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Welcome to the Stinson Beach ARC
What sea level rise adaptation options are available to the Stinson Beach community? What would they look like, and what are their associated benefits and drawbacks? These are the guiding questions for the Stinson Adaptation and Resilience Collaboration (“Stinson ARC”), which builds upon Marin County’s C-SMART sea level rise planning process started in 2016. Backed by grant funding from the California Ocean Protection Council, this project will include substantial engagement and outreach to community stakeholders and Stinson Beach users throughout the project, including groups that have traditionally lacked coastal access in Marin County. The Stinson ARC project will employ a technical assessment of cost, environmental impact, governance feasibility, and social impact of adaptation strategies to address vulnerable community infrastructure and resources. These strategies will then be grouped into “adaptation pathways”, or logical progressions of smaller actions to reach a larger adaptation goal, that will identify key timing and decision points in the near, medium, and long-term for Stinson stakeholders and the community.
Stinson ARC recently funded a study by Point Blue Conservation Science estimating that Stinson Beach received over 3 million visitors between 2017-2021. This project will employ significant community engagement and a data-driven approach to evaluate adaptation options that can help ensure Stinson Beach remains available and accessible to all.
News & Updates
Check back regularly for project updates, opportunities to engage with the project team, and give feedback.
What is Stinson ARC?
The Stinson Beach Adaptation and Resilience Collaboration (Stinson ARC) is Marin County Community Development Agency’s (CDA) next step in addressing growing risks from sea-level rise. Working with experts and the public, we are conducting a science-based investigation that will consider a variety of potential strategies to address coastal hazards at Stinson Beach that can be implemented in the short (10 years), medium (30 years) and long (80 years) term. These strategies will examine the cost-effectiveness, environmental and social impacts, and ability to implement each to reach a larger adaptation goal. The final proposed pathways will be a set of non-regulatory recommendations that include key timing and decision points for Stinson stakeholders and the community. Stinson ARC is funded by the California Ocean Protection Council Proposition 68 grant program.
What are the project goals?
- Update and expand the 2016 Stinson Beach Vulnerability Assessment and 2018 Sea Level Rise Adaptation Report with the latest available science.
- Identify strategic climate solutions and informed adaptation decisions in the face of rising seas and increased erosion.
- Support coastal habitat resilience and equitable public access to the coast.
- Produce an ecological, economic, engineering, and social equity analysis of how different adaptation strategy scenarios perform through time at Stinson.
- Provide a planning and assessment framework to aid Stinson stakeholders in developing and pursuing funding strategies for adaptation projects.
Who will be engaged?
The time is now to work with the public to plan for this quickly approaching emergency that is sea level rise. Marin County has been engaging with Stinson stakeholders to study flood vulnerability and mitigation alternatives for years, and will expand these efforts through the Stinson ARC over the next two years with substantial public engagement and outreach to beach users and groups that previously have had limited involvement in coastal planning in Marin County. Our aim is to build broader awareness of the possibilities and limitations of sea level rise adaptation strategies, and highlight the benefits of diverse stakeholder input and collaboration.
What is the timeline?
The Stinson ARC project kicked off in the summer of 2022 and will conclude by summer of 2025. We plan to solicit feedback through popup workshops, surveys, stakeholder focus groups and public workshops. In addition, we will have regular coordination with the local community agencies during the two-year project. Sign up for the Stinson Study list to receive timely project updates and opportunities to participate.
Project Related Materials and Resources
- Download the Stinson ARC factsheet.
- 2022 Easkoot Creek flood study, which evaluated the individual and combined effects of riverine, coastal and groundwater flooding under existing and future sea level rise at the Golden Gate National Recreation Area’s (GGNRA) Stinson Beach property.
- 2021 Stinson Beach Nature-Based Adaptation Feasibility Study, which evaluated feasibility and benefits of dune restoration for habitat restoration and flood/erosion protection along the beach side of Stinson and Seadrift. Executive Summary, Full Technical Report, and project presentation recording.
- 2018 Marin Ocean Coast Sea Level Rise Adaptation Report, which identified high-level adaptation strategies and their costs for Marin coastal communities, including Stinson Beach.
- 2016 C-SMART Marin Ocean Coast Sea Level Rise Adaptation Report, which found that with no adaptation action several hundred Stinson homes may be at risk of to flooding from sea level rise as early as 2030, while vulnerable infrastructure like streets and utilities could impact even those with low flood exposure. In addition, wetland and beach loss threatens Stinson’s unique recreational opportunities and natural habitat.
Have any questions or comments? Interested in getting involved in the Stinson ARC project? Contact us at StinsonARC@marincounty.org.