Coastal Resilience Toolkit: Review of Coastal Action Plans in the Pacific Northwest

Coastal communities in the Pacific Northwest are facing growing environmental threats like flooding, rising sea levels, wildfires, and ocean changes. Local governments are in a strong position to act, but they also face compounding challenges such as limited resources, a lack of clear guidance, and the need to work across multiple priorities and jurisdictions. To support governments and communities working to improve resilience, we undertook a review of 70 coastal action plans (CAPs) across Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. Our aim was to understand where and how these plans are being used to respond to environmental challenges and develop resources that can be used to accelerate local action. From 2024 to 2025, we worked with partners along the Oregon coast to develop the study questions, scope the search, and develop this toolkit. The toolkit contains this report summarizing our analysis, a companion dataset, and a set of additional resources.