Pew proposes estuary-focused working group to inform California's 30x30 coastal criteria

Joss Hill of The Pew Charitable Trusts presented an opportunity for the monitoring work group to contribute to California's coastal 30x30 process by forming an estuary-focused technical working group. Hill described the coastal strand as led by the Ocean Protection Council and clarified that the coastal waters process includes bays but excludes coastal wetlands in the current framing.

She said 30x30 began with a 2020 executive order and that much of the state's pathways document has been codified into law. A technical advisory panel is drafting evaluation criteria for what counts as a conserved area; Hill said a draft of those criteria is expected in June, followed by regional workshops in July, August and September, and encouraged the work group to prepare evidence-based responses.

The proposed estuary working group would develop recommendations about what elements the criteria should include for estuaries (for example, estuary types, the primary threats, appropriate management interventions and indicators of ecological condition), assemble a short list of spatial management measures that could meet the conserved-area definition, and help coordinate public comment. Pew and partner Coastal Policy Solutions offered limited stipends and GIS support for the group.

Several attendees expressed interest; Kevin and Jan suggested circulating slides and contact information through the CEMW listserv so the proposal reaches a broader set of estuary practitioners. Hill said the group would meet before the draft criteria are released to align on evidence needs and would reconvene afterward to refine consolidated recommendations for public comment.