The Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL) has released the Fall Forum Synthesis report, based on HSIL’s 2024 forum focused on sea level rise and habitat protection and restoration.

The Synthesis Report describes challenges, opportunities, and recommendations to improve habitat resiliency in the face of sea level rise.  

In October 2024, the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead (HSIL) hosted the 2-day in person Fall Forum: Planning for sea level rise and climate related hazards to nearshore habitat in Puget Sound that brought together over 200 planners, scientists, policy experts, and restoration practitioners from across Puget Sound to discuss coastal resilience in the face of sea level rise (SLR), with a specific focus on the protection and restoration of nearshore habitats and the biodiversity they support. A recording of presentations on Day 1 and a recording of presentations on Day 2 are available on the Washington Dept. of Fish and Wildlife YouTube site. Select slide presentations from speakers are also available.   

Key Takeaways from the Forum

The Forum emphasized the urgent need to adapt habitat protection and restoration efforts to a changing climate and identified paths forward through policy, collaboration, and innovation.   

• Forum participants agreed that SLR is already reshaping Puget Sound’s nearshore ecosystems—particularly river deltas, beaches, and eelgrass meadows—and that the phenomenon of coastal squeeze is a critical concern. Shoreline development and infrastructure continue to limit habitat migration, threatening ecological function and long-term resilience.   
• A key insight from the Forum was that current state and local regulatory frameworks—including the Shoreline Management Act, Growth Management Act, and the Hydraulic Code—do not sufficiently address climate-related risks. Local governments, especially in urban areas with limited space for retreat or restoration, face unique constraints and require stronger policy guidance, funding, and technical support.   
• Shoreline armoring remains a central barrier to resilience. Forum discussions emphasized the need to expand outreach, enforcement, and incentive programs to reduce reliance on hard infrastructure. This was underscored through conversations about the persistence of outdated perceptions about its protective value and the ongoing installation of non-compliant armor (armor that does not comply with the existing project permit), unpermitted armor (armor installed without obtaining a permit but potentially can receive one), and illegal armor (unpermitted construction that likely would not have a received a permit).    
• Participants emphasized that coordinated, cross-sector action is essential. Resilient shoreline planning must integrate habitat values from the outset, bringing together infrastructure, health, housing, and ecological priorities into shared strategies. The Forum also highlighted the importance of centering equity in all aspects of SLR planning—ensuring that Tribal governments, frontline communities, and under-resourced jurisdictions are meaningfully supported and included.  

Top Sea Level Rise Research Questions  

The Forum was also a venue to solicit feedback on a draft sea level rise research agenda for Puget Sound. Prior to the Forum, the University of Washington Puget Sound Institute (PSI) curated a list of 45 information gaps and barriers about the effects of sea level rise on Puget Sound’s nearshore habitats and options for managing those effects. During the Forum, attendees were asked to vote on the four research questions they thought were the most important information barriers to planning and decision making. Attendees were also invited to refine the list by suggesting edits and new research needs. The questions that received the most votes were:   

• Is Washington’s current shoreline permitting environment amenable to sea level rise response options? How might the state and federal regulatory environment change in response to sea level rise? Are there legal or political risks for local governments associated with acting (or not acting) to address sea level rise?   
• What are the total costs (including permitting, utilities, etc.) and time commitments to elevate or relocate homes, buildings, roads and other types of infrastructure? When is it cost-effective compared to the other approaches?   
• What is the economic value of a functioning nearshore environment? How will sea level rise and potential loss of nearshore habitats impact those ecosystem services and their value?  

What’s Next?  

The Forum’s outcomes will shape adaptive management of the Habitat Implementation Strategies, with a particular focus on the Shoreline Armoring Implementation Strategy and inform updates to the 2026-2030 Action Agenda for Puget Sound. Additionally, the Habitat Strategic Initiative Lead Advisory Team will review these insights and consider strategies and investments that are needed to advance the region’s collective capacity for coastal resilience. Based on the feedback collected during the Forum, PSI will revise the research questions in the Grand Uncertainties Matrix, a repository of research needs related to the Implementation Strategies.   

For questions related to the Forum Report please contact:  

• Matt Lurie - Matthew.Lurie (at) dfw.wa.gov  
• Rebecca Brown - Rebecca.Brown (at) dnr.wa.gov  

For questions related to the HSIL Program please contact:  

• Jennifer Griffiths - WDFW HSIL Policy Lead - Jennifer.Griffiths (at) dfw.wa.gov  
• Julie Ann Koehlinger - DNR HSIL Policy Lead - JulieAnn.Koehlinger (at) dnr.wa.gov