In August 2024, BCDC’s community came together as a region for the first Rising Together: The Bay Adapt Summit at the Exploratorium!

Rising Together was a dynamic and immersive sea level rise summit that engaged the public in inspiring panels, keynotes, tours, activities, and workshops designed to forge partnerships and drive action. BCDC set out to design a dynamic event that inspired Bay Area communities to learn more about sea level rise challenges and support resilience efforts in their own neighborhoods. So in partnership with Greenbelt Alliance and the Exploratorium, BCDC gathered together climate change practitioners, scientists, activists, and other members of the public to celebrate sea level rise adaptation and the latest climate actions across the region.

The inaugural Bay Adapt Summit included optional morning shoreline tours—each led by one of BCDC’s four amazing community organization partners—that took participants on a journey of sea level rise risks and solutions to see first hand some of the resilience strategies at key shoreline sites like Islais Creek, where the Port of San Francisco and U.S. Army Corps shared their draft flood management plan, and North Richmond and Oakland, where community-based projects highlighted local adaptation efforts. Meanwhile at the Exploratorium, participants joined Mycelium Youth Network for a Gaming For Justice Dungeons and Dragons activity.

Following the morning tours, participants gathered back at the Exploratorium where BCDC engaged participants in an overview of the Bay Area’s adaptation progress and community-led discussions on how to create equitable strategies for sea level rise efforts for Bay Area communities and future generations. Keta Price from Hood Planning Group, Violet Saena from Climate Resilient Communities, and Naama Raz-Yaseef from The Watershed Project came together to share their experiences creating equitable strategies for sea level rise efforts in East Oakland, East Palo Alto, and North Richmond in a conversation facilitated by KQED’s Ezra David Romero.

Then, Rising Together continued into breakout sessions where leaders and experts from around the region offered participants a choice of in-depth topics:

1. Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan: A presentation on the Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan (RSAP), covering the next steps for guidance around coordinated shoreline adaptation.
2. Private Sector Innovation: A panel exploring how public-private partnerships can help design, fund, and implement shoreline adaptation projects.
3. Nature-Based Solutions: A case study presentation from Palo Alto Baylands that illustrated multi-benefit, community-focused climate resilience projects.
4. Indigenous Knowledge in Adaptation: A session emphasizing Indigenous ecological knowledge, focusing on trust-building and collaboration with tribal communities for adaptation planning.
5. Tour of Exploratorium Sea Level Rise exhibits: A deep dive into the adaptation work that the Exploratorium is working on.