To: Board of Supervisors
From: John Kopchik, Director, Conservation and Development
Report Title: RECOGNIZE participants in the 2026 Contra Costa County Tree Plan Academy and 2026 Contra Costa County Shoreline Leadership Academy.
☒Recommendation of the County Administrator ☐ Recommendation of Board Committee
RECOMMENDATIONS:
ADOPT resolution recognizing participants in the 2026 Contra Costa County Tree Plan Academy and 2026 Contra Costa County Shoreline Leadership Academy.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no fiscal impact associated with recognizing participants in the two academies. The costs of sponsoring the two academies were covered by grants.
BACKGROUND:
This year, the County for the first time hosted two learning academies for County residents focused on priority issues in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan. Community response to these opportunities was strong, with over 80 people applying for the Tree Plan Academy and 101 people applying for the Shoreline Leadership Academy.
Tree Plan Academy
On April 2, 2024, the Board of Supervisors authorized the Conservation and Development Director, or designee, to apply for and accept, if awarded, an Integrated Climate Adaptation and Resiliency Program, Extreme Heat and Community Resilience Grant, Round 1, in the amount of $750,000, from the Governor’s Office of Planning and Research (subsequently renamed the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation). The grant was awarded and received in 2025. The purpose of the grant is to develop an Urban Forest Management Plan, or Tree Plan.
An important part of the Tree Plan development process is community engagement. As part of the grant, the County partnered with The Watershed Project, a community-based organization, to develop and deliver a Tree Plan Academy for County residents. The purpose of the Academy was to bring together community members to help shape the Tree Plan while also educating them about the benefits of trees, how to plant and maintain trees, and the many considerations that local governments face in establishing and caring for trees.
Over 80 County residents applied to participate in the Tree Plan Academy. Given this robust response, staff created two cohorts - East and West - to accommodate the high demand. 25 County residents completed the five-month Tree Plan Academy. This included two in-person meetings and three online sessions. Academy participants were enthusiastic about the opportunity to learn and become more involved in their communities.
Shoreline Leadership Academy
The County was approached by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) about launching a Shoreline Leadership Academy for Contra Costa County residents, building upon the model developed for the Oakland Shoreline Leadership Academy and BCDC’s Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan. The project team was cooperatively led by BCDC and the County, in partnership with the Delta Stewardship Council, The Watershed Project, the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, and the Exploratorium.
The goal of the Contra Costa County Shoreline Leadership Academy was to build the capacity of residents in the communities along the County’s shoreline to support the development of the Contra Costa Resilient Shoreline Plan by offering training and learning opportunities focused on the shoreline, climate change, sea level rise, and planning processes. The Contra Costa Resilient Shoreline Plan will be adopted by the County, according to state law, and will help shoreline communities prepare for and adapt to the impacts of rising sea levels.
101 Contra Costa County residents applied to participate in the Shoreline Leadership Academy. 21 residents completed the Shoreline Leadership Academy and graduated in June. The cohort participated in 12 sessions over the course of six months, for four hours every other Saturday, including eight field trips to various locations along the Contra Costa shoreline.
Some key information presented to participants included:
• Contra Costa County has 90 miles of shoreline that stretches from the San Francisco Bay to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and includes eight shoreline cities.
• The County is home to 1.16 million residents and approximately half of these residents live in cities or unincorporated communities along the shoreline.
• The threat of more frequent and severe flooding from climate change extends to a variety of built and natural infrastructure including homes, businesses, four refineries, railroads, wastewater facilities, and agriculture.
• Most of the County’s environmental justice communities are along the shoreline.
• A 2023 report by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Governments estimated that $13 billion is needed to pay for adaptation in Contra Costa County alone.
• It will cost the County more to do nothing.
CONSEQUENCE OF NEGATIVE ACTION:
Failure to recognize the participants in the Tree Plan Academy and Shoreline Leadership Academy will result in a lost opportunity to recognize County residents who have demonstrated interest and commitment in helping further the County’s goals for healthy, vibrant communities.
The Board of Supervisors of Contra Costa County, California
body
IN THE MATTER OF 2026 Contra Costa County Tree Plan Academy and 2026 Contra Costa County Shoreline Leadership Academy
WHEREAS, the County in 2024 received an Extreme Heat and Community Resilient Grant from the Governor’s Office of Land Use and Climate Innovation to develop an Urban Forest Management Plan, or Tree Plan, an important component of which is community engagement, and
WHEREAS, the County was approached in 2025 by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission (BCDC) about launching a Shoreline Leadership Academy for Contra Costa County residents, building upon the model developed for the Oakland Shoreline Leadership Academy and BCDC’s Regional Shoreline Adaptation Plan, funded by an Ocean Protection Council Grant, and
WHEREAS, in 2026, Contra Costa County for the first time hosted two learning academies for County residents focused on priority issues in the Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, and
WHEREAS, community response to these opportunities was strong, with over 80 people applying for the Tree Plan Academy and 101 people applying for the Shoreline Leadership Academy, and
WHEREAS, the County partnered with The Watershed Project, a community-based organization, to develop and deliver a Tree Plan Academy for County residents, the purpose of which was to bring together community members to help shape the Tree Plan while also educating them about the benefits of trees, how to plant and maintain trees, and the many considerations that local governments face in establishing and caring for trees, and
WHEREAS, the Tree Plan Academy brings residents’ lived knowledge into the planning process, by creating a space for residents and project partners to learn together about urban forestry and County decision making, and by building community capacity for continued involvement in the Tree Plan and future urban forestry efforts, and
WHEREAS, the County cooperatively led the Resilient Shoreline Academy with the San Francsico Bay Conservation and Development Commission, in partnership with the Delta Stewardship Council, The Watershed Project, the Contra Costa Resource Conservation District, and the Exploratorium, the goal of which was to build the capacity of residents in the communities along the County’s shoreline to support the development of the Contra Costa Resilient Shoreline Plan by offering training and learning opportunities focused on the shoreline, climate change, sea level rise, and planning processes, and
WHEREAS, the Resilient Shoreline Participants learned that:
• Contra Costa County has 90 miles of shoreline that stretches from the San Francisco Bay to the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta and includes eight shoreline cities.
• The County is home to 1.16 million residents and approximately half of these residents live in cities or unincorporated communities along the shoreline.
• The threat of more frequent and severe flooding from climate change extends to a variety of built and natural infrastructure including homes, businesses, four refineries, railroads, wastewater facilities, and agriculture.
• Most of the County’s environmental justice communities are along the shoreline.
• A 2023 report by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission/Association of Bay Area Governments estimated that $13 billion is needed to pay for adaptation in Contra Costa County alone.
• It will cost the County more to do nothing.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED:
That the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors recognizes the participants in the Tree Plan Academy and the Resilient Shoreline Academy, thanks them for their contributions to the Tree Plan and the Resilient Shoreline Plan, and encourages them to continue engaging in programs and projects that improve the quality of life and the environment in Contra Costa County.
end