On September 20, 2018, USACE, The Nature Conservancy and the University of California Santa Cruz hosted a Symposium on Natural and Nature-Based Features (NNBF). The symposium included a range of topics information specific to: NNBF practices and example projects that promote resilience and flood risk reduction; application/utility of specific NNBF types (coastal and riverine/fluvial examples); valuation and benefits analysis, which includes engineering, environmental, and socio‐economic; US and international examples of NNBF projects; the important role of community and stakeholder engagement; and R&D efforts that support NNBF solutions. Four session were offered and included 15 speakers from a diverse set of organizations that are applying Engineering With Nature (EWN) practices in pursuit of enhanced coastal resilience.

Agenda

Opening Presentation: Natural Infrastructure: Past & Present by Todd Bridges, USACE-ERDC

Opening Welcome Video (3:55, mp4, 178 mb)

Session I: NNBF Projects and Associated Applications/Techniques in Western US

1. Hamilton and Sears Point Projects by Julien Meisler, Sonoma Land Trust, and Elizabeth Murray, USACE-ERDC
2. Strategic Sediment Placement in SF Bay by Jeremy Lowe, San Francisco Estuary Institute
3. 2013 Colorado Flood Recovery: A Case Study in Riverine/Fluvial NNBF Applications by Randy H. Mandel, Great Ecology, Inc.

Session II: Communication, Collaboration and Public Engagement

1. Telling the Story of NNBF by Doug Parsons, America Adapts Media
2. Public Engagement on NNBF: Building the Case by Sarah Newkirk, The Nature Conservancy
3. Large Scale and Long Term: The Role of Science and Collaboration in Large Ecosystem Restoration Projects by Anne Morkill, USFWS San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge Complex
4. FEMA Perspectives on NNBF by Katie Grasty, Federal Emergency Management Agency

Session III: Valuation, Financing, and Perspectives on NNBF Integration to Enhance Flood Risk Reduction Strategies

1. Rigorously Valuing the Flood Savings from Wetlands and Reefs for Insurance and Disaster Recovery by Mike Beck, The Nature Conservancy
2. Financing Natural and Nature-based Features: How to Pay for NNBF by Charlie Colgan, MIIS Center for Blue Economy
3. Natural Capital Solutions in the Private Sector by Jim South, The Nature Conservancy
4. Mainstreaming Nature Based Solutions in World Bank Flood Risk Reduction Investments by Denis Jean-Jacques Jordy, The World Bank

Session IV: International NNBF Pursuits and Resilience Efforts in California’s North Bay Watershed

1. NNBF Examples and Flood Risk Reduction Measures in the Netherlands by Quirijn Lodder, Rijkswaterstaat
2. NNBF & Flood Risk Reduction Projects from Canada by Enda Murphy, National Research Council-Canada
3. North Bay Watershed Resilience by LTC Travis Rayfield, USACE San Francisco District