Completed: August 2024.
Funding: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration via Tridec.
Partner: Coastal States Organization.
Committee Overlap: Coastal Issues.
Annika Tomson, the 2022-24 NOAA Digital Coast Fellow worked with the Coastal States Organization (CSO) and the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) as a Digital Coast fellow to address the complex challenges of coastal property management amid climate change impacts.
Annika developed technical guidance and other resources for the Shifting Property Lines project to help local communities plan for and manage residential coastal properties affected by erosion, inundation, and flooding. She conducted an extensive assessment of existing technical resources, curated a special collection for the ASFPM Library, and developed two case studies on Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and the Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission of Virginia. Additionally, she drafted a question workflow and guide for municipalities and their partners.
Annika also led CSO’s programmatic development on climate-driven coastal relocation by identifying best practices and facilitating feedback sessions with members. She played a key role in organizing event programming for the organization’s biannual member meetings, which included panels on tribal sovereignty and coastal resilience and federal agency work on climate-driven coastal relocation. Annika collaborