ESA Presents at Restore America’s Estuaries’ 2026 Coastal & Estuarine Summit

ESA is pleased to sponsor and present at RAE’s 2026 Coastal & Estuarine Summit in San Francisco, California from September 22 – 25. ESA’s multidisciplinary team is excited to learn about new projects, share technical knowledge, network with other industry professionals, and engage with environmental leaders.

ESA’s team will be presenting at sessions, poster sessions, and leading field trips throughout the conference. We look forward to connecting with you.

Dane Behrens

Coastal Engineer and Hydrologist

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Melissa Carter

Restoration Engineer and Coasts and Estuaries Team Manager

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Eddie Divita

Hydrologist and Civil Engineer

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Daniel Elefant

Project Engineer

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Nick Garrity

Southern California Business Group Director

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Tierra Groff

Senior Wildlife Ecologist

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Daniel Huang

Hydrologist and Civil Engineer

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Michelle Orr, PE

Senior Restoration Engineer

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Bip Padrnos

Engineer and Hydrologist

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Jill Sunahara

Northern California Business Group Director

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Dave Tomasko

Watershed and Water Quality Director

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Michael Wessel

Senior Principal

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Louis White

Principal Coastal Engineer

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We’ll be speaking at the following panel discussions:

SESSIONS AND PRESENTATIONS

Coastal Restoration in California
Tuesday, September 22 | 04:00pm – 05:30pm
Presenter: Bip Padrnos

Regional Planning and Collaboration
Wednesday, September 23 | 08:30am – 10:00am
Presenter: Tierra Groff

The Shifting Regulatory Environment
Wednesday, September 23 |08:30am – 10:00am
Presenter: Michael Wessel

Restoring Puget Sound Estuary
Wednesday, September 23 | 08:30am – 10:00am
Presenter: Sky Miller

Managing Water Resources
Palo Alto Horizontal Levee Project – Lessons from Planning through Implementation
Wednesday, September 23 | 01:30pm – 03:00pm
Presenter: Melissa Carter  

Managing Water Resources
Effectiveness of a Regional Stormwater Treatment System
Wednesday, September 23 | 01:30pm – 03:00pm
Presenter: David Tomasko, Ph.D.

Regionally Advancing Living Shorelines in San Francisco Bay: Incubator and Coalition Approach to Building Capacity for Nature-Based Design
Wednesday, September 23 | 03:30pm – 05:00pm
Presenter: Dane Behrens

I to I: Taking Nature-Based Shoreline Projects From Idea to Implementation in San Francisco Bay
Thursday, September 24 | 08:30am- 10:00am
Presenter: Eddie Divita

Cutting Green Tape at Scale: Pioneering Streamlined Restoration Permitting from California to a National Model
Thursday, September 24 | 10:30am – 12:00pm
Panel Moderator: Jill Sunahara
ESA Presenter: Daniel Huang

Living Shorelines
Thursday, September 24 | 01:30pm – 03:00pm
Presenter: Louis White

Restoration, Retreat, and Resilience at UC Santa Barbara: The Social and Environmental Challenges of Coastal Adaptation
Thursday, September 24 | 03:30pm – 05:00pm
Presenter: Nick Garrity

Field Trip: Living Shorelines from Point to Point – North Richmond Shoreline
Tuesday, September 21 | 9:00 AM – 4:30 PM
Presenter: Michelle Orr

Field Trip: Resilient by Nature – Exploring San Francisco’s Living Shorelines
Monday, September 21 | 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM
Presenter: Eddie Divita

Field Trip: Crissy Field: Restoration of a Tidal Marsh and Dunes in the Golden Gate
Tuesday Sep 22 | 8:00 AM – 11:30 AM
National Recreation Area Atrium Field Trip
Presenter: Michelle Orr and Dane Behrens