Adaptation Planning for the Bay Point Operational Landscape Unit

San Francisco Estuary Institute (SFEI) | April 15th, 2022

This document is not a vision or an adaptation plan, but rather is meant to catalyze discussion and offer resources around nature-based opportunities for SLR adaptation a

This document is not a vision or an adaptation plan, but rather is meant to catalyze discussion and offer resources around nature-based opportunities for SLR adaptation along Bay Point’s shoreline. The engagement and leadership of community-based stakeholders is key to the success of any adaptation planning effort, especially around issues as long-term and far-reaching as SLR and associated storm and tidal flooding. Without transparency and intentional community engagement throughout the planning process, opportunities for creative solutions will surely be missed and might lead to new problems or exacerbate existing ones disproportionately felt by low-income communities and communities of color. At the time this memo was written, there was not an active SLR adaptation working group or equivalent effort happening along the Bay Point shoreline. Consequently, the intent of this memo is to offer useful resources and ideas to support meaningful dialogue among stakeholders about shoreline adaptation planning. The Bay Point OLU study area is a mix of open space and developed areas at the mouth of the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers, where the Delta meets the San Francisco Bay. The Bay Point OLU comprises unincorporated land known as Bay Point, a census-designated place within ContraCosta County, the City of Pittsburg, the spheres of influence of Pittsburg and Concord, and District V of Contra Costa County (Figure 2). Chapter 2 examines how Bay Point’s landscape has changed over time and Chapter 3 summarizes some of the vulnerability studies, habitat goals, and adaptation plans that have been developed for the study area. Chapter 4 offers more in-depth descriptions of the Bay Point OLU along with detailed maps that can be used to kick start SLR adaptation planning with a stakeholder working group along this reach of shoreline. Chapter 5 concludes with conceptual ideas that may be appropriate for different reaches of the shoreline, as a menu of possibilities to be further developed through a stakeholder process. Chapter 6 suggests ideas on next steps needed to move this work forward and offers a list of potential stakeholders as a starting place towards an adaptation working group to identify, evaluate, and prioritize adaptation strategies to manage flood risks along Bay Point’s shoreline.

Benefit Accounting of Nature-Based Solutions for Watersheds

Pacific Institute | March 1st, 2021

Nature-based solutions (NBS) have the potential to combat pressing global problems, including climate change, water security and biodiversity loss. This guide builds on

Nature-based solutions (NBS) have the potential to combat pressing global problems, including climate change, water security and biodiversity loss. This guide builds on Benefit Accounting of Nature-Based Solutions for Watersheds Landscape Assessment (Shiao et al., 2020), which highlights the barriers for businesses to implement NBS at a large scale. The primary challenge for corporations is that there is no standardized method to identify, estimate and monitor the benefits that NBS can provide, making it hard to build the case for investments in these solutions.

Benefit Accounting of Nature-Based Solutions for Watersheds Guide - Version 2

Pacific Institute | August 23rd, 2023

This guide helps users account for and measure the stacked water,1 carbon, biodiversity and socio-economic benefits of a Nature-Based Solution NBS project. Accounting for

This guide helps users account for and measure the stacked water,1 carbon, biodiversity and socio-economic benefits of a Nature-Based Solution NBS project. Accounting for these benefits will improve a company’s impact reporting and help build the business case for green solutions, thereby supporting widespread investment, implementation and upscaling of NBS. This work will increase awareness of the value of NBS, not only for ecosystem health and community development, but also for companies directly.

Department of the Interior Nature-Based Solutions Roadmap

Nicholas Institute for Energy, Environment & Sustainability (Duke University) | December 1st, 2023

Estuary News, March 2023

San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) | March 15th, 2023

In this special Almanac of Restoration, Estuary News celebrates restoration in all its forms and samples projects of every kind. We start high up in the watersheds with r

In this special Almanac of Restoration, Estuary News celebrates restoration in all its forms and samples projects of every kind. We start high up in the watersheds with rivers, lakes and creeks, move into the Delta, and then explore San Francisco Bay. We look for results: did the birds and fish come back? And we delve deep into some of the latest iterations of restoration: centering equity in access to open space; combining flood control with habitat creation in multi-benefit projects; responding to sea level rise with nature-based solutions.

Opportunities to Accelerate Nature-Based Solutions: A Roadmap for Climate Progress, Thriving Nature, Equity, and Prosperity

White House Domestic Climate Policy Office | November 30th, 2022

Scaling protection and restoration of natural infrastructure to reduce flood impacts and enhance resilience

Shore & Beach (American Shore and Beach Preservation Association) | January 10th, 2020

Restoring natural infrastructure offers much promise as a means to reduce both flood hazard and exposure to complement and supplement other flood damage reduction strat

Restoring natural infrastructure offers much promise as a means to reduce both flood hazard and exposure to complement and supplement other flood damage reduction strategies. Interest increased in flood risk reduction methods using natural and nature-based features, in part, because of increased recognition that such could provide both flood risk reduction and other benefits, such as water quality uplift, community recreational space, and fish and wildlife habitat. Recent flood disasters and the rising costs of disaster response and recovery have triggered policy shifts toward economically efficient investments that enhance greater community resilience. While natural infrastructure is becoming more widely recognized as a tactic for building community and ecological resilience to erosion and flooding, it remains underutilized. Actions to aid consideration of natural infrastructure and scale up its use are presented.

