FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 31, 2015
CONTACT: Oren Wool (707) 879-8324, info@sonomacountyadaptation.org
Rohnert Park, CA – The final agenda has been announced for the Sonoma County Adaptation Forum to be held April 8, 2015 at the Sonoma State University Student Center in Rohnert Park and will feature speakers and panelists discussing how Sonoma County can plan for, and adapt to, the risks of climate change.
The forum will open with a “State of the County” address by Board of Supervisors Chair Susan Gorin, who represents the First District, a region that extends to the San Pablo Bay, and is likely to be impacted by sea level rise.
“This will be a wonderful opportunity to bring together a broad spectrum of community leaders to discuss the challenges we face with climate change and the potential solutions,” said Supervisor Gorin. “We must make it a priority to invest in the resilience of our communities and plan for adapting to the impacts of a changing climate.”
The event is intended to present the latest science on the local impacts of climate change and bring together individuals, organizations, and businesses who are working to ensure Sonoma County remains vibrant in a changing climate. The forum agenda can be found at: http://sonomacountyadaptation.org/agenda/
Panel discussions will include “Extreme Weather Science – Drought and Deluge in Sonoma County,” “Adapting to Extremes: Managing the Risks of Climate Change in Sonoma County through Planning and Response,” and “Moving the Needle: Changing the Conversation about Climate Change.” Also featured will be short, five-minute “Ignite!” presentations on various topics such as Community Choice Aggregation and reducing greenhouse gas reduction and the benefits of recycled water.
“There is cutting-edge scientific work that is being done on extreme weather in our region by locally and nationally recognized scientists,” said Jay Jasperse, Sonoma County Water Agency Chief Engineer, who will be the moderator for a panel on Extreme Weather Science. “One of our panelists will discuss work being done on sea level rise and its anticipated impacts in coastal areas of Sonoma County. A strong scientific foundation is important to inform policy decisions and management strategies to improve the resiliency of regional water resources.”
The event will close with a keynote address by Glenda Humiston, California State Director at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Development. Dr. Humiston will highlight her efforts to preserve and conserve our local natural resources through restoring forests, improving watersheds, and supporting the health of private working lands in a changing climate. A wine reception will follow.
The April 8th Sonoma County Adaptation Forum is being hosted by Sonoma State University (SSU). Registration opens at 8 a.m. for the Adaptation Forum and includes morning coffee, lunch, and a closing reception. Advance registration is suggested. You can register online at: http://sonomacountyadaptation.org/registration
For more information or to request a press pass, contact Oren Wool at (707) 879-8324 or info@sonomacountyadaptation.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 26, 2015
CONTACT: Oren Wool – (707) 879-8324 | info@sonomacountyadaptation.org
For download: SCAF Press Announcement
Sonoma County to Host the Nation’s First-Ever Regional Climate Adaptation Forum
Santa Rosa, CA – The North Bay Climate Adaptation Initiative announces the Sonoma County Adaptation Forum to be held April 8, 2015 at the Sonoma State University Student Center in Rohnert Park, CA. (Details below)
This public forum will bring together individuals from across a wide spectrum of sectors and disciplines who are working to ensure that Sonoma County remains vibrant and resilient in a changing climate. More than 200 attendees will explore new and innovative approaches for adapting to climate change.
“We know that the future is likely to bring more droughts, floods and fires,” said Susan Gorin, Chair of the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. “The forum will bring together policymakers across the county to discuss how we can make our community resilient and safer in light of these challenges.”
This event will be the first-ever county-level climate adaptation forum, and comes on the heels of the recent White House Climate Action Champion award given to Sonoma County’s Regional Climate Protection Authority (RCPA), lauded as the nation’s “first local government agency created specifically to address climate change.” As one of only 16 communities nationwide to receive this award, Sonoma County is now eligible for additional federal dollars and other resources to bolster local programs and policies. More about this award available here: http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/
“Sonoma County is on the cutting edge of communities nationwide looking at climate change,” said Rohnert Park City Councilman Jake Mackenzie. Mr. Mackenzie is also Chair of the Local Government Commission, and Past Chair and currently a Director of RCPA. “This forum is an opportunity to take another proactive step in determining how we can prepare for the change that we know is coming.”
