Planning for Sea Level Rise in San Juan County: Technical information and management strategies that support long-term protection of nearshore marine ecosystems
Presentation Abstract
Shoreline modification poses one of the most significant threats to the long-term health of shoreline ecosystems. Development pressures and sea level rise impacts are expected to increase demand for shoreline armoring across Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, limiting the effectiveness of recovery efforts for endangered salmon and orca whales. Current protection programs are not holding the line against ongoing incremental impacts to habitat and habitat forming processes. Resultant shorelines have a reduced resiliency to adapt to climate change impacts. Planning for sea level rise and cumulative effects are daunting management tasks that are frequently avoided as there is limited specific guidance available. A collaborative team of shoreline research and policy experts from local government, state and federal agencies, tribes and non-governmental organizations have developed new technical tools; analyzed existing regulations; surveyed planners, managers and decision makers and identified specific priority actions to improve effectiveness of current regulations and/or reform regulations. Project results including county scale inundation maps and erosion rate models; vulnerability assessment for property, infrastructure and structures; shoreline armoring habitat impact analysis; tidal elevation of surf smelt spawn study, a legal review of existing regulations and policies and associated management recommendations. Results are being applied to infrastructure, habitat and property protection planning in San Juan County Washington and disseminated across Puget Sound.
Session Title
Session S-04H: Technical Tools to Support Sea Level Rise Adaptation in the Salish Sea
Conference Track
Shorelines
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2014 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
Start Date
1-5-2014 5:00 PM
End Date
1-5-2014 6:30 PM
Location
Room 6C
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events)
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Sea level--Washington (State)--San Juan County; Coastal zone management--Washington (State)--San Juan County; Shorelines--Washington (State)--San Juan County; Climatic changes--Washington (State)--San Juan County; Marine ecosystem management--Washington (State)--San Juan County
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); San Juan County (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Planning for Sea Level Rise in San Juan County: Technical information and management strategies that support long-term protection of nearshore marine ecosystems
Room 6C
Shoreline modification poses one of the most significant threats to the long-term health of shoreline ecosystems. Development pressures and sea level rise impacts are expected to increase demand for shoreline armoring across Puget Sound and the Salish Sea, limiting the effectiveness of recovery efforts for endangered salmon and orca whales. Current protection programs are not holding the line against ongoing incremental impacts to habitat and habitat forming processes. Resultant shorelines have a reduced resiliency to adapt to climate change impacts. Planning for sea level rise and cumulative effects are daunting management tasks that are frequently avoided as there is limited specific guidance available. A collaborative team of shoreline research and policy experts from local government, state and federal agencies, tribes and non-governmental organizations have developed new technical tools; analyzed existing regulations; surveyed planners, managers and decision makers and identified specific priority actions to improve effectiveness of current regulations and/or reform regulations. Project results including county scale inundation maps and erosion rate models; vulnerability assessment for property, infrastructure and structures; shoreline armoring habitat impact analysis; tidal elevation of surf smelt spawn study, a legal review of existing regulations and policies and associated management recommendations. Results are being applied to infrastructure, habitat and property protection planning in San Juan County Washington and disseminated across Puget Sound.
