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Climate Resilience Element Community Survey - Now Open!
The City of Walla Walla’s Climate Resilience Community Survey is open now, providing an opportunity for community members to share their input on priorities for the new Climate Resilience Element.
With increasing climate impacts such as extreme heat, drought, flooding, and wildfire risks, community feedback is essential in shaping strategies to enhance resilience. The survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and will help inform new goals and policies. This survey is also available in Spanish.
We appreciate your time and input in helping build a more climate-resilient Walla Walla.
Click the link to take the survey: Walla Walla Climate Resilience Community Survey
Climate Resilience Planning
The City of Walla Walla is in the process of updating its Comprehensive Plan. A part of that update includes developing a Climate Element. In 2023, the Washington State Legislature signed House Bill 1181 into law, adding a climate goal to the Growth Management Act (GMA), requiring local comprehensive plans to include a Climate Element. These Climate Elements must maximize economic, environmental, and social co-benefits while prioritizing environmental justice to prevent increasing environmental health disparities.
What is Environmental Justice?
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) describes environmental justice as ensuring fair treatment and meaningful participation of all individuals, regardless of their income, race, color, national origin, Tribal affiliation, or disability, in decisions made by agencies and other federal activities that impact human health and the environment. Environmental justice seeks to:
- Protect individuals from disproportionate negative health and environmental effects, including those linked to climate change, cumulative environmental burdens, and the historical impacts of racism and systemic inequities.
- Ensure equal access for everyone to a healthy, sustainable, and resilient environment, where they can live, work, learn, play, worship, and engage in cultural and subsistence practices.
What will Walla Walla's Climate Element include?
The City of Walla Walla Climate Element will focus on climate resilience, addressing the following Washington State Department of Commerce requirements below:
Requirement 1: Address Natural Hazards
Plan for risks caused or worsened by climate change in Walla Walla, such as:
- Extreme heat
- Wildfire and wildfire smoke
- Drought
- Flooding and extreme precipitation
Requirement 2: Protect and Enhance Natural Areas
- Safeguard and enhance natural spaces in Walla Walla to build climate resilience, while preserving critical habitats that support safe wildlife migration.
Requirement 3: Strengthen Community Resilience
- Focus on social, economic, and built-environment factors in Walla Walla that help communities adapt to climate impacts, with a strong emphasis on advancing environmental justice.
Want to Get Involved?
During the development of the City’s Climate Resilience Element, there will be many opportunities for community feedback on what the City should prioritize within the element. Our timeline of current engagement activities is available below. We welcome your input and feedback! Specific dates and links will be added soon.
Climate Policy Advisory Team (CPAT)
To help the City develop the Climate Element, a group of community members, City leaders, and staff has been assembled. This group provides valuable input on findings from the Climate Element, offers suggestions for draft goals and policies, and shares insights with the City and project team on engagement opportunities.
CPAT Members
|
Title |
Name |
|
Sustainability Committee Chair |
Ann Johnson |
|
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) - Water Policy Analyst |
Chris Marks |
|
Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) - Climate Adaptation Planner |
Colleen Sanders |
|
Public Works Stormwater Coordinator |
Dara Osborne |
|
Planning Commission Chair |
Emily Brown |
|
Sustainable Living Center Director |
Erendira Cruz |
|
Fire Chief |
Eric Wood |
|
YMCA Youth and Government President |
Ingrid Iverson |
|
Community Development Block Grant Coordinator |
Lydia Caudill |
|
City Council member |
Monte Willis |
Project Documents
Funding Acknowledgment
The City of Walla Walla Climate Element is supported with funding from Washington’s Climate Commitment Act (CCA). The CCA supports Washington’s climate action efforts by putting cap-and-invest dollars to work reducing climate pollution, creating jobs, and improving public health. Information about the CCA is available at www.climate.wa.gov.