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Sea Level Rise Adaptation Report Marin Ocean Coast

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Marin Ocean Coast Sea Level Rise Adaptation Report Marin County Community Development Agency February 2018 Collaboration: Sea-Level Marin Adaptation Response Team Marin County Community Development Agency February 2018 | Marin County, CA | marinslr.org A Call to Action for West Marin Residents West Marin is abundant with natural resources that are integral to its cultural identify as demonstrated by the long heritage of open space preservation and appreciation. Federal, state and local parklands abutting the Pacific Ocean provide a retreat from the hustle and bustle of Bay Area living. Coastal bluffs, beaches, wetlands, and more draw millions of international visitors for surfing, birding, kayaking, hiking, picnicking and more. Protected ranchlands are stewarded by multi-generation family farming operations which feed the region with milk, cheese, yogurt, butter, ice- cream and other products. Nestled within these vast swaths of open space are small but mighty communities that serve as both visitor hubs and homes to residents who cherish and value the unique sense of place. Climate change presents unprecedented threats to West Marin. Wetlands and beaches could be drowned with rising waters, and native plants and animal populations could plummet from changes in temperature and precipitation, ocean acidification, invasive species, and more. Coastal flooding and erosion threaten homes, roads, and utilities that are critical to the long- term sustainability of West Marin. Spearheaded by the Marin County Community Development Agency in 2014, Collaboration: Sea Level Rise Adaptation Response Team (C-SMART) is a partnership based community planning approach to solve some of these challenges. The Marin Ocean Coast Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment analyzed the vulnerabilities of natural and built assets from near- to long-term combined sea level rise and storm scenarios. This document, The Marin Ocean Coast Sea Level Rise Adaptation Report sets the foundation for continued adaptation planning to prepare West Marin for more intense future environmental hazards. To plan for a resilient future, public involvement is critical. The time for you to act is now. Marin County plans continued collaboration with community members on next phases of C-SMART as local expertise and experiences are invaluable to ensure successful adaptation to changing conditions. Best, Dennis Rodoni, 4th District Marin County Board of Supervisors This page is intentionally left blank. CONTENTS | 1 Contents Acknowledgments 3 List of Acronyms 6 Executive Summary 7 1) Introduction 31 1.1) Project Intent and Goals 32 1.2) Project Partners 32 1.3) Planning Area 33 1.4) The C-SMART Process 34 1.5) Guiding Principles 35 1.6) Vulnerability Assessment 38 1.7) Prioritize Adaptive Needs 42 1.8) Programs and Documents Referenced in the Report 44 2) C-SMART Participants 51 2.1) Community Workshops 52 2.2) Stakeholder and Technical Advisory Committees 55 2.3) Center for Ocean Solutions 55 2.4) Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary 56 2.5) Environmental Science Associates 57 3) Adaptation Framework 59 3.1) Adaptation Options 60 3.2) Prioritization Criteria 62 3.3) Trigger Points for Adaptive Management 66 3.4) Recent, Ongoing and Anticipated Adaptations 71 4) Governance 73 4.1) Public Outreach & Education 74 4.2) Emergency Management 75 4.3) Local Assessment Districts 75 4.4) Interagency Governmental Collaboration 76 4.5) Land Use & Zoning 76 4.6) Public Trust Doctrine 80 4.7) County Permitting Agencies 81 5) Asset Adaptation 83 5.1) Strategy Options – All 85 5.2) Parcels & Buildings 88 5.3) Transportation 109 5.4) Utilities 115 5.5) Working Lands 116 5.6) Natural Resources 118 5.7) Recreation 130 5.8) Emergency Services 132 5.9) Historic and Archaeological Resources 134 2 6) Community Alternatives 138 6.1) Community PATCHs (Plans for Adaptation To Coastal Hazards) 139 6.2) Muir Beach 141 6.3) Stinson Beach 147 6.4) Bolinas 167 6.5) Inverness 176 6.6) East Shore 186 6.7) Point Reyes Station 196 6.8) Dillon Beach 201 7) Conclusion 207 7.1) Next Steps 208 7.2) Lessons learned 210 Glossary 211 Bibliography 215 Appendices A) Adaptation Strategy Compilation B) ESA Memo – Marin County Coastal Hazards and SLR Adaptation Strategies C) Adaptation Poll Results D) Potential Sea Level Rise Maps E) Climate-Smart Adaptation for North-central California Coastal Habitats F) Point Blue Conservation Science Final Report G) Adaptation Plan Passport Results Summary All images courtesy of Marin County Community Development Agency, unless otherwise noted. