2026 Coastal & Estuarine Summit: Event Recap
The 2026 Coastal & Estuarine Summit brought together coastal restoration professionals, scientists, engineers, policymakers, community leaders, and advocates in San Francisco, California, September 22–25, for four days of collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and action to advance the future of our coasts.
Hosted by Restore America’s Estuaries (RAE) and Save The Bay San Francisco, the Summit provided a national forum for sharing innovative approaches to coastal resilience, restoring critical habitats, strengthening partnerships, and addressing the challenges facing estuaries and coastal communities.
Under the theme “Where the Future of Our Coasts Takes Shape,” the Summit highlighted the importance of bringing together diverse perspectives and expertise to develop solutions that protect and restore the nation’s estuaries for generations to come.
Four days of ideas, innovation, and collaboration
Advancing coastal restoration through shared knowledge
The Summit explored a wide range of issues shaping the future of coastal and estuarine restoration, including climate resilience, nature-based solutions, coastal planning, science and technology, environmental policy, and community engagement. Presentations, workshops, research posters, and technical discussions gave attendees opportunities to share lessons learned, explore emerging approaches, and bring new ideas back to their own communities.
Key areas of focus included:
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Nature-based solutions: Advancing living shorelines, habitat restoration, and innovative approaches to shoreline protection.
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Science and innovation: Sharing research, restoration techniques, monitoring approaches, and emerging technologies.
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Policy and advocacy: Exploring the policies, partnerships, and public investments needed to support healthy coastal ecosystems.
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Community resilience and equity: Strengthening connections between restoration, public access, community needs, and long-term resilience.
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The blue economy: Examining opportunities to align environmental restoration with sustainable economic activity and coastal stewardship.
Connecting coastlines and communities
Hosted in San Francisco, the Summit offered a valuable opportunity to connect national conversations about coastal restoration with the challenges and opportunities facing California’s coast and bays.
The opening plenary brought together leaders from conservation, community advocacy, and Indigenous organizations to set the stage for conversations about the future of coastal stewardship. The Friday plenary, Our Connected Coasts, continued that discussion by highlighting the interconnected nature of coastal ecosystems and the importance of collaborative approaches to restoration.
Field sessions and hands-on workshops complemented the conference program, giving participants opportunities to explore practical restoration approaches and learn directly from practitioners.
Building a stronger coastal restoration community
Beyond the formal program, the Summit created opportunities for attendees to reconnect with colleagues, build new partnerships, exchange ideas across disciplines, and identify opportunities for future collaboration.
The event also featured the public program “Clean It, Build It, Plant It: Three Approaches to Seabed Recovery,” held at the Port of San Francisco. The discussion highlighted different approaches to seabed recovery and the role of collaboration in advancing coastal restoration.
Participating organizations reported strong engagement from across the coastal restoration community, with the 2026 gathering described as the largest Summit in its history.
Looking ahead
The 2026 Coastal & Estuarine Summit reinforced a central message: protecting and restoring America’s coasts requires sustained investment, sound science, effective policy, and strong partnerships across communities, agencies, nonprofits, and the private sector.
For Restore America’s Estuaries, the Summit advanced the organization’s mission by bringing together the people and ideas needed to turn shared challenges into practical solutions. The relationships strengthened, knowledge exchanged, and approaches explored in San Francisco will help inform restoration efforts across the country.
RAE extends its sincere thanks to Save The Bay San Francisco, the Summit’s speakers and presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, volunteers, and attendees for helping make the 2026 Coastal & Estuarine Summit possible.
Together, we are building a stronger, more connected coastal restoration community and helping shape a healthier, more resilient future for America’s coasts and estuaries.
