08/28/2026
The Monterey Bay region, home to a spectacular and productive ecosystem, faces catastrophic climate-driven events, including river flooding, ocean storm surges, and increasingly severe wildfires. Recent disasters underscore the urgent need for action. The 2020 CZU Complex Fire burned 87,000 acres, forced 70,000 evacuations, and impacted 20% of the San Lorenzo River watershed. In 2023, Pajaro River flooding displaced nearly 3,000 residents from a vulnerable community, and ocean storm surges caused over $40 million in damages to local infrastructure. Many communities and critical infrastructure are extremely vulnerable.
Recognizing the shared risks, the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation (CMSF) brought together dozens of government agencies, educational institutions, resource districts, and nonprofits to propose a unified, region-wide approach to climate resilience. This collective commitment led to CMSF being awarded a transformational $71.1 million Climate Resilience Regional Challenge grant from NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management in Fall 2024. This grant enables a coalition of nearly 30 partners to implement the “Climate Resilient Monterey Bay” program.
Climate Resilient Monterey Bay focuses on nature-based strategies and collective action to address high-priority climate risks in low-lying, coastal communities threatened by sea level rise, storm surge, and flooding along the San Lorenzo, Pajaro, Salinas, and Carmel rivers, as well as wildfire in their watersheds.
Follow along to see what we’ve accomplished so far!💪