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | 3 Acknowledgments Marin County Board of Supervisors Consultants District 1—Damon Connolly By Design District 2—Katie Rice Environmental Science Associates District 3—Kathrin Sears Point Blue Conservation Science District 4—Dennis Rodoni Project Partners District 5—Judy Arnold Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Marin County Planning Commission United States Geological Survey Margaret Curran Point Blue Conservation Science Don Dickenson Coravai David Paoli Center for Ocean Solutions Margot Biehle Gensler John Eller Technical Presenters Christina Desser Bob Battalio, Environmental Science Peter Theran Associates Project Funders Ed Curtis, Federal Emergency Management California Coastal Commission Agency California Ocean Protection Council Kellan Dammann, Marin County Community Marin County Development Agency Sustainability Team Primary C-SMART Staff and Authors Kelsey Ducklow and Shannon Fiala, California Lauren Armstrong, AICP, Planner, Marin Coastal Commission County Community Development Agency Elizabeth English, University of Waterloo, Alex Westhoff, AICP, Planner, Marin County Buoyant Foundation Project Community Development Agency Ursula Hanks, Marin County Office of Emergency Services Project Manager Roger Leventhal, Marin County Department of Jack Liebster, Planning Manager, Marin Public Works County Community Development Agency Gail Napell, Gensler Executive Steering Committee Peter Wijsman, Arcadis Dennis Rodoni, District 4 Supervisor, Additional Advisors Marin County Board of Supervisors Federal Emergency Management Agency Kathrin Sears, District 3 Supervisor, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Marin County Board of Supervisors Administration Additional Authors Local and neighboring county experts Jeremy Pi, Planning Intern, Marin County Community Development Agency Bridgit Van Belleghem, AICP, Planner, Marin County Community Development Agency Leslie Lacko, Planner, Marin County Community Development Agency 4 Technical Advisory Committee Stakeholder Advisory Committee Sarah Allen, Ocean and Coastal Resources Community Representatives Program, National Park Service Alex Hinds, Inverness Victor Bjelajac, Maintenance Chief, Marin Bob Johnston, Ph. D., Point Reyes Station District, California Parks and Recreation Michael Lawson, Dillon Beach/North County Julia Biggar, Associate Transportation Planner, Jeffrey Loomans, Stinson Beach (Seadrift) California Department of Transportation Gerald Pearlman, Muir Beach Chris DeGabriele, General Manager, North Jennie Pfeiffer, Bolinas Marin Water District Arthur Walenta, East Shore/Marshall Kelsey Ducklow, Local Coastal Program Grant Topical Area Representatives Manager, California Coastal Commission Brian Aviles, National Park Service Lesley Ewing, Senior Coastal Engineer, Katie Beacock, Local Business Owner California Coastal Commission Christopher Harrington, Local Business Shannon Fiala, Coastal Planner, California Michael Lawson, Agriculture Coastal Commission Gerald Pearlman, Recreation Darren Fong, Aquatic Ecologist, Golden Gate Amy Trainer, Environmental Action Committee National Recreation Area Daphne Hatch, National Park Service Ursula Hanks, Emergency Services (Alternate) Coordinator, Marin County Emergency Ben Becker, National Park Service (Alternate) Services Chris Kelley, Wastewater Inspector, Stinson Volunteer Facilitators Beach County Water District Leslie Alden Neysa King, Watershed Coordinator, Tomales Dana Armanino Bay Watershed Council Yanna Badet Roger Leventhal, Senior Engineer, Marin Patricia Basset County Department of Public Works Amy Brown Jeannine Manna, District Supervisor, Brian Crawford California Coastal Commission Kellen Dammann Scott McMorrow, General Manager/Board Jocelyn Drake President, Inverness Public Utility District Kristin Drumm Craig Richardson, Open Space Planner, Marin Christine Gimmler County Parks and Open Space Shelley Ingram Nancy Scolari, Executive Director, Marin Tom Lai County Resource Conservation District Vivian Lo Ed Schmidt, General Manager/Secretary Vicki Nichols to the Board, Stinson Beach County Water Maureen Parton District Marina Psaros Justin Semion, Aquatic Ecologist, WRA Heidi Scoble Environmental Consultants Tammy Taylor Jack Siedman, Board President, Bolinas Jeremy Tejirian Community Public Utility District Sandy Wallenstein Anita Tyrrell-Brown, Fire Chief, Bolinas Fire Protection District Kristen Ward, Wetland Ecologist, Golden Gate National Recreation Area ACKNOWLEDGMENTS | 5 Climate-Smart Adaptation Working Group of the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Advisory Council Chair Technical Experts Anne Morkill, US Fish and Wildlife Service; John Largier, Bodega Marine Laboratories, UC Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary Davis Working Group Andrew Gunther, Bay Area Ecosystems Sarah Allen, National Park Service Climate Change Consortium Debbie Aseltine-Nielsen, California Staff to the Working Group Department of Fish and Wildlife Kate Bimrose, Greater Farallones Association Lara
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