Shorelines and Sea-Level Rise: What Can We Expect?by Carole Richmond and Barb Scavezze On Monday, April 12, from 7:00-9:30 pm at the Olympia Center, Olympia Climate Action will host a forum for policymakers, planners, and citizens. The program will focus on the expected effects of climate change, sea-level rise, and geologic forces on South Sound shorelines. It will pose questions around how the City of Olympia could respond to this information in its Comprehensive Plan and Shoreline Master Program updates. Sea-level rise and hydro-geological effects may alter beaches, erode bluffs, and even submerge waterfront properties. How much do we know about these effects, and what is the best way to plan and prepare for them? Community members are invited to attend this free event to become better informed about these critical science and policy choices. Attendees will have the opportunity to comment on the Shoreline Master Program after the presentations. Two experts will be present to help answer questions, Nadine Romero is a hydrogeologist with Thurston County, and Wendy Gerstel is a geologist doing business as Qwg Applied Geology. They will present the latest information on what is known about the effects of climate change on hydrogeology and earth movement. Romero will speak about the Hydrologic Cycle and Climate Change in Thurston County. She has 28 years experience as a professional hydrogeologist for state, local and tribal governments. Practicing both chemical and physical hydrogeology, she has been involved in studying and characterizing hydrologic systems, and will discuss what we now know about the behavior of our 'hydrologic corridors.' Gerstel will talk about Geology, Climate Change, and Human Impacts in Thurston County. Her experience spans 30 years addressing geologic hazards and associated land-use issues for federal, state, and local jurisdictions, tribes, non-profit groups, and private landowners. She will explore how our geologic past, our NW climate, and the human species as geologic agents combine to create the geologic challenges we face. A representative from the City of Olympia will describe the draft update of the Shoreline Master Program. By law, the SMP must be finalized in September and is on a fast track to completion. According to the City's website, the State requires shoreline planning to "encourage water dependent uses, protect ecological resources and promote public access." The Thurston Regional Planning Council prepared a 'model' plan, and now the cities of Olympia, Tumwater, and Lacey, are individually working to refine it.
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