Meeting Details

Virtual Symposium: Coarse Grain Beach Webinar

United States

The State Coastal Conservancy and the Exploratorium are hosting a virtual conference on Coarse Grain Beaches as a natural intervention for shoreline resilience. This is a public symposium open to everyone. 

Friday, November 13, from 3 pm–5 pm. PST. Registration can be accessed through this link.

Throughout the San Francisco Bay area, environmental planners, agencies, and local landowners are confronting the rapid change and erosion of the shoreline, a coastal hazard exacerbated by the effects of climate change including sea level rise and increased storms. One potential adaptation to help address the problem is the restoration of coarse grain (e.g., gravel and cobble) beaches that can act as ‘living shorelines’ and replace or be used in combination with traditional “hard” solutions such as riprap or stabilized levees. Beaches were historically present in San Francisco Bay and can offer habitat for a variety of wildlife as well as shoreline protection that helps reduce wave energy and erosion.

The purpose of the symposium will be to discuss the emerging need for coarse beaches, the environmental and physical benefits that they have the potential to provide, and the challenges and opportunities associated with their design and implementation.

Featured projects and speakers include:

  • Brett Milligan from UC Davis and Dredge Research Collaborative
  • Julie Beagle from San Francisco Estuary Institute
  • Eden Gravel Beach, presented by Tim Clark from SCAPE Landscape Architecture
  • Heron’s Head, presented by Eddie Divita from Environmental Science Associates
  • India Basin, presented by Katherine Liss and Hannah Vondrak from GGN, and Blake Jopling from Rana Creek