Reviewing Sediment Management Guidelines

Convening a trusted, independent review on behalf of the State to promote scientific rigor and accuracy in sediment management.

A TRUSTED PARTNER FOR ENSURING SCIENTIFICALLY INFORMED MANAGEMENT GUIDELINES

The California Natural Resources Agency (CNRA) came to Ocean Science Trust to design and implement an independent review of draft guidance for understanding and dealing with biological impacts due to sediment management activities along our coastline. Sediment management is an important, but difficult topic to address. This document is important to helping managers understand biological impacts because these environments are so important. Beach and near-shore environments are often heavily visited by humans and critical to local economies and can also provide critical habitat and play an important functional role in the ecosystem.   CNRA wants to make sure that the science used to inform these guidelines is rigorous and accurately applied.

TAILORED REVIEW FOR EVALUATING AN IMPORTANT, BUT UNCERTAIN SUBJECT

Ocean Science Trust, created a review process that targeted an overall assessment of the scientific basis for the document, rather than a traditional line item review.   The Biological Impacts Analysis is a large body of information meant to catalogue, describe and propose mitigation for all possible biological impacts due to sediment management activities- from impacts to Snowy Plover nesting to impacts to marine invertebrates due to increased water turbidity. However, there is a relative lack of information about biological impacts due to sediment management activities in beach and nearshore environments. Therefore, our review process and scope reflects this unique document and subject matter.

DEFINITIVE REVIEW FROM LEADING SCIENTIFIC EXPERTS

Ocean Science Trust assembled a team of reviewers, leading experts within the fields of beach and nearshore ecosystem ecology, with experience in California’s unique coastline, to participate on the review team. This review will result in a summary report of the reviewers findings delivering a definitive, independent look at the scientific basis for this guidance document. CNRA plans to use this review to determine next steps for the Biological Impacts Analysis. The review summary report will be available early summer.

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