Sea-level rise is an issue of growing importance. The Pacific Ocean along Marin County’s coast has risen eight inches since recordkeeping began, and the best science available says it will rise substantially more in coming years. But we know there was another important issue on many minds the past few days. Two of three public workshops designed to engage the public – scheduled many weeks ago – coincided with the final two games of the World Series. But there is a third chance to learn about sea-level rise for happy San Francisco Giants fans. It’s tonight, Thursday, October 30, from 6-8 p.m. at Tomales Town Hall, 27150 Highway One. With an eye on adapting to climate change, The C-SMART project (Collaboration –Sea level Marin Adaptation Response Team) is holding a third workshop in coastal Marin to get information and feedback from the public about critical public and private facilities and other resources that may could be at risk. The aim is to bring communities together to better understand the nature and risks of sea-level rise and associated storms and erosion. Participants will collaborate on articulating the values, resources and assets that could be vulnerable to rising seas. To help inspire this discussion, attendees are invited to bring photos of the things that make Marin’s coast a special place. Maps of potential future scenarios will be displayed to give participants the opportunity to pinpoint and map important features of their communities that could be exposed to increased flooding and inundation as storms increase in frequency and intensity and ocean levels rise as a result of climate change. Background about the science behind the work and the overall project scope was presented at C-SMART’s first public workshop in July and can be viewed on a video of the meeting at MarinSLR.org, where people can subscribe to receive e-mailed updates and find a additional information. Marin’s coastline has been the epicenter of advanced studies on sea-level rise, and the C-SMART program is building on that work. Partners include the County of Marin’s Local Coastal Program (LCP), Department of Public Works, Office of Emergency Services, the County Counsel’s office, the Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. National Park Service, Point Blue Conservation Science, the Federal Emergency Management Administration and the Coravai research and consulting firm. The project will evaluate the potential risks to homes, businesses, public facilities – including Highway 1 – as well as coastal resources such as shoreline wetlands, beaches and recreational areas that could be subject to inundation and damage from extreme storm events. “Marin coast is a perfect testing laboratory for grappling with sea-level rise and related climate change issues,” County Planning Manager Jack Liebster who leads the program. “Its diverse biological resources, varied topography and highly susceptible human habitation present challenges that will need to be faced all along the California coast. By starting now, we will have a better understanding of our options and more time to prepare in a well thought out and less costly way.” Funding support of $254,000 has been received from two state agencies, the Ocean Protection Council ($200K) and the Coastal Commission ($54K) These voter-approved funds will assist coastal communities in preparing for a changing climate, California Natural Resources Secretary John Laird said in an OPC release. #SLR #SeaLevelRise #WestMarin #TomalesCA #GlobalWarming
Posted on: Thu, 30 Oct 2014 20:27:32 +0000