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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Climate Ready Estuaries Program works to build capacity in National Estuary Programs to prepare for and respond to climate change. Twenty-seven National Estuary Programs received grants and/or technical assistance from 2008–2018. The Climate Ready Estuaries Program also created several tools to support managers, scientists, and other stakeholders in U.S. estuaries.
The Climate Ready Estuaries Program (CRE) was created by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in 2008. CRE provides technical assistance and funding to National Estuary Programs (NEPs) throughout the United States. In addition to direct support, the CRE provides resources for managers and other stakeholders, including information on climate change impacts, access to tools and resources, and information to help managers develop adaptation plans, including the Coastal Toolkit and Adaptation Planning Workbook.
From 2008–2018, the CRE Program provided support to 27 NEPs through grants and technical assistance either for start-up projects or to build upon existing work. Technical assistance occurred in the form of tailored support provided by EPA staff and contractors, such as climate change vulnerability assessments, habitat modeling, monitoring plan development, and stakeholder engagement and communication. For example, the support provided to the Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership was used to host public listening sessions and conduct interviews with local decision-makers in North Carolina on sea-level rise risks and adaptation options. The findings were used to produce a Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan to provide a framework for initiatives related to climate change and sea-level rise. Assistance has also been provided to:
CRE created the Coastal Toolkit website to provide links to reports, tools, and other resources, such as the National Climate Assessment, to support climate-informed decision-making. In August 2014, CRE released Being Prepared for Climate Change: A Workbook for Developing Risk-Based Adaptation Plans (Adaptation Planning Workbook) along with an online companion tool that guides users through an adaptation decision-making framework. The San Juan Bay Estuary Program used the workbook to identify critical climate risks and vulnerabilities, especially those driven by warming water temperatures, sea-level rise, and extreme storms, and develop adaptation strategies such as restoring dunes, maintaining stormwater and wastewater systems, and engaging restaurants on the proper disposal of oil and grease. A complementary tool––Checklists of Potential Climate Change Risks ––was released in April 2021.
The CRE Program has funded projects to conduct vulnerability assessments (e.g., Barnegat Bay, Casco Bay), develop and implement adaptation plans (e.g., Indian River Lagoon, San Francisco), and increase education and awareness of the public and other stakeholders (e.g., Albemarle-Pamlico, Charlotte Harbor). CRE continues to provide support to NEP managers through technical assistance and tool development.
Resources:
Albemarle-Pamlico National Estuary Partnership Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (2012-2022)
EPA Climate Ready Estuaries
EPA Coastal Adaptation Toolkit
San Juan Bay Estuary Climate Change Adaptation Plan
Gregg, R. M. (2021). U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Climate Ready Estuaries Program [Case study on a project of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency]. Version 2.0. Product of EcoAdapt's State of Adaptation Program. (Last updated August 2021)
