Overview of Hudson River Sustainable Shorelines Project

1. Overview of Hudson River Sustainable Shorelines Project

2. Sea Level Rise Estimates for New York City* - By 2020s: 2-5” (5-10”**) - By 2050s: 7-12” (19-29”) - By 2080s: 12-23” (41-55”) * Climate Risk Information, New York City Panel on Climate Change (original source: Columbia Center for Climate Systems Research) ** Rapid ice-melt scenario – based on acceleration of recent rates of ice melt in the Greenland and west Antarctica ice sheets

3. Hudson River Tidal Shorelines • Over 300 miles: • Natural 47% • Hard engineered 41% • Remnant engineered 12%

4. How will we manage shorelines & erosion in the future? • Harden to reduce erosion? • Construct dikes? • Use “soft” engineering approaches? • Allow shorelines to migrate landward?

5. Effects on Adjacent Habitats

6. NRC and CICEET Roles • National Research Council (NRC) - Committee on Mitigating Shore Erosion Along Sheltered Coasts • Cooperative Institute on Coastal and Estuarine Environmental Technology (CICEET) – Request for Proposals $$

7. CICEET’s 3 Key Questions • Determine the tradeoffs in ecosystem services that arise from land use management, shoreline hardening, and vegetative approaches to erosion control.

8. Ecosystem Services • The benefits provided to humans by naturally functioning ecosystems • Nature’s contributions to human well-being See February 2009 issue of Ecological Society of America’s Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

9. General Ecosystem Services of Tidal Shorelines • Provide vital habitat • Dissipate energy • Regulate vital processes • Serve as dispersal corridors • Support high biodiversity and produce plants and animals Dave Strayer. 2008. Ecology of freshwater shore zones, unpublished.

10. CICEET’s 3 Key Questions 2. Determine the short- and long-term costs of different erosion prevention measures, using long-term forecasts of erosion control performance in the context of sea level rise. 3. Transfer new knowledge and tools to relevant stakeholders.

11. Short and Long-term Cost Calculations • Forecast erosion control performance in context of sea level rise scenarios • Consider broad array of costs: • Capital and operating costs • Impacts on adjacent upland properties • Impacts on public uses • Impacts on ecosystem services $$$

12. Engage Key Stakeholders and Shoreline Decision-Makers • Property owners • Experts and consultants • Government regulators • Policy and law makers

13. Geographic Scope • Tappan Zee Bridge to Troy Dam

14. Collaborative Process • Active engagement of intended users throughout the process • Formal structure of teams with clear roles • Consensus process

15. Link to Regional Climate Change Adaptation Initiatives • NYS Sea Level Rise Task Force • Rising Waters • Hudson Valley Climate Change Network • NYS Ocean & Great Lakes Initiative • NYSERDA initiatives • Others TBD

16. Challenges • Technical challenges in ecosystem studies, economic analyses, and outreach • Complex array of incentives, disincentives, policies and other factors guide erosion control • Diverse stakeholders • Decision-makers often focus on minimizing short-term costs • Climate change unknowns

17. Opportunity! • Wider acceptance of climate change adaptation imperatives • Excellent team and partners • Vital issue

18. Betsy Blair Manager, Hudson River NERR Manager, Hudson River Habitat Protection Program NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (845) 889-4745 x113 bablair@gw.dec.state.ny.us