Speakers and presenters will include nationally acclaimed research scientists such as Dr. Marty Ralph, Director of the Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes at Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and Dr. Julie Kalansky, Center for Western Weather and Water Extremes (CW3E) and the Scripps Institution of Oceanography.
The forum will also feature local leaders who are actively researching effects of climate change in the aspects of Sonoma County which are anticipated to be most highly impacted in the coming years, including Dr. Lisa Micheli, Executive Director of Pepperwood, co-founder of NBCAI and co-founder of Terrestrial Biodiversity and Climate Change Collaboration (TBC3), and Jay Jasperse, Chief Engineer and Director of Groundwater Management, of the Sonoma County Water Agency.
Sonoma County’s local business community and city and county leaders will be interested in a session discussing how to plan and coordinate a response to climate change impacts on our built environment, public health and safety, and critical infrastructure.
“Businesses need to proactively consider how climate change could affect their bottom line,” said Justin Witt, with Brelje & Race Engineers, and a panel moderator. “Successful adaptation means preparing for both threats and opportunities. Planning is a long road and we need to get started now.”
Additional conference activities include networking opportunities, provocative 5-minute “Ignite!” presentations, and a closing key-note presentation by Dr. Glenda Humiston, appointed by President Obama to serve as the California State Director at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Rural Development.
More information about the event agenda can be found here: http://sonomacountyadaptation.org/agenda/
The Sonoma County Adaptation Forum is presented by an alliance of non-profits, agencies, and businesses working together to increase awareness of climate impacts to Sonoma County and strategies for climate resilience.
Taking the lead on this event is the North Bay Climate Adaptation Initiative (NBCAI), a coalition of natural resource managers, policy makers and scientists who are committed to working together to create positive solutions to the problem of climate adaptation for the ecosystems and watersheds of Sonoma County. NBCAI members are experts and conservation leaders drawn from natural resource science and management organizations throughout the region.
The goal of NBCAI is to foster an open conversation between technical experts, land managers and policymakers in support of effective local scale climate adaptation strategies that preserve natural resources, biodiversity, and ecosystem services. Since climate adaptation is ultimately a regional issue, NBCAI aims to pilot an approach in Sonoma County that can be extended throughout the North Bay as a whole. Community Foundation Sonoma County has been a true visionary to support the ground-breaking work of NBCAI. We appreciate their support and applaud their role in investing in the promise of Sonoma County.
Other co-organizers and sponsors include: RCPA, Sonoma County Water Agency, Sustainable SSU at Sonoma State University, County of Sonoma Energy & Sustainability Division, County of Sonoma Public Health Division, Brelje & Race Consulting Engineers, Leadership Institute for Ecology and the Economy, Local Government Commission, and Sustainable North Bay.
The Sonoma County Adaptation Forum is being held at the Sonoma State University Student Center in Rohnert Park, CA. Sonoma State University (SSU) is the perfect partner for this event given their well-established focus on sustainability, which they recognize as among the most critical global and ethical challenges of our time. At SSU, students, faculty, staff and administrators learn and work in an environment that focuses on the environmental, economic and cultural implications of sustainability to help realize a sustainable, equitable and prosperous planet.
Registration for the Adaptation Forum opens at 8:00 am, and includes morning coffee, lunch, and a closing reception. This event is expected to sell out, and we encourage advance registration. You can register online at: http://sonomacountyadaptation.org/registration
For more information or to request a Press Pass, contact Oren Wool at (707) 879-8324 | info@sonomacountyadaptation.org
—–
What is Adaptation?
Every day, more people wake up to the realization of how severely the changing climate is affecting, and will affect, our lives, our economy, our health, and our environment. The prospect of unprecedented droughts, floods, crop failures, wildfires, and public health emergencies caused by a rapidly changing climate is frightening. The solution must include urgent steps to burn much less fossil fuel. But we must also prepare our communities for the coming crises. That preparation is called climate adaptation. It turns out that getting prepared for climate change brings a host of other benefits that help our community, the natural world, and our society thrive.
The leading American assessment of climate impacts emphasizes the need to act. “Early action provides the largest health benefits. As threats increase, our ability to adapt to future changes maybe limited… It is prudent to invest in creating the strongest climate health preparedness programs possible.” – National Climate Assessment, 2014
