Climate-Smart Adaptation for the North- central California Coast and Ocean Focal Resources Workshop Summary February 11, 2014 San Francisco, California PLANNING COMMITTEE Ben Becker, Point Reyes National Seashore Rebecca Fris, California Landscape Conservation Cooperative Andy Gunther, Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change Consortium Lara Hansen, EcoAdapt Daphne Hatch, Golden Gate National Recreation Area Kelley Higgason, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Sara Hutto, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Jessi Kershner, EcoAdapt Debra Schlaffman, California Landscape Conservation Cooperative Sam Veloz, Point Blue Conservation Science FACILITATORS Ben Becker, Point Reyes National Seashore Rebecca Fris, California Landscape Conservation Cooperative Lara Hansen, EcoAdapt Kelley Higgason, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary REPORT PREPARATION Sara Hutto, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Kelley Higgason, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary SPONSORS California Academy of Sciences California Landscape Conservation Cooperative Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Golden Gate National Parks Conservancy Cover Photos: (left) Brandt’s Cormorant: Jason Thompson/Beach Watch; (center) North‐central California Coast: GFNMS/Beach Watch; (right) California hydrocoral: Steve Lonhart, MBNMS TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction………..………………………………………………...…………….………….1 Goals and Objectives…………….……….……………….……………………..………….1 Workshop Structure…………..…………..………………………………..…..…………..1 Presentation Summaries 1) Introduction………..…...…….………………………………….……………1 2) Pre‐workshop Survey Results………………………………………….1 3) Vulnerability Assessments………………………………….……………2 Break‐out Group Summaries....…...…...…………………………………………….....2 Identified Information Needs and Resources………………….………………...2 Final Focal Resources………………………………………………………………………3 Next Steps……………………………………………………………………………………….4 Appendix A: Workshop Agenda…………………………………………….………….5 Appendix B: Workshop Participants…………………..……………………………..6 Appendix C: Pre‐workshop Survey Data…..…………………….………………….7 Appendix D: Recommended Focal Resources…………………………………..12 Appendix E: Final Focal Resources…………………………………………………15 Climate-Smart Adaptation: Focal Resources Workshop INTRODUCTION Produce a recommended list of focal resources through breakout group exercises and large On February 11, 2014, Gulf of the Farallones group discussion. National Marine Sanctuary, along with project Understand the purpose of Workshop 2: Vulnerability Assessment and the process of partners Bay Area Ecosystems Climate Change vulnerability assessments. Consortium, California Academy of Sciences, Determine information needs and available California Landscape Conservation Cooperative, resources for Workshop 2. EcoAdapt, Farallones Marine Sanctuary Association, Golden Gate National Recreation Area, National Park Service Pacific West Region, Point WORKSHOP STRUCTURE Blue Conservation Science, and Point Reyes National Seashore, held the first of a 2‐part The majority of the workshop was spent in break‐ workshop series to develop climate change out groups to discuss and develop consensus vulnerability assessments for a set of North‐central recommendations for species, habitats and California coast and ocean species, habitats, and ecosystem services for inclusion in the ecosystem services (termed focal resources). vulnerability assessments. Brief presentations were given to provide a project and workshop This workshop series is the first phase of the overview, summary of pre‐workshop survey data, project, Climate‐Smart Adaptation for the North‐ and an introduction to the second workshop on central California Coast and Ocean, a collaborative vulnerability assessments. effort to develop adaptive management actions for the sanctuary, and other natural resource management agencies, to take in response to, and in preparation for, climate change impacts. PRESENTATION SUMMARIES Introduction and Overview GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Sara Hutto, Ocean Climate Initiative Specialist, Gulf of the Farallones National Marine The project goal is to protect and maintain healthy Sanctuary ecosystems of the north‐central California coast Sara Hutto provided an introduction to the Ocean and ocean by enhancing the resilience of species, Climate Initiative at Gulf of the Farallones National habitats and ecosystem services to the impacts of climate change through collaboratively developed Marine Sanctuary, and an overview of the Climate‐ adaptive management solutions that are feasible, Smart Adaptation project. She provided a effective, and nature‐based. description and local examples of climate‐smart adaptation, and described the project and