Projects

The Pajaro River–Salsipuedes Creek Confluence Area Restoration Project is being advanced by the Pajaro Regional Flood Management Agency (PRFMA) as a complementary effort to the broader Pajaro River Flood Risk Management (PRFRM) Project.

CSUMB, together with regional partners and through participation in MBCAAN, is strengthening the Monterey Bay region’s response to climate change by building generational workforce capacity in coastal climate resilience and risk reduction.

UCSC, in collaboration with MBCAAN and regional partners, is implementing a multi-tier climate workforce initiative to build durable adaptation capacity in the Monterey Bay region.

Hartnell College is advancing climate resilience in the Central Coast region by building a climate-ready workforce.

The Monterey Bay Living Shorelines Program (MBLSP) is a collaborative initiative between California State Parks, the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, the Central Coast Wetlands Group, and Groundswell Ecology.

The Carmel River Floodplain Restoration and Environmental Enhancement (CRFREE) Project will be a multi-phase effort designed to reduce flood risk and restore ecological function at the confluence of the lower Carmel River and Carmel Lagoon.

The Salinas River Flood Risk Reduction and Habitat Improvement Project is actively increasing channel capacity along the Salinas River to reduce flood damage to nearby agricultural lands, communities, and infrastructure while restoring ecological function.

This project is strengthening local management of the Salinas River Lagoon and the Old Salinas River channel, in Monterey County, as both a flood-control system and an estuarine ecosystem.

This project represents the first major climate-resilience investment for the Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve (ESNERR) in the Kirby–North Marsh complex, the northeastern portion of Elkhorn Slough.

The Pajaro Valley (PV) Climate Corps delivers a paid, pathway-aligned job training and hands-on work experience program for young adults and community members interested in developing new skills in climate adaptation career pathways, with a focus on residents from disadvantaged and flood-vulnerable communities within the communities of Watsonville and Pajaro.

Led by the Land Trust of Santa Cruz County, the Pajaro Estuary Restoration will restore agricultural properties affected by flooding to estuarine wetlands, as mutually agreed on by the Land Trust and landowners.

The Pajaro Storm Drain Maintenance District (PSDMD) is acting as the local sponsor for a United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Feasibility Analysis and Initial Project Design to reduce flood risk under the Continuing Authorities Program (CAP) Section 1135 of the Water Resources Development Act of 1986.

The City of Santa Cruz is restoring and improving two key park areas along the San Lorenzo River — Jessie Street Marsh and San Lorenzo Park’s Riverlands. These projects will expand wetlands, reduce local flood risks, and create new places for people to connect with nature.

The City of Santa Cruz is advancing a living shorelines and nature-based solutions project for the Main Beach and San Lorenzo River mouth to reduce flood risk, prevent coastal erosion and beach loss, improve habitat, and provide safe access for both the public and emergency response.

Over a 4.5-year period, funds are being used to reduce wildfire risk on the Santa Lucia Preserve by treating fine fuels, dense monotypic invasive vegetation, and ladder fuels across grassland and oak savannah.

This project will implement “good fire” and integrate Indigenous knowledge across several burns on four properties in Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties — Basin Ranch, Glen Deven Ranch, Mitteldorf Preserve, and Mt. Madonna Center — in partnership with the Esselen Tribe of Monterey County (ETMC), Big Sur Land Trust (BSLT), Resource Conservation District of Monterey County (RCDMC), and Central Coast Prescribed Burn Association (CCPBA).

The Elkhorn Slough Foundation (ESF), in partnership with the Resource Conservation District of Monterey County (RCDMC) is leading two coordinated wildfire-risk reduction efforts in northern Monterey County.

San Vicente Redwoods, a 9,000-acre protected area in the Santa Cruz Mountains, was heavily impacted by the 2020 CZU Lightning Complex Fire.

The project will reduce hazardous fuel loads at Mitteldorf Preserve, a property of Big Sur Land Trust (BSLT), using low-impact forest management practices such as chipping, burn piling, lop-and-scatter, and mastication across 60 acres of old-growth redwood and transition habitat.

The Climate Resilient Monterey Bay Regional Monitoring Program (CRMB-RMP) is a coordinated monitoring effort to assess the extent, health, function, and resilience of coastal wetlands and dunes in the Monterey Bay region.

The Monterey Bay Climate Adaptation Revolving Fund (MBCARF) is providing flexible, low-interest bridge funding for climate adaptation efforts in the Monterey Bay region.

The Monterey Bay Climate Adaptation Action Network (MBCAAN) is actively building a powerful, unified movement to coordinate and plan for future adaptation and resilience actions in the Monterey Bay region.

The Monterey Bay Regional Climate Project Working Group (RCPWG) is a collaborative of regional governments in the Monterey Bay Area that is actively advancing a coordinated, cross-jurisdictional approach to climate adaptation.

The project is actively supporting Tribal Nations, organizations, and peoples in
the Monterey Bay Area to participate in climate adaptation planning,
implementation, and governance through the Monterey Bay Climate Adaptation
Action Network (MBCAAN).

Ecology Action, in partnership with Regeneración – Pajaro Valley Climate Action (with Community Initiatives as fiscal sponsor), is actively leading community participation-centered engagement efforts for the Monterey Bay Climate Adaptation Action Network (MBCAAN).