Lessons
            f^m the CLIMATE READY
            ESTUARIES PROGRAM
SOUTHEASTERN US CLIMATE READY ESTUARIES

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Climate Ready Estuaries
in the Southeastern  U.S.

EPA's Climate Ready Estuaries
works with the National Estuary
Programs  and the coastal
management community
to: (1) assess climate change
vulnerabilities, (2) develop and
implement adaptation strategies,
and (3) engage and educate
stakeholders. CRE shares NEP
examples to help other coastal
managers  and provides technical
guidance and assistance about
climate change adaptation.

Since 2008, CRE has worked
with the NEPs in the Southeast
on a variety of local projects
to better prepare them, and
the communities in which they
operate, for climate change.
This document shares some of
the lessons learned from these
CRE climate projects. Additional
information about the projects is
available on CRE's website
(www.epa.gov/cre).
Front cover photo courtesy of:
Mary Lundeberg
Photo at top of page 2 and 3 courtesy of:
Mary Margaret Bailey
Photo at bottom of page 2 courtesy of:
Get the  public involved
Community members have a unique perspective on the place where
they live. Helping them to understand how climate change may affect
their varying interests and concerns will be important and can inform
their input on adaptation strategies.

• The Tampa Bay Estuary Program uses king tides to communicate about
  sea level rise. King tides are the highest tides of the year in a coastal area
  and can cause tidal flooding. TBEP has been asking the public to take
  photos of king tides to document what sea level rise could be like in the
  future. In 2012, TBEP and the Sarasota Bay Estuary Program teamed up
  to hold a king tide photo contest. The winning photos were featured in a
  traveling exhibit.

• The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program reached out to
  increase public and local government awareness of climate change in
  five counties of the Albemarle-Pamlico region. Public opinion surveys
  and targeted interviews were used to design county-specific climate
  change communication strategies for meetings with community leaders.
  This led to constructive and practical discussion of climate change in the
  Albemarle-Pamlico region.

• Sarasota Bay Estuary Program in collaboration with Mote Marine
  Laboratory's Marine Policy Institute developed  Tips for Sea Level Rise
  Adaptation Planning, a communication guide for local community leaders,
  planners, resource managers and concerned individuals that provides
  basic considerations and tools for climate-related planning of sea level
  rise. The focus is on adaptation for the impacts of sea level rise so that
  critical human systems (communities, economies, culture) and natural
  systems (wetlands, coastal ecosystems, fisheries) can continue to function
  effectively and become resilient in the face of climate change.
    «.
Nancy Laurson

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Geospatial tools and visualizations
help to clarify  problems
CIS, Lidar, digital elevation models and bathymetry
can be integrated in creative ways to identify climate
change risks and responses.

• Indian River Lagoon National Estuary Program used Lidar
  elevation data from Brevard County for a study of sea
  level rise impacts in Satellite Beach, Fla. The vulnerability
  of municipal infrastructure, residential housing and
  hurricane evacuation routes was shown when  sea level
  rise scenarios were integrated with the elevation data.

• Sarasota Bay
  Estuary Program,
  in collaboration
  with Mote Marine
  Laboratory,
  created a Sea
  Level rise web
  map visualization
  tool that shows how different levels of water due to sea
  level rise and storm surge will impact areas in  Sarasota
  and Manatee Counties. This tool (available at: http://
  sarasotabay.org/slr-web-map/) will support planning
  efforts in these coastal communities by showing which
  lands are vulnerable to sea-level rise.

• Restoration of the Indian River Lagoon depends on the
  continued existence of seagrass habitat. Sea level rise
  will  affect seagrasses because they need to be in shallow
  water that sunlight can penetrate. The Indian River
  Lagoon National Estuary Program began a project using
  GIS data for a  model to emulate sea level rise  effects.
  The decision support results from this project will guide
  them to select the best strategies for improving water
  quality and help with the implementation of TMDLs in
  the future.
Partnerships magnify everyone's
capabilities
Working with others who have similar goals or work
in similar places produces better outcomes. Partners
can extend program reach and help to get more
done toward common goals.

• The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program and its
  host agency, the Southwest Florida Regional Planning
  Council, assisted the City of Punta Gorda to develop
  and approve the first small coastal city climate change
  adaptation plan in the country. Since its approval in late
  2009, the  City has implemented many of the adaptation
  priorities through its comprehensive plan update
  process, city ordinances and capital improvements. Lee
  County built on this work by developing a resiliency
  strategy, improving county governance and operations
  toward climate change resiliency.

• Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is working with the
  Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, the Town
  of Dauphin Island, the Dauphin Island Water and Sewer
  Authority, and the Dauphin Island Park and Beach Board
  to improve Dauphin Island's ability to adapt to climate
  change. The collaboration is helping to identify climate
  change impacts to  the natural and built environments.
  They will complete a climate change risk assessment in
  order to provide recommendations for addressing the
  identified vulnerabilities.

• Mobile Bay National Estuary Program is working with
  low income and environmental justice communities
  in the lower Three Mile Creek watershed that are
  particularly vulnerable to increased stormwater runoff,
  nonpoint source pollution, and sea level rise. The project
  is working to foster more community engagement in
  watershed management and adaptation planning. They
  aim to increase the community's understanding of how
  climate change will impact the population, water quality
  and ecological integrity of the watershed.

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        Decision support tools  lead to understanding and better solutions
 Guidance and examples of how to take information and make good decisions go a long way. Conceptual
models, expert systems and comp//at/ons of best practices are great resources that help focus thinking and
improve outcomes.
  The Tampa Bay Estuary Program, in cooperation with Gulf
  of Mexico NEPs, National Estuarine Research Reserves,
  and other coastal restoration groups, developed a "Gulf
  Coast Community Handbook." The guide demonstrates
  how to incorporate climate change resiliency into habitat
  restoration and protection plans. It has case studies in the
  Gulf of Mexico region which can help coastal managers
  as they seek to design and construct habitat restoration
  projects that are resilient to climate change.

  Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program developed
  conceptual ecological models (CEMs) of its region to
  display the dynamics and interactions of climate change.
  CEMs illustrate the relationship of drivers, stressors and
  ecological effects. CEMs organize thought in a visual way,
  identify important linkages, provide a strategy for research
and communicate complex ideas to citizens and decision-
makers. Managers use CEMs to crystallize large amounts
of science and place project decisions into context.
Representative attributes of the ecological effects are
then tied to specific measures. At the top of the hierarchy,
climate change drivers included air temperature, rainfall,
sea level rise, storm intensity and land use practice.

The Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Program worked
with the EPA Climate Ready Water Utilities program to use
the Climate Resilience Evaluation & Awareness Tool. The
GREAT software guides drinking water and wastewater
utility owners and operators to understand their climate
change risks and helps them to identify potential
adaptation options for their situation.
           CLIMATE READY
                   ESTUARI ES
            www.e pa .g ov/cre
                 EPA 842-F-14-001
                   MARCH 2014

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