The goal of the Focal Resources Workshop was to workshop goals and objectives, as well as logistics finalize a list of North‐central California coast and for the day. Her presentation is available at: ocean focal resources (species, habitats and http://ecoadapt.org/data/documents/GFNMS_Ove ecosystem services) for use in vulnerability rview_SurveyResults_Workshop_final_FocalResour assessments. ces_small.pdf. The objectives of the Workshop were to: Pre‐Workshop Survey Results Sara Hutto, Ocean Climate Initiative Specialist, Understand the project vision and goals, and the purpose of Workshop 1: Focal Resources. Gulf of the Farallones National Marine Sanctuary 1 Climate-Smart Adaptation: Focal Resources Workshop Following her introductory presentation, Sara these recommendations). The group also Hutto provided an overview of the results of a pre‐ generated an extensive list of local sources of data that may be useful in preparation for the workshop survey that was distributed to all vulnerability assessments. workshop invitees. Thirty‐seven responses were analyzed, and the results were provided as graphs Estuaries habitat assemblage for the habitats and ecosystem services, and a Lagoons, estuaries, river mouths, tidal creeks rank‐ordered checklist for the species (Appendix The estuaries break‐out group decided on 2 C). Sara also discussed the alterations made to the consensus habitats, 13 species and 7 ecosystem initial draft list of focal resources based on the services. The group recommended a few species that may be adequately covered in the habitat survey feedback (available in the presentation assessments, and recommended a number of linked above). sources for further information. Vulnerability Assessments: Nearshore habitat assemblage Foundational Elements and Key Steps Intertidal, subtidal, kelp forest, nearshore rocks and Lara Hansen, Executive Director, EcoAdapt islands Lara Hansen provided an introduction to the The nearshore break‐out group decided on 3 vulnerability assessment process, and the role this recommended habitats, 4 ecosystem services, and plays in the larger adaptation planning framework. 26 species. The group identified bull kelp as a Lara provided a definition and examples of species that may be adequately assessed in the vulnerability, and walked participants through the kelp forest habitat and recommended local sources key steps in the process. Lara then facilitated a of data for use in the vulnerability assessments. discussion of the group’s information needs for the vulnerability assessments and gathered Offshore habitat assemblage recommendations for available sources of local Pelagic water column, continental shelf and slope data that may assist staff in preparing the The offshore break‐out group settled on 1 habitat necessary information. Her presentation is recommendation, 5 ecosystem services, and 14 available at: final species. This group used a different method http://ecoadapt.org/data/documents/GFNMS_Han for habitat selection than the other groups. Rather senVAIntro_FocalResources.pdf. than focus on the general preliminary habitats provided, the group preferred to include special habitat features under one habitat category for use BREAK‐OUT GROUP SUMMARIES in the vulnerability assessments. The group recommended assessing specific shallow banks in Coastal habitat assemblage the deep water environment, including the banks’ Sandy beach, dunes, cliffs benthic habitat and the pelagic water column The coastal break‐out group decided to retain the 3 above the banks. proposed habitats for final recommendation, and recommended 11 species and 8 ecosystem services for inclusion in the vulnerability assessments. The INFORMATION NEEDS AND group also discussed the inclusion of altered RESOURCES habitats, and recommended that the Nearshore group consider including riprap and seawalls in Information needs: their discussions. They created 2 species Climate projections assemblages: shorebirds and primary/mid Better understanding of fisheries and off‐ successional dune species (see Appendix D for shore environment 2 Climate-Smart Adaptation: Focal Resources Workshop Common understanding of time horizon FINAL FOCAL RESOURCES For each focal taxa: o Distribution, population size, Given the time and resources available for the dispersal potential vulnerability assessments, it is not feasible to o Species that are at the southern end assess all 72 recommended focal resources of their range and at the northern end of their range individually. Therefore, the project planning o Species that are more genetically committee finalized a smaller list of focal resources depauperate in our region (Appendix E) based on feedback received from the o Species’ capacity to acclimate break‐out groups using the following process: Consider new species