The final workshop for the “Planning for Sea Level Rise in the Matanzas Basin” project is scheduled for Monday, September 8, 2014, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. To give participants a chance to interact with project leaders, registration time slots are available each half hour from 10:30am to 12:30pm. The event will be held at Whitney Lab for Marine Biosciences, 9505 Ocean Shore Boulevard in the Town of Marineland.

The final workshop will be held in an open house format. Groups will move through stations to learn about the different components of the project, ask questions, and provide feedback. Project team members and community partners will give presentations. The topics are:

1. Project overview
2. Local values of the Matanzas Basin
3. Sea level rise impacts on the GTM properties
4. Sea level rise impacts on St. Augustine, Palm Coast and Barrier Islands
5. Potential adaptation strategies for St. Augustine, Palm Coast and Barrier Islands
6. Conservation priorities for sea level adaptation and eco-protection
7. Future development scenarios
8. Additional potential sea level rise adaptation strategies for GTM
9. Adaptive capacity and readiness
10. Ways everyone can be involved

The final workshop is the culmination of several phases of public input over the past three years. The first phase included stakeholder workshops to residents, youth, and professional groups. The research team presented the science of sea level rise, localizing impacts to the Matanzas basin and the surrounding region. Input was gathered from participants about area attributes through a visioning exercise and adaptation strategy preferences with participation in a role play game.

The second phase of public input was the multi-stakeholder workshop. The focus was the intersection between sea level rise, land conservation priorities, and future land development in the region. Part of the process involved the group contemplating the design of conservation corridors to protect habitats of various species whose future would be impacted by sea level rise and development practices. Using a land density exercise, workshop participants were also given the opportunity to envision the degree of density future residents in the area would need to congregate, in order to ensure the availability of natural habitat.

The upcoming event is free with light refreshments provided. To register, visit https://matanzasbasin.eventbrite.com.