Building resilience along a coastline requires profound collaboration between jurisdictions, landowners, residents, and more. The south coast of the Santa Barbara region is no exception—there is a complex web of actors who must be engaged and empowered to contribute to more resilient natural and human landscapes.
Today, there are multiple projects seeking to address coastal resilience and other challenges in the region, including the Goleta Slough Coastal Resilience Project Acceleration, the BeachSMART Regional Sediment Management Project, the UCSB Shoreline Adaptation Project, the County of Santa Barbara Climate Change Adaptation Plan, and the Santa Barbara Airport Climate Adaptation Plan. The project goals are varied, spanning from elevating a pipeline of prioritized resilience projects to exploring opportunities to reuse sediment, adapting infrastructure to sea level rise and coastal erosion, and more. Together, the project teams are seeking to model a collaborative approach, sharing learnings and building on one another’s efforts to get more out of the work. In addition to working more collaboratively across projects. These efforts also seek to engage meaningfully with the community to hear their perspective on climate challenges and integrate what the community prioritizes into the ultimate vision for the region.
This presentation will introduce these projects, identify the challenges and opportunities within the built and natural environments that the projects are responding to, and highlight the geographic and tactical synergies between the efforts. This overview will be followed by an interactive activity that will engage the audience in visioning for the region and give them the opportunity to provide perspective and feedback to inform the direction of the projects.
Speakers
Andrew Raaf, Environmental Manager, Santa Barbara County Flood Control District
Andrew Raaf is the Environmental Manager for the Santa Barbara County Flood Control District, having served the County since 2009. His career milestones include steelhead trout dam-removal projects, community recovery after wildfire and debris flow, and managing several regional environmental programs. Andrew’s career and training involve wildlife biology, water resources, and natural resources throughout the US. He is a graduate of UC Santa Barbara’s Bren School and Kansas State University.
Andrew Salkin, Founding Principal, Resilient Cities Catalyst
Andrew Salkin is a Founding Principal of Resilient Cities Catalyst, leading RCC’s work connecting Cities and the Private sector to spur innovation and financing to ensure resilient initiatives actually happen. Andrew has over 25 years of experience working in and with cities. He is an urban innovator who specializes in inspiring city officials to proactively transform business as usual to achieve higher impact and more resilient outcomes. He is an expert in leveraging available budgets, public administration, and governance to drive transformation.
Dr. Charles Lester, Director, Ocean and Coastal Policy Center
Dr. Charles Lester is the director of the Ocean and Coastal Policy Center in the Marine Science Institute at UC Santa Barbara, where he researches, writes, and advises about sea level rise, coastal resilience, and other aspects of coastal law, policy, and management. Charles previously worked for the State of California and the California Coastal Commission for twenty years, including serving as the agency’s fourth executive director from 2011 to 2016. Charles has expertise in integrated coastal management and California coastal law and policy. He has extensive experience in California, including managing and directing coastal planning
and regulatory projects for the Coastal Commission. In 2015, he led the agency's completion of California's first comprehensive land use guidance for addressing sea level rise and coastal protection on the outer coast.
Jessica Metzger, AICP, Airport Planner, Santa Barbara Airport
Jessica Metzger is the Airport Planner for the Santa Barbara Airport. She has over eighteen years of experience in the planning field and eleven years of project management experience. She has worked for both private and public entities in various planning areas, including redevelopment, long-range planning, development review, and environmental planning. She has been with the Santa Barbara Airport for three years and is currently leading the Airport’s Climate Adaptation Plan process.
Hannah Thomas, Planner, Planning and Development Department - Long Range Planning Division, County of Santa Barbara
Hannah Thomas is a Senior Planner for the County of Santa Barbara Planning and
Development Department- Long Range Planning Division. She has five years of experience in the planning field, working in the private sector and local government. She is the manager of the County’s Safety Element update, which includes efforts on an Evacuation Traffic Modeling Study, a Climate Change Adaptation Plan, and coastal resilience projects. Hannah has expertise in the California Environmental Quality Act, disaster communications, urban planning, and climate adaptation pathways. She is a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Erasmus University’s Institute of Housing and Urban Development.