Transcript:

In the Monterey Bay area of California, a coalition of groups is investing tens of millions of dollars in wetland restoration, wildfire fuel reduction, and other land management projects that will make the region more resilient to climate change.

But these efforts require more than money.

Traller Ojeda: “We need local workforce to be able to do that work.”

Jesse Traller Ojeda is with the California Marine Sanctuary Foundation, one of the coalition members.

She says to help build that workforce, the group is partnering with local colleges and an educational nonprofit to train students in a range of skills.

Hartnell College in Salinas is teaching people trade skills like chain saw use to prepare them for jobs in forestry or habitat restoration.

Students at the University of California, Santa Cruz, are learning to pilot drones, which can help with coastal monitoring efforts.

Traller Ojeda: “For instance, one student’s doing sand erosion studies.”

And graduate students at Cal State Monterey Bay are assisting with research in the field.

Traller Ojeda: “We feel that the workforce development really brings in that pipeline of inspired, educated local individuals.”

… who are ready to help their region adapt to climate change now – and long into the future.

Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media