San Diego Organizations Receive Landmark Federal Funding to Help Prepare Local Communities for Coastal Storms & Flooding
February 4, 2016
The San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative and project partners, the Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR) and the Climate Science Alliance- South Coast, secured an extremely competitive National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grant for $689,500. The project is one of only six grants awarded out of a pool of 150 national proposals, and is the first West Coast project to receive funding from this landmark federal program addressing coastal climate hazards.
“Our success in securing this funding is due in large part to the valuable partnerships that our organizations have with San Diego cities, scientists, and non-profits,” states Laura Engeman, Manager of the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative. “No one organization or community is single-handedly capable of warding off the potential threats of storms, waves, and coastal flooding, so we are finding ways to combine our collective resources to protect our region.” Matching project funds are being provided by the cities of Carlsbad and Del Mar, and The San Diego Foundation.
This funding will assist coastal cities currently working to address coastal flooding and sea level rise vulnerabilities (Carlsbad, Del Mar, Imperial Beach) by bringing in scientific, legal, and economic expertise. “By leveraging the unique expertise we have in this region, we can collectively develop innovative and creative solutions to safeguard our communities and natural places from climate impacts,” says Amber Pairis, Director of the Climate Science Alliance.
Another component of the project will focus on how natural coastal habitats can be used to help protect the places where we live, work, and play from coastal flooding and extreme storms. Danielle Boudreau, Coastal Management Specialist (Coastal Training Program) with the Tijuana River NERR, states that “Natural habitats, such as wetlands and dunes, not only serve to protect wildlife but these systems mitigate the impacts of rising tides, waves, and shoreline erosion to our coastal communities.”
The NOAA award provides national recognition of the value of our region’s shoreline and coast. It’s an unparalleled opportunity for San Diego to highlight its role as a national leader in proactively protecting our residents, businesses, and natural habitats in the face of increasing climatic extremes and changes.
About the Lead Organizations
- San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative: A network in the San Diego region supporting public agencies with advancing climate change planning. SDRCC partners with academia, non-profits, and businesses to demonstrate regional leadership and share expertise, leverage resources, and advance comprehensive solutions. www.sdclimatecollaborative.org
- Climate Science Alliance- South Coast: A multi-organization partnership formed to create and support a network of leaders, scientists, and natural resource managers focused on sharing ecosystem-based resiliency approaches to safeguard our communities and natural resources from climate change risks. The alliance was established through a partnership between the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative. http://www.climatesciencealliance.org/
- Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve (TRNERR): Located on the US-Mexico border between San Diego and Tijuana, TRNERR is part of a national network of 28 protected areas established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct research, monitoring, restoration, education, and training. The Reserve works to improve our understanding and management of estuaries and coasts through a partnership between NOAA, California State Parks, U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, and Southwest Wetlands Interpretive Association. http://trnerr.org/
For more information contact Dani Boudreau at dboudreau(at)trnerrtest.wpengine.com or visit the NOAA grant notification website at https://coast.noaa.gov/resilience-grant/projects/