Blog Post

Regional Climate Action Planning for the North Olympic Peninsula

Climate Change Planning

In late 2020, NODC was awarded funding through the Puget Sound Partnership from the EPA's National Estuary Program forPhase 2: Municipal Level Climate Action Planning for the North Olympic Peninsula. Building on the 2015 Climate Change Preparedness Plan for the North Olympic Peninsula (CCP NOP), this project established regional adaptation and mitigation goals for the North Olympic Peninsula and developed specific climate action plans for local communities that integrate with the CCP NOP plan, local government comprehensive and shoreline master plans, and other relevant plans. The project was completed October 2022.


Regional and Local Climate Action Planning

Local governments, Tribes,and community stakeholders came together to agree on actionable, regional goals to address climate change. Specific outcomes included:

  • Region-wide actionable goals for action by all partners, summarized in the report Climate and Resiliency Planning on the North Olympic Peninsula (2022); 
  • Creation of a climate change planning “toolkit,” available online and for download, with sample decision-making checklists, code and regulations;
  • Development of local climate action or implementation plans for Clallam County, the Jamestown S’Klallam Tribe, Port Angeles and Port Townsend.

Why Is This Issue Important?

Local communities are already feeling the effects of climate change. Local governments must begin planning now to develop policies and infrastructure to prepare for projected effects such as sea level rise, extreme rain and snow events and increased wildfire risk.


Success Stories

Goals and strategies from Climate and Resiliency Planning on the North Olympic Peninsula developed by this project are already being incorporated into other plans that will lead to action at the local and regional level. In addition, issues raised during the planning meetings led directly to a regional effort to incorporate climate projections into hazard mitigation and emergency management plans, summarized in Natural Disaster Resiliency Planning on the North Olympic Peninsula: Final Report, and to a 3-day conference in November 2022 to begin developing a roadmap for a more resilient energy system on the Peninsula.


What You Can Do

Encourage local leaders to take the threat of climate change seriously and to plan for its effects. Join public planning efforts and work with others to develop concrete goals and strategies.


Future Opportunities

The project now enters a third phase, focused on development, funding and implementation of the adaptation strategies and actions that will prepare the North Olympic Peninsula for the changing climate.

Warming of the Elwha and other rivers as a result of climate change will affect salmon and other species.

Other Articles:

Energy Futures Conference

By Amy Nash • 17 May, 2023
NODC partnered with PNNL and regional stakeholders, including local governments, tribal communities, public utilities, and economic development agencies, on an Energy Futures Conference for the North Olympic Peninsula.

Marine Renewable Energy

By Amy Nash • 17 May, 2023
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) will explore the feasibility of Marine Renewable Energy (MRE) to increase grid resilience on the North Olympic Peninsula. As a partner on the project, NODC will build on previous regional planning processes for climate change adaptation, natural disaster resilience and energy to develop and lead a multi-criteria decision-making approach to engage communities and Tribes across the Peninsula in the project to identify needs and define important project metrics.

Broadband Initiative

By Pam Wennerberg • 30 Mar, 2021
NODC’s Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) 2016-2020 for the North Olympic Peninsula identified expansion of broadband access as critical to economic development in the region . While urban areas of the United States enjoy broadband speeds of up to 1 GB, geographically isolated and economically disadvantaged rural areas like the North Olympic Peninsula are being left behind. Large areas of the North Olympic Peninsula lack access to even minimum broadband speeds of 25 mbps. This makes it nearly impossible for students to use the internet for schoolwork, for employees to telework, or for farmers and small businesses to use new technologies and develop online marketing. Lack of access is particularly common in the sparsely populated, geographically rugged west end of the Olympic Peninsula. Surprisingly, though, even areas near or within the city limits of the Peninsula’s major towns can lack access. Attempts to address the situation have been challenged by the high costs of infrastructure in our rugged rural terrain and the need for a coordinated, collaborative and sustained effort. In March 2019, NODC worked with partners to present a two day regional broadband symposium that brought together local governments, tribes, Public Utility Districts, ports, internet service providers, funders, industry experts and the general public. Attended by 120 people, the symposium resulted in the formation of Broadband Action Teams in Jefferson County, Sequim, Port Angeles and greater Clallam County.
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