Curious About Region's 'Shrinking Shores'? SMC Invites You To Visualize Them

SAN MATEO COUNTY, CA — The County of San Mateo’s Office of Sustainability will bid farewell to the month of August by giving the community a peek at what our future shores may look like due to sea level rise.

The Office of Sustainability and the San Mateo County Parks Foundation will host “Shrinking Shores,” an informational event to help the public visualize sea level rise, on Aug. 31 as part of the new Coyote Nights park mixer series. The foundation recently launched the summer park mixer program to connect more people to the parks in a relaxed and social setting while also introducing them to new ideas.

One such idea is “Shrinking Shores” at which Coyote Point visitors will see a dramatic illustration of projected sea levels through the end of the century thanks to temporary signs placed into the sand to depict future scenarios. County staff will provide a brief overview on the topic of climate change and sea level rise at the Captain’s House at Coyote Point before leading a tour to the promenade where visitors can view the temporary signs, ask questions and learn about the science behind the changes.

San Mateo County is one of the most vulnerable areas to sea level rise in the United States with thousands of people and billions of dollars of property at risk. The County of San Mateo is working to create awareness of this critical issue through its Sea Change SMC Initiative which brings together and provide resources to local governments and agencies within the County around the issue of sea level rise. Sea Change SMC has also produced a draft Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment. The assessment, which is currently being finalized, identifies the countywide impacts of sea level rise. The goal is to educate and inform people, and build a greater understanding of sea level rise and its impacts on our coastline and communities.

Shrinking Shores builds on this goal by offering an opportunity to learn more about sea level rise and visualize who it could affect local beaches and shoreline.

“This Coyote Nights program provides a unique opportunity for the public to learn more about our incredible San Mateo County Parks, see first-hand the projected potential loss of future recreational opportunities due to sea level rise, and hear about the County’s initiatives to bring back the living shoreline,” said County Supervisor Dave Pine who helps lead the County’s efforts to prepare for sea level rise and sits on the Board of the San Mateo County Parks Foundation.

A similar viewing event was held June 3 at Poplar Beach in the City of Half Moon Bay, drawing large crowds of people interested in seeing the projected changes.

“Shrinking Shores” will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 31 at Coyote Point, Captain’s House, 1701 Coyote Point Drive San Mateo. The brief overview begins at 6:20 p.m. Register for this events on the Parks Foundation's Eventbright page at: http://parks.smcgov.org/coyote-nights.

Learn more from the draft Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment available at: http://seachangesmc.com/current-efforts/vulnerability-assessment/.

Contact: Program Manager Hilary Papendick, hpapendick@smcgov.org

— SUBMITTED FOR PUBLICATION BY: County of San Mateo / Image via Shutterstock