Specifications include, but are not limited to: TASK 1 - Data gathering and existing document review. The Consultant will collect all data needed to identify how boat launches in WDFW’s Region 4 are most likely to be affected by projected changes in streamflow due to climate change. WDFW Region 4 staff have extensive documentation of boat launch locations and associated amenities (e.g., restroom facilities, day-use facility infrastructure, parking lots, etc.). The Consultant will collect this information from staff. This includes understanding how streamflow changes may affect boat launches including ramps and supporting infrastructure as well as parking lot and restroom facilities at the site. TASK 2 – Staff and Capital Asset Management Team engagement. For a deeper understanding of the effects that climate change will have on the community, the Consultant will meet with and interview WDFW site-level staff familiar with weather-related impacts that pose challenges to the Region’s boat launches. These staff will also provide anecdotal insight to the efficacy of different management actions that have been implemented at boat sites in the Region. The Consultant will also gain information related to the various management challenges of these boat launches and factors that may limit the implementation of specific management actions (e.g., budget constraints, staff capacity limitations, in-stream dredging or sediment removal restrictions). TASK 3 – Boat Launch Climate Vulnerability Assessments. Building on insights from conversations with WDFW staff in Task 2, the Consultant will develop and conduct a relative climate vulnerability assessment of boat launches and associated infrastructure at highest risk from the negative effects of climate change – particularly projected increases in streamflow, winter flooding, and low flows in summer. The consultant will facilitate conversations with staff that utilize a matrix vulnerability evaluation (Figure 1) that is based on two factors (1) the public’s utilization of the boat launch, and (2) the impact of projected streamflow impacts on accessibility and use of the boat launch.