Stakeholder Engagement Guide For Nature-Based Solutions

Pacific Institute | November 14th, 2022

Effective stakeholder engagement is paramount to the long-term success of any nature-based solutions (NBS) project. Drawing from a range of expert sources, this guide off

Effective stakeholder engagement is paramount to the long-term success of any nature-based solutions (NBS) project. Drawing from a range of expert sources, this guide offers accessible and clear guidelines for broad stakeholder engagement, highlighting the diverse global contexts of NBS and identifying key principles and practical steps for incorporating stakeholders into projects. This guide aims to promote inclusive, equitable and even reciprocal relationships for the benefit of both the organizations investing in NBS and the stakeholders and communities who have a role to play or are impacted by an NBS project. This guide can be used to support greater community buy-in for NBS projects, the integration of local knowledge into all stages of an NBS project and organizational efforts to operate from a human rights-based approach, as well as enable local communities potentially most impacted by an NBS project to be part of the decision-making process. This inclusion and integration can afford NBS projects a greater chance of success and sustainability. This guide takes a pragmatic approach to stakeholder engagement by presenting general principles and best practices that should be considered throughout all stages of an NBS project, as well as outlining specific steps for incorporating stakeholder engagement throughout NBS project stages. The identified principles and best practices include engaging a diverse range of stakeholders; building long-term relationships and trust; communicating with empathy; prioritizing transparency and accountability; co-creating rather than imposing; recognizing mutual benefits; removing barriers to engagement; formalizing relationships; ensuring adequate financial support; and appointing well-trained, knowledgeable facilitators. NBS project stages, and subsequent steps for stakeholder engagement, are outlined on the next page. Note that each NBS project is unique, with varying locations, activities, and involved players. Even though the guide is structured around specific NBS project stages and steps, the way that a specific project carries forward stakeholder engagement is likely to vary.

State of the Estuary 2019 Update

San Francisco Estuary Partnership (SFEP) | October 22nd, 2019

The San Francisco Estuary is a large and diverse system. Hundreds of miles of coastline stretch from the wide valleys of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers to the stee

The San Francisco Estuary is a large and diverse system. Hundreds of miles of coastline stretch from the wide valleys of the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers to the steep headlands of the Golden Gate, with vast agricultural fields in the Delta and urbanized shorelines in Silicon Valley and many of the region’s cities. The complexity and scale of this system means it can take years to detect and assess changes. This interim State of the Estuary Report checks in on a few indicators of health and explores where the assessment should head over time. In the four years since the 2015 State of the Estuary Report, two issues have emerged as critical to how we assess the health of the estuarine ecosystem at the heart of the Bay Area and the Delta. First, the health of the Estuary and of the people who live near it and depend on it are inextricably linked. We need a healthy Bay and Delta to protect our shorelines from sea level rise, help keep our waters clean, provide food and habitat for fish and wildlife, and give people a place to enjoy nature. We also need to think more about human communities as we assess the health of natural communities. This focus means addressing environmental injustices that are deeply embedded in our culture and patterns of development. The second critical issue to emerge is the need for a greater focus on landscape resilience—how well the Bay and the Delta are equipped to respond to change—so that people and wildlife can thrive as climate change progresses. Taking these two ideas together, this report focuses on the nexus of social and ecological resilience as we look toward the future. The first section of the Report updates indicators of ecological health that span the entire extent of the San Francisco Estuary (Bay and Delta). Recent data show continued progress along the trajectories of the past decade. Tidal marsh restoration is proceeding at a brisk pace in the Bay and gaining traction in the Delta, while urban water conservation continues to meet mandated benchmarks, even during the drought. On the other hand, flows through the Estuary and across its floodplains continue to be well below levels that could increase and restore ecosystem health. Freshwater flows are a lynchpin of ecosystem processes that sustain physical habitats, fuel the food web, and regulate water quality. Creative approaches to using and re-using fresh water for environmental purposes are needed. Long-term trend analysis shows that fish communities in the Bay are declining. This analysis scores an index of 10 attributes of a healthy fish community. The index focuses on fish in offshore areas, and may not capture benefits to fish from near-shore wetland restoration projects. Despite this slow decline, fish communities in the saltier parts of the Estuary remain in good condition, while those in the brackish and freshwater areas are in poor condition. The next section of the report discusses three emerging indicators of Estuary health, offering options for how to assess resilience in future reports. Here, for the first time, the resilience of the Estuary’s shores is evaluated through the lens of subsidence and nature-based features. Elevation relative to sea level is a basic currency that must be tracked as the Pacific Ocean rises into the Estuary. The potential for the Estuary shore to be resilient to climate change and continue to provide benefits to people is related to how much of the shore zone is nature-based. The final emerging indicator, urban green space, is a first attempt to assess how access to nature is distributed across more and less advantaged communities. More work is needed to finalize all these emerging indicators before they can be included in any future quantitative assessment of the State of the Estuary. These emerging and updated indicators will help focus efforts to restore the Estuary’s health. In addition to continuing the successful aspects of restoration and conservation that this report describes, we need more investment in creative ways to use and restore flows for environmental health, to expand and build resilient shorelines and to weave considerations of social equity more strongly into efforts to improve environmental health. - J. Letitia Grenier, Lead Scientist

Valuing Urban Nature – Implications for Flood Resilience

Stanford University | June 3rd, 2019

Sea-level rise and extreme weather events such as torrential rain storms are having devastating consequences in the United States and globally. Researchers, prac

Sea-level rise and extreme weather events such as torrential rain storms are having devastating consequences in the United States and globally. Researchers, practitioners, and policymakers are increasingly calling for the use of natural and nature-based approaches to protect urban areas from flooding which has increased in frequency and intensity as a result. Natural features can help stabilize shorelines and protect communities from river flooding while, providing other co- benefits for people and ecosystems. In a new study, scientists at the Natural Capital Project developed a framework for valuating urban nature and examined different factors cities must consider when making infrastructure and other investment choices. This brief is part of a series based on that research which looks at nature’s abilityto provide resilience to flooding and the various co-benefits associated with nature-based solutions.