Floodplains are incredibly important ecosystems, supporting rich and productive habitat and offering natural flood solutions. Healthy, intact rivers enhance resilience to storm events, seasonal shifts in snow melt and increased rainfall. As impacts from climate change increase, floodplains can provide vital solutions that reduce the risk of flood damage to human lives and infrastructure. River management infrastructure, such as levees, dams and armoring, have disconnected river systems and diminished salmon populations, often without effectively reducing flood risk. In contrast, healthy floodplains absorb excess water and provide thriving habitat for ecologically, culturally and economically significant species. Much of Washington State’s floodplain health has been diminished by commercial and residential development, leaving its floodplains in need of protection and restoration.

Olivia’s research is in collaboration with Floodplains by Design, a public-private partnership between the Department of Ecology, Puget Sound Partnership and The Nature Conservancy. The program’s goal is to support diverse communities and stakeholders in providing integrated and holistic nature-based solutions to flood management and habitat restoration. Olivia is working with The Nature Conservancy to assess how Floodplains by Design can best support Tribal communities and how the program can better evaluate measures of success by incorporating Indigenous land management perspectives and values.

Olivia and a research partner will be interviewing Tribal natural resource managers to understand their experience with flooding and loss of culturally significant species; to understand their views on resilience, wellbeing and adaptation; and to center their perspectives regarding what healthy floodplains and a thriving community look like in the face of climate change. The goal of this research is to identify measurements of success that should be included in the Floodplains by Design impact evaluations framework and to elevate environmental justice directly associated with Indigenous peoples within the program. There is also potential for this work to be applied more broadly to floodplain management programs throughout the state.

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