The Network for Engineering With Nature_® (EWN) invites you to the N-EWN Knowledge Series: A Continuing Education Series about Engineering with Nature—A Work in Progress: Adapting to Climate Change Impacts in the San Francisco Bay, with Julie R. Beagle. This 1-hour Zoom webinar will take place Thursday, February 16, 2023, at 12:30 ET. 

Julie R. Beagle is the Environmental Planning Section Chief for the US Army Corps of Engineers San Francisco District (SPN) as well as the lead for the San Francisco District’s Engineering with Nature Proving Ground. She brings a focus on integrating nature-based approaches into USACE studies, projects, and operations. She is the environmental technical lead on several Engineering with Nature pilot projects, including piloting strategic shallow water placement of dredged materials in SF Bay to support marsh and mudflat resilience to sea-level rise.

As sea levels continue to rise, and climate impacts worsen, communities will need to adapt the San Francisco Bay shoreline and contributing watersheds to create greater social, economic, and ecological resilience. Home to rivers, beaches, wetlands, marinas, ports, landfills, lifeline infrastructure, residential neighborhoods and more, San Francisco Bay’s shoreline and contributing watersheds are diverse, which means there is no one-size-fits-all solution to increased flooding. In December 2022 and January 2023, the Bay Area experienced 9 atmospheric rivers on top of winter King Tides, leading to extreme flooding both along the shoreline and along rivers and creeks. These hints of climate change impacts show us that traditional grey infrastructure alone will not be able to solve our flood related issues, and that a mix of green, grey, and hybrid solutions are essential. Along with state, regional, and local partners, the SF District of the Army Corps of Engineers has become an Engineering with Nature (EWN) Proving Ground.  EWN Proving Grounds are USACE districts committed to the broad integration of EWN principles and practices into all business lines in the form of constructed projects. Proving grounds are Districts where innovative ideas are tested on the ground. EWN allows us to work with the power of water and sediment to efficiently and cost-effectively protect communities, restore natural systems, and prepare us for the challenges of the future. This presentation will outline the reasons EWN is critical as an approach in the San Francisco Bay Area, and describe some successes, challenges, and paths forward as the USACE embraces Engineering with Nature. 

For previously recorded seminars, please visit the N-EWN Seminars page.