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Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and Strategy Development for Tillamook Estuaries Partnership

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Final Report:

Report Appendices

The Geos Institute worked closely with the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership (TEP) and local stakeholders to develop a Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment and a Preparedness Strategy for the Tillamook estuaries and their watersheds. The five estuaries of Tillamook County and their watersheds are home to ecologically important species and resources that also support the local economy, provide recreational opportunities, and bring natural beauty and overall well-being for people throughout the region. TEP plays an important role in the restoration and management of natural resources throughout the county, especially by working with partners, land-owners, and other stakeholders throughout the region.

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Climate Adaptation: The State of Practice in U.S. Communities

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The Kresge Foundation has released a report “Climate Adaptation: The State of Practice in U.S. Communities” – the result of a two-year process that brought together climate change adaptation leaders from around the country with researchers from Abt Consulting to take a snapshot of adaptation in the U.S.

Through assessing 17 case studies, interviewing 50 thought leaders, and hosting 3 day-long Project Advisory Committee meetings, the research team pulled insights from across the field to try to get a handle on what we are learning from the various ways that adaptation has been tried in different regions in the U.S. 

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Bay City Oregon sunset Credit Aaron Zahrowski

Tillamook Estuaries Partnership – Project Dashboard

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Begins January 2017

Bay City Oregon sunset Credit Aaron ZahrowskiLocated on the North Coast of Oregon, the Tillamook Estuaries Partnership is dedicated to protecting and restoring five Tillamook County estuaries and watersheds. The Geos Institute is thrilled to have the opportunity to assist the TEP in conducting a Vulnerability Assessment to assess climate risks to Tillamook Bay resources, including wildlife, fisheries, forestry, and water. We will follow the process outlined in the EPA’s workbook on developing Risk-based Adaptation Plans to identify risks and prioritize them for action. Tillamook Bay Bay City Oregon ZahrowskiBased on those findings, we will develop an Adaptation Strategy for the region.

The ClimateWise process that we will be using is highly collaborative and relies on stakeholder participation and local expertise. We welcome participants from a variety of backgrounds and areas of interest. For more information, please contact Dr. Marni Koopman at 541-482-4459 x303 or marni@geosinstitute.org.

Project Timeline

February  Project organization and planning
March  Kickoff meeting
March  Climate science review
March – April  Produce climate impacts report
April  Small group expert consultations
June  Vulnerability Workshop for stakeholders
August  Preliminary Vulnerability Report
October  Expert consultations on adaptation
October  Adaptation Strategy workshop for stakeholders
November.  Final report and release

Additional resources

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Ashland moves towards a science-based climate action plan

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Communities around the U.S. already have, or are currently developing, greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets to combat climate change. teal chart iconAnd yet these targets and timelines are highly variable from plan to plan, based on politics, attitudes, and planning approach.

The City of Ashland’s Climate and Energy Action Plan (CEAP) Ad-hoc committee, which is made up of community members with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise, voted unanimously to adopt science-based greenhouse gas emissions targets.

What are Science-Based Targets?

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ChristinaMills 2016 crop

Christina Mills, Operations & Program Manager

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ChristinaMills 2016 cropChristina is an experienced nonprofit professional and provides key project management and administrative support to the ClimateWise team. She is also experienced in communication and outreach, graphic design, and website development. Christina was previously the Project Scientist at the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research providing technical analysis to support advocacy of carbon-free and nuclear-free energy systems, in particular for Minnesota and Maryland. Publications include “Renewable Minnesota“, “Energy Efficient and Pollution-Free Space Heating and Cooling in Maryland“, and “Energy Justice in Maryland’s Residential and Renewable Energy Sectors“. She also worked as a Policy Analyst for Windustry, an organization that promotes community-based wind energy across the country.

Christina holds a J.D. from Hamline University School of Law in St. Paul, MN and a B.A. in Biology from St. Olaf College in Northfield, MN.

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ClimateWise Staff

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We are a team of scientists, facilitators, and process innovators who believe that the global climate crisis will push humanity to make a collective decision – move toward greater cohesion and peace or widespread violence and conflict.

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James Edson, GIS Specialist

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Portrait placeholderJames uses custom developed Python scripts to analyze climate data for ClimateWise projects. He produces maps and data tables that show the expected changes under various emissions scenarios across the United States. He has a B.S. in Geography from the University of Oregon in Eugene, OR.

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Geoff Weaver, Business & Partnerships Manager

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Geoff Weaver crop 2016

Geoff leads business strategy and partnership activities for the Geos Institute. Geoff retired from a technology career at Intel Corp where he held various positions in marketing, strategic planning and business development. During his 18 years at Intel, he built on his prior product and strategic marketing experiences at other leading technology companies to help drive Intel’s industry initiatives and to enhance the business value of wireless and other technologies under development at Intel Labs. His focus at Geos Institute is the realization of a long held dream to transition to the non-profit world while using the business skills he developed in the technology sector.

Geoff holds a B.S. in Finance from the University of Connecticut.

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CO2 concentration Mauna Loa Observatory

Over 400 ppm for the rest of our lives

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“The world is quickening the rate of accumulation of CO2, and has shown no signs of slowing this down. It [surpassing 400ppm] should be a psychological tripwire for everyone.”
– Dr. Michael Gunson, NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory

CO2 concentration Mauna Loa Observatory
The global concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide now stands at 404.83 ppm as of a July 10, 2016 reading at the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. To put this in perspective, climate scientists have been warning that a safe concentration for the Earth’s natural systems and all of us who depend on them is 350 parts per million, which we passed around 1990.

Many advocacy groups and climate scientists around the world had hoped to limit atmospheric carbon dioxide to less than 400 parts per million through efforts to reduce emissions, and then to work to bring that number down to the scientifically-determined “safe” level of 350. But we have collectively not done enough to keep from catapulting over that 400 ppm line.

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nola flooding post katrina

Integrating Equity into Climate Change Adaptation

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nola flooding post katrinaWe developed our ClimateWise® program in 2008 to help communities develop solutions to climate change that meet the needs of both people and nature. We work with communities to develop solutions across 5 different systems (human, built, economic, natural, and cultural) ensuring through our process that all have a seat at the planning table.

Since that time, we have been thrilled to see the adaptation field embracing many new and innovative strategies to meeting human needs while also protecting and enhancing natural systems. What we have yet to see is the adaptation field taking the same level of action to address the disproportionate impact that climate change has on already disadvantaged people and using action on climate change as a vehicle to improve equity within our communities. In fact, in a review of 800+ individual adaptation strategies in recent city, county, and agency adaptation plans, we found that only 3 created explicit benefits for disadvantaged people.

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