CHRN Lunch & Learn Series
Two-way knowledge exchange and networking
The Washington Coastal Hazards Resilience Network (CHRN) is excited to offer an ongoing, virtual Lunch & Learn series. The Lunch & Learn events provide a space for practitioners working in the coastal resilience realm to share a bit about their work, connect with other CHRN members, receive input from the group, and develop collaborative partnerships.
Port of Seattle’s AdaptSea Seattle Waterfront Resilience Partnership
Date: February 3, 2026 – 12:00 – 12:55 pm PT
Description: Danielle Butsick shares about the Port of Seattle’s AdaptSea Seattle Waterfront Resilience Partnership, which includes public infrastructure maagers and regulators on the Seattle shoreline. The Partnership recently released a StroyMap with sea level rise exposure modeling, along with recommendations for opportunities to work collaboratively toward sea level rise adaptation.
Registration is required.
Adaptation Pathways: Lessons and Successes from Santa Cruz, CA
Date: December 2, 2025 – 11:00 – 11:55 am PT
Description: Dr. Tiffany Wise-West, the Sustainability and Resiliency Officer at the City of Santa Cruz, California will be joining the CHRN for a discussion of Santa Cruz’s experience utilizing the adaptations planning pathways approach to managing the risks from their coastal hazards. The conversation will include tips for Washington communities looking ino this approach. Registration is required to attend this event.
Department of Ecology’s Applied Coastal Research and Engineering Team (ACRE)
Date: September 25th, 2025 – 11:00 – 11:55 am PT
Topic: Washington State Department of Ecology’s Applied Coastal Research and Engineering Section Overviews
Description: During this event, James Dietrich, Gabby Alampay, and Sam Giannakos will share information about Ecology’s ACRE section, and the services they provide through the Coastal Monitoring & Analysis Program (CMAP), the Shoreline Mapping Unit, and the Coastal Engineering Team.
Dr. Jennifer Atkinson
Date: May 20, 2025 – 11:00 – 11:55 am PT
Topic: Grief and Hope in a Climate Weary World – Navigating emotions in response to ecological loss
Description: Dr. Jennifer Atkinson, Professor of Environmental Humanities at the University of Washington Bothell and co-author of The Existential Toolkit for Climate Justice Educators, will facilitate a discussion on the emotional dimensions of climate change and ecological loss.
Presenters
Ellen Chappelka and Kevin Zerbe
Date: March 6, 2025 – 12:00 – 1:00 pm PT
Topic: Bolstering Resilience Through Hazard Mitigation Planning
Description: This is the first Lunch & Learn co-hosted by FloodplainByDesign and CHRN. Speakers, Ellen Chappelka and Kevin Zerbe from the Washington Emergency Management Division (EMD) presented on COHORT (an interagency team to address coastal hazards and coastal resilience across disciplines) and the Hazard Analysis & Resilience Planning (HARP) at EMD.
Recording of Ellen and Kevin’s discussion on the COHORT and EMD HARP programs. Slides are also available on the FbD Culture & Capacity webpage.
Jackson Blalock and Catherine Corbett
Date: November 19, 2024 – 11:00 am – 12:00 pm PT
Topic: Community-Driven Climate Resilience Projects Along the Lower Columbia River
Description: From 2021-24, workshops and related discussions identified local priorities, issues, and ideas for resilience to changing water levels along Baker Bay and Grays Bay. Catherine Corbett (Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership) and Jackson Blalock (Pacific Conservation District) will share the origins, methods, and outcomes of this work which advanced projects that address current and future issues related to sea level rise. To learn more about the project, visit this project page.
Chris Elder and Kurt Baumgarten
Date: September 17, 2024 – 1:00-2:00 pm PT
Topic: Whatcom County Compound Flood Vulnerability Assessment – A CoSMoS Use Case
Description: Kurt Baumgarten (Environmental Planner for the Port of Bellingham) and Chris Elder (Watershed Planner for Whatcom County’s Public Works Department) will present on Whatcom County’s Compound Flood Vulnerability Assessment. Kurt and Chris will talk about the process for completing this vulnerability assessment, the funding through the Department of Ecology, where the County is going with phase 2 of the grant, and touch on insights of the collaboration between the city, the county and the port. They will also discuss how they used CoSMoS data in the assessment, and how they plan to use it in Phase 2 for adaptation planning and policy.
Dr. Jamie Donatuto, Swinomish Indian Tribal Community
Date: March 7, 2024 – 12:00-12:50 pm PT
Topic: Indigenous community resilience and adaptation
Description: Dr. Jamie Donatuto, Environmental Health Analyst for the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community. Dr. Donatuto has worked for over two decades on the interconnections between ecological and socio-cultural health. Dr. Donatuto will talk about her work supporting Indigenous community resilience and adaptation and dive into the definition and perception of the word ‘resilience’.
Dr. Rishi Sugla, UW Climate Impacts Group
Date: Jan 25, 2024 – 12:00-1:00 pm PT
Topic: Frontline Community Resilience
Description: Dr. Rishi Sugla focuses on how storytelling, in the form of oral histories and documentary film, can be used as a co-production and engagement method that centers community. Rishi explores the motivations and background for this recently-funded work, before opening up the conversation to discuss some of the challenges and opportunities of bringing storytelling work as a methodology in adaptation research and practice.
Zoom meeting recording of Rishi Sugla’s presentation pending photo sharing permissions.
Dr. Ian Miller, Washington Sea Grant
Date: October 19, 2023
Topic: Puget Sound Parcel Scale Sea Level Rise Vulnerability Assessment