Transforming Urban Water Initiative
From Gray to Green Shorelines
Wetland Migration Workshop
The Wetland Migration Workshop took place on September 18-19, 2023. The event was a hybrid meeting with in-person attendance at the Bay Area Metro Center. Recordings of the workshop presentations as well as the slide decks for presentations are available below.
Workshop Description
Many tidal wetland restoration projects are now incorporating wetland migration areas to provide space for wetlands to move upland as sea levels rise. Due to varying physical conditions, community needs and permitting challenges, these projects can take many shapes. This two-day workshop aimed to advance the implementation of all types of wetland migration zones in the San Francisco Estuary by bringing together restoration practitioners, including planners, funders, community-based and Tribal group members, ecologists, engineers, and regulators.
The workshop covered a broad spectrum of wetland migration project considerations – from community engagement to design, construction, and monitoring. In recent years, many wetland migration projects in the San Francisco Estuary have progressed into the planning and implementation stage. Special attention was given to wetland migration zones that have either been permitted or completed to highlight successes and failures of on-the-ground projects. Some of the key topics covered included:
- Lessons learned on design and engineering advances, including highlighting process successes and challenges
- Permitting approaches and current efforts to address permitting challenges
- Habitat benefits and emerging restoration techniques
- Monitoring of nature-based, wetland migration zones in tidal wetland restoration projects
- Incorporating local communities and tribes when developing, implementing, and monitoring broader transition zone projects
- Engaging the next generation of leaders on innovative climate adaptation and habitat projects
Workshop Organizing Committee: Heidi Nutters (San Francisco Estuary Partnership), Evyan Borgnis Sloane (CA State Coastal Conservancy), Jessie Olson (Save The Bay), and Will Geiken (San Francisco Estuary Partnership/CA Sea Grant)
Click the link to the right to open the complete workshop program:
Presentation Recordings and Slides
Presentation recordings are available on SFEP’s YouTube Channel.
Design and Engineering Session
Design and Engineering Advances to Support Nature-Based Adaptation – Steve Carroll (Ducks Unlimited)
T-Zone Design is Context Specific: Lessons from Two South Bay Flood Risk Management Levee Projects – Gavin Archbald (H.T. Harvey & Associates)
Designing Nature-Based “Migration” Projects in Face of Uncertainties – Stuart Siegel (SF Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve)
Restoration Techniques Session
Aim for a Moving Target: Adapting Tidal Restoration Methods and Materials for Rapidly Shifting Shores of the San Francisco Estuary – Peter Baye (Baye Environmental Consulting)
Large-Scale, Low-Cost Native Plant Propagation for Transition-Zone Habitat Restoration in the San Francisco Bay – Jesse McKeen-Scott (Save The Bay)
Enhancing Restored Marsh-Upland Transition Zones: Examples from SF Estuary Invasive Spartina Project – Jeanne Hammond (Olofson Environmental Inc.)
Implementation Pathways Session
Implementation Pathways: Planning Drivers and Regulatory Context – Sahrye Cohen (U.S. Environmental Protection Agency)
Identifying Transition Zone Connection Opportunities – Ellen Plane (SF Estuary Institute)
Advancing Nature-Based Shoreline Solutions: Regional to Local Initiatives – Heidi Nutters (SF Estuary Partnership)
Wetland Monitoring Session
Communities Restoring the Wetland Edge – Julian Wood and Josh Nuzzo (Point Blue)
A Case for Monitoring the Salt Marsh Harvest Mouse – Katie Smith (WRA Environmental Consultants)
WRMP: Monitoring Change to Advance Regional Adaptation – Caitlin Crain (SF Estuary Institute)
Community Engagement Session
People & Wetlands: Key Themes from Developing Human Dimensions & Equity Indicators for Wetland Monitoring – Alex Thomsen (SF Estuary Partnership)
Funding Community Engagement – Linda Tong (State Coastal Conservancy/SF Bay Restoration Authority)
Connecting Communities to Salt Marsh Habitat – Violet Wulf-Saena (Climate Resilient Communities) and Barbara Camacho Garcia (Grassroots Ecology)
Vision for the Future Session
Estuary Youth Council – Diana Fu (SF Estuary Partnership)
Building a Living Shoreline in Bayview’s Heron’s Head Park: Through Community Stewardship, Youth Education, and Workforce Development – Nina Omomo (Literacy for Environmental Justice)
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