Resiliency: Not Just for the Climate

Future site of the City of Santa Cruz’s Climate Resilient Monterey Bay project - establishing a living shoreline at Main Beach, the most popular beach in Northern California. Nature-based solutions geared toward protecting precious resources (including historic roller coasters). Photo: Lauryn Cummins

When I first got hired as the Climate Resilience Grant Manager in October 2024 at CMSF, I took quite a pivot from my formal training and professional experience. My scientific background is in marine microbiology, specifically applied phycology—the study of algae. In my new role, I was shifting instead into another equally complex and often elusive subject…federal grant management.

I wasn't starting completely from scratch. In my previous role as a Phycologist/Contract Manager at a small business focused on sustainable algae-based bioproducts, I picked up considerable federal grant management experience. At a small business, you wear many hats…similar to a non-profit like CMSF! But, to be fully transparent, my world of microbes and subaward negotiations did not have much to do with climate adaptation and resiliency. So, like any good future employee, a couple of days before I began my first day of work, I googled ‘resilience’ - just to make sure I was fully up to speed. 

re·sil·ience

/rəˈzilēəns/

noun

• 1. the capacity to withstand or to recover quickly from difficulties; toughness. "The remarkable resilience of so many institutions."

The climate resilience grant work that I am managing is the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation’s monumental $71.1 million dollar NOAA federal grant, through the Climate Resilience Regional Challenge program, established as part of the Inflation Reduction Act passed in 2022. We lovingly call this effort Climate Resilient Monterey Bay. 

Climate Resilient Monterey Bay is a multi-collaborative, multi-project undertaking with over 30 different organizations involved.  This work will implement wildfire fuel reduction activities on over 7,150 acres, prescribed and cultural burning on over 100 acres, and restoration of 110 acres on the Pajaro River, 35 acres of marshland around Elkhorn Slough, and 10 acres of coastal dunes. Together, this will create quite the resilient facelift across Santa Cruz and Monterey Counties. 

This grant also meaningfully engages local indigenous groups, trains hundreds of residents in climate adaptation skills, establishes a revolving climate adaptation loan fund, and creates the Monterey Bay Climate Adaptation Action Network (MBCAAN) to ensure the work's longevity. 

Can’t help but smile when surrounded by native plants. Photo: Emily Franc

The depth and breadth of this impactful work can fill an entire blog - let alone a single blog post! And while fostering resilience in our natural lands and communities is the focal point of Climate Resilient Monterey Bay, I certainly didn’t expect when I entered this position that I would also be witnessing resiliency in our systems, my colleagues, and myself.

The beauty of federal funding is that while it can be administratively burdensome, so long as you follow the rules, it can be predictable and secure. But with a change in administration, our secure federal grant suddenly felt like it was getting a test of resiliency itself. About 4 months into my new position, our team and I were faced with so many unexpected uncertainties, fears, and decisions about how to navigate what once was a fairly predictable system.

These challenges prompted me to think about resilience, not just for the climate-focused projects, but for the people who encompass the work within them. What has felt like years has only been months, but the perseverance, grit, and teamwork I have seen not just from this grant, but across the conservation and environmental space, is what ignites and inspires me. 

Take, for instance, the tenacious staff and scientists at NOAA who have persevered through staffing shortages and changing guidelines, only to continue to provide the utmost care and attention to their work. Additionally, the monthly Community of Practice meetings between our program and our sister program, Climate Ready Workforce, to share resources, curriculum, and support, building capacity not just within a single project, but across the portfolio. And just recently on the local front, the central coast saw two major conservation and public access wins: the openings of the 6-acre Ensen Community Park in Salinas, and the 5,800-acre Cotoni-Coast Dairies National Monument, with over 9 miles of trails, in north Santa Cruz. Both projects, the result of extensive public-private partnerships, demonstrate achieved dreams overcoming numerous challenges and years of dedicated effort. 

When all is said and done, our collective strength and abilities as resilient stewards of our oceans and lands will be exactly what is needed to fight and protect ourselves from climate-fueled disasters. Today (**knocks on wood**), I can gladly say that Climate Resilient Monterey Bay is thriving and active, despite this roller coaster we have all been on this year. I look forward to watching the resilience of the effort continue to unfold in both ways: through the implementation of projects and through the spirit of the people protecting our communities and environment. Stay tuned to hear more about the amazing efforts and achievements thus far on this grant, as we approach our first year.

Our Climate Resilient Monterey Bay mascot? Photo: Lauryn Cummins

If you’re interested in learning more about Climate Resilient Monterey Bay, sign up for our MBCAAN’ections newsletter here and follow us on social media @montereybayaction.