About the Project

In many parts of coastal California, sea level rise, especially when coupled with significant storm events, threatens low-lying coastal roads with flooding. Rising seas also threaten tidal marshes, causing them to drown when the supply of new sediment is too low, and the marshes cannot shift higher up the shore fast enough. Moreover, coastal roads often disconnect sections of marsh, and create barriers to the shoreward migration of this important habitat, squeezing it between rising waters and our transportation infrastructure. These interactions create special adaptation-planning challenges, calling for integrated approaches for addressing the intertwined transportation and habitat restoration needs. In response to this need, this science transfer project brought together the three California reserves for a series of site visits, discussions of planning challenges and potential pathways to addressing them, and a trip to the state capitol to meet with agencies and legislative offices with jurisdiction over natural resource and transportation policy.

About this Resource

Grant Lyon moderates a discussion among team members with the project "Resilient Roads and Reserves: Opportunities for Improving Habitat and Access in California," a science transfer project funded in 2021 by the NERRS Science Collaborative.