Rosenberg Institute Spring Seminar Series @ EOS Center

Can the San Francisco Bay use nature to adapt to rising seas?
Julie Beagle, Deputy Program Director, Environmental Scientist, San Francisco Estuary Institute & The Aquatic Science Center

Abstract: Over the past decade, California and the Bay Area have deeply invested in understanding our vulnerabilities to climate change and sea level rise. Tougher discussions emerge when we are forced to ask ourselves, “What should we do about it? How do we organize ourselves to adapt equitably, and how do we make sure we don't leave future generations with a Bay lined with concrete walls?” A critical tool for addressing this challenge is a science-based framework for developing adaptation strategies that are appropriate for the diverse shoreline of the Bay and that take advantage of natural processes, and provides guidance for using nature-based options. This talk will describe (1) the science behind a proposal to ask the Bay Area to plan using natural boundaries as opposed to traditional jurisdictions (2) provide examples of applications of the framework in several local and regional adaptation planning efforts throughout the Bay, and (3) discuss some of the challenges to implementing these solutions.

Bio: Julie Beagle has recently joined the San Francisco District of the Army Corps of Engineers as the Environmental Planning Team Lead, focusing on integrating nature-based approaches into large-scale Corps planning projects. Until the end of 2020, she was the San Francisco Estuary Institute’s Deputy Program Director of the Resilient Landscapes Program, and a lead scientist for the organization’s climate adaptation efforts. She has worked as a geomorphologist throughout the rivers and wetlands of California for the last 15 years, and has a masters degree in environmental planning from UC Berkeley.