partners through newsletters, listservs,
workshops, and outreach materials.
Nexf Steps: Data for Assessment and Monitoring
• Coordinate with the NEPs to develop a consistent approach for monitoring climate change,
perhaps in cooperation with NOAA, USGS, and other agencies. An initial step could include
developing a white paper on how a consistent set of indicators shared by all the NEPs could be
used to track climate change trends in coastal areas.
• Facilitate the sharing of data sources, sets, and/or methodologies; this effort could involve a wide
set of other agencies and organizations.
Nexf Steps: Workshops
• Convene a "mini-workshop," as part of the annual NEP meeting in February 2010 or as a separate
event, as a forum for NEPs to discuss the state of knowledge on climate change impacts in various
NEP estuaries. Opportunities for coalition-building and technology transfer could also be a part of
this discussion.
• Hold another CRE Partner Workshop in 2010, possibly with an expanded scope to include other
NEPs and the National Estuarine Research Reserve System (NERRS), related to monitoring for key
climate change parameters.
Federal Collaboration
Challenge: Many of the CRE Partners have identified challenges in working with federal agencies.
Some feel that CRE, as an EPA initiative, may have greater leverage in dealing with these issues at
the national level. CRE has started to engage in collaboration with NOAA, and will likely expand
this effort to include USGS, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), DOT, ACE, FWS, and
others. CRE plans to work with Partners to expand on their successful agency insights and contacts,
and share this information with other partners. Coordinating with other federal agencies could ensure
that those agencies' efforts and policies support adaptation planning as much as possible, and do not
hinder effective coastal adaptation activities.
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Nexf Steps: Improve Interagency Coordination
• Develop and implement a strategy for marketing CRE/NEP principles and approaches to other
agencies and help get the CRE Partners plugged into other agency initiatives.
• Participate in federal interagency interest groups to exchange ideas, tools, and resources, including
with NOAA, USGS, DOT, and FEMA.
• Explore holding a joint NEP/NERRS climate adaptation workshop.
Public Awareness/Outreach
Challenge: CRE Partners recognize that effective adaptation will require the interest and support of
all levels of stakeholders and government. CRE could identify opportunities and tools for improving
understanding of coastal adaptation to climate change. This could include tools that expand public
awareness and foster public buy-in about the risks of climate change and benefits of adaptive actions.
Nexf Steps: Develop Communication Resources
• Develop outreach materials or templates, including graphic materials, white papers, and
information products, for CRE Partners to use to expand public awareness on climate change and
coastal adaptation.
• Provide technical assistance to Partners in developing outreach and communication strategies and
materials appropriate for their audiences.
CLIMATE READY
ESTUARI ES
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CRE Partner Web Sites
Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program www.apnep.org
Barnegat Bay National Estuary Program www.bbep.org
Casco Bay Estuary Partnership www.cascobay.usm.maine.edu
Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program www.chnep.org
Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program www.sjrwmd.com/itsyourlagoon/index.html
Long Island Sound Study www.longislandsoundstudy.net
Massachusetts Bays Program www.massbays.org
Partnership for the Delaware Estuary www.delawareestuary.org
Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership www.prep.unh.edu
San Francisco Estuary Partnership sfep.abag.ca.gov
Tampa Bay Estuary Program www.tbep.org
For more information on CRE, please visit our Web site: www.epa.gov/cre
Program contacts:
Jeremy Martinich John Wilson
martinich.jeremy@epa.gov wilson.john@epa.gov
Climate Change Division Oceans and Coastal Protection Division
EPA Office of Air and Radiation EPA Office of Water
(202)343-9871 (202)566-1158
For inquiries from the media, please visitwww.epa.gov/newsroom/contact-us.htm
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fice of Air and Radiation
Office of Water
EPA 4'30-R-09-027
December 200.9
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