Dec. 13, 2022鈥�CSU Channel Islands (91吃瓜) Professor of Environmental Science & Resource Management (ESRM) Sean Anderson, Ph.D., is among four CSU faculty members to receive part of a research grant for $865,884 to help the state of California effectively manage its ever-changing coastline.
The California State University Council on Ocean Affairs, Science and Technology (COAST) has awarded $765,884 through its State Science Information Needs Program (SSINP) to four CSU faculty members and over 26 students at three different CSU campuses as well as collaborators at three institutions outside the CSU. All will be conducting research projects aimed at restoring, preserving, or minimizing nature and humankind鈥檚 impact on the state鈥檚 coasts, wetlands, and other aquatic resources.
The California Ocean Protection Council (OPC) awarded an additional $100,000 to 91吃瓜 for a total of $865,884. Between the OPC grant and their $200,350 portion of the COAST grant, a total of $300,350 is earmarked for the 91吃瓜 project.聽
Entitled 鈥淚mproved Mitigation Frameworks,鈥� the project will concentrate on aquatic areas that are of particular concern such as kelp and oyster beds, salt marshes, and sandy beaches.
The 91吃瓜 two-year research project, which is just beginning, is aimed at identifying the best ways to compensate for damage to the California coast from climate change, development-driven habitat loss/fragmentation, or natural disasters like fires, mudslides or earthquakes.
鈥淭he philosophy we鈥檝e built up over the last 40 years is to first and foremost, avoid injury to the coast,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淏ut sometimes, a road has to be expanded or there鈥檚 an oil spill or a natural disaster like a wildfire. Ideally, you restore the lost resource with something identical or very similar鈥攁n 鈥榠n-kind鈥� mitigation. For example, you restore a wetland with another wetland. But sometimes that鈥檚 not possible, in which case we are left with an 鈥榦ut-of-kind鈥� mitigation.鈥澛�
Researchers will investigate the best 鈥渙ut-of-kind鈥� mitigation projects to replace damage to the coast. 鈥淥ut-of-kind鈥� mitigation or compensation is becoming much more common than 鈥渋n-kind鈥� mitigation across our dynamic California coast.
鈥淚f we鈥檙e on the east coast or we鈥檙e on the gulf coast, there are a gazillion wetlands because their coastline is flat, but California鈥檚 wetlands are like little pearl necklaces,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淲e have a baby coastline, so our wetlands are small and scattered along a mostly steep, cliff-filled shoreline. If there is damage to Malibu Lagoon, for example, there aren鈥檛 nearby wetlands where we can compensate by restoring another wetland.鈥澛�
If a kelp bed is destroyed, for example, by a power plant, it could endanger kelp bass, so an out-of-kind mitigation might involve creating a rocky reef or fish hatchery where young kelp bass could thrive, away from that power plant鈥檚 intake.聽
There are two kinds of damage that happen to the California coast: 1) acute damage such as a wildfire, oil spill or mudslide that happens every so often; or 2) chronic damage such as sea level rise owing to climate change, or human coastal development which happen continuously.聽
鈥淪ea level rise is happening so fast,鈥� Anderson said. 鈥淭he beaches are disappearing more and more quickly, and with our degraded world, it鈥檚 getting harder and harder to find places where we can do this sort of restoration.鈥澛�
Anderson and co-researcher UCLA Professor Emeritus of Environmental Earth Sciences Richard Ambrose, Ph.D., will assemble experts from some of the CSU and University of California (UC) campuses as well as teams of student researchers from UC and CSU campuses around the state.聽
All research teams will consult with state of California agencies such as the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. (CDFW) so that the results are as useful as possible to the state.
鈥淭he California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) is pleased that COAST has funded a suite of projects designed to fill critical data gaps and improve the state鈥檚 understanding of the role of artificial reefs in marine mitigation programs,鈥� said CDFW Director Charlton H. Bonham. 鈥淲e value and appreciate the ability to work with COAST to identify priority research needs and look forward to collaborating with the research projects as they proceed.鈥澛