The Exploratorium in San Francisco and State Coastal Conservancy are inviting you to a virtual symposium on Coarse Grain Beaches as a natural intervention for shoreline resilience

Friday, November 13, from 3 pm–5 pm. PST.

Throughout the San Francisco Bay area, environmental planners, agencies, and local landowners are confronting the rapid change and erosion of the shoreline, a coastal hazard exacerbated by the effects of climate change including sea level rise and increased storms. One potential adaptation to help address the problem is the restoration of coarse grain (e.g., gravel and cobble) beaches that can act as ‘living shorelines’ and replace or be used in combination with traditional “hard” solutions such as riprap or stabilized levees. Beaches were historically present in San Francisco Bay and can offer a habitat for a variety of wildlife as well as shoreline protection that helps reduce wave energy and erosion.

The purpose of the symposium will be to discuss the emerging need for coarse beaches, the environmental and physical benefits that they have the potential to provide, and the challenges and opportunities associated with their design and implementation.

Speakers include:

Brett Milligan is a professor of Landscape Architecture at UC Davis and founding member of Dredge Research Collaborative. He is a member of the Public Sediment Team’s, Unlock Alameda Creek for Resilient By Design and is an Environmental Fellow at the Exploratorium.

Julie Beagle is a Senior Scientist at the San Francisco Estuary Institute. Her work focuses on adaptation to sea level rise using nature-based strategies integrating science and policy.

Tim Clark is a Senior Designer at SCAPE/Landscape Architecture. He leads the design effort on the Eden Gravel Beach Pilot Project with an emphasis on public awareness of shoreline resilience.

Eddie Divita is a civil engineer at Environmental Science Associates. He leads the design of the Heron’s Head Shoreline Resilience Project for the Port of San Francisco.

Katherine Liss is an Associate at GGN. In her design work, Katherine excels at developing design solutions to complex grading and site connections and creating built environments that are ecologically functional public spaces.

Hannah Vondrak is an Associate at GGN. Her technical approach is informed by materials and incorporated of disparate elements into elegant solutions.

Blake Jopling is a Project Manager at Rana Creek. Blake’s background in living architecture, restoration ecology, resilience planning and water re-use systems provide a comprehensive and unique skill set for his work.

The virtual workshop is being organized by the Exploratorium in San Francisco, State Coastal Conservancy, and SCAPE Landscape Architecture with funding from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation’s National Coastal Resilience Fund.

If you have any difficulties registering, please email tim@scapestudio.com