Managing a Shifting Shoreline: Transdisciplinary Science and Community Engagement for Risk Reduction in Estuaries along Washington State's Outer Coast

As the shallow seam between land and sea, estuaries are a nexus for human activity and a hotspot for ecosystem services. On Washington’s outer coast, Willapa Bay and Grays Harbor contain vast expanses of intact estuarine habitat. Mudflats and eelgrass beds provide food and shelter for Pacific salmon and Dungeness crab, clean water for shellfish, and protect people and property from coastal erosion and flooding. These estuaries accrue benefits for shellfish farmers and commercial fishers in some of the poorest, most fish dependent communities in the state, to recreationalists of all sorts, to the cultural identity of Washingtonians, not to mention our tax base, and onto dinner plates around the world. Habitat conservation is a cornerstone for reducing risk to the steady stream of ecosystem services in these areas for years to come. But which habitats and where? And will they still function as sea levels rise? Here, I will describe how The Nature Conservancy and residents in Pacific and Grays Harbor Counties are practicing climate-ready habitat conservation through updates to their county’s Shoreline Master Programs. I will highlight the essential role that connecting the dots between science, mapping, outreach and policy analysis has played in project success.