Lots of folks talk about the need for shoreline strategies in the face of sea level rise.  Lots of folks talk about the need to engage the public in storm water control, wetlands conservation, and long-range planning for shoreline management.

In the city of Hampton, Virginia, they did something about it.

Over a year ago, Hampton started a process - Hampton Engages - that put a bunch of ordinary citizens in charge of their future along the shoreline.  Meeting for over a year, this Committee has come up with a vision for the city's future,a lot of good ideas, and a plan for making them happen.  Their draft report can be found HERE.

This process and the report is a model for stakeholder engagement on shoreline issues and sea level rise.  But none of this would have happened without Mayor Ward, the city council, and city staff making this a priority - don't fool yourselves: civic leadership is a must.  We have seen this in the Seattle, NY City, San Francisco Bay and other sea level rise planning efforts.

City of Hampton, give yourself a pat on the back for showing leadership on this issue.  Keep up with their progress by linking to the Hampton Engages website.