NCCOS scientists recently visited the Navy Base Ventura County (NBVC) to explore the use of nature-based solutions (NBS) on the Naval Base. Located 55 miles northwest of Los Angeles, California, NBVC is persistently disrupted by flooding and erosion of sediment, and coastal vulnerabilities are expected to increase as the climate changes. NCCOS scientists were joined by installation personnel, resource managers, scientists, engineers, landscape architects, resilience planners and stakeholders at the NVBC for this meeting.
Facilitated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ (USACE) Engineering With Nature® (EWN®) Program, the meeting was an opportunity for participants to share and learn information around how natural infrastructure can reduce risk and enhance coastal resilience at NBVC. The group visited several potential project sites around the base, collaboratively explored different NBS project ideas, and identified the potential science needed to inform projects.
An NCCOS research ecologist shared lessons learned from current research on monitoring and evaluation of coastal NBS project performance over time, which can be used to guide the implementation of projects. Scientists from two NCCOS Effects of Sea Level Rise Program projects also presented their work: beneficial use of dredged sediment to raise marsh elevations, and the importance of regional level coordination for sediment and water management in California’s Los Angeles County.
The discussions from this meeting will be used to identify future NBS opportunities at the NBVC, including identifying opportunities to support science to inform project designs, as well as demonstration projects and full-scale implementation. Foundational science supported by EWN® and NCCOS are likely to inform and guide work at the base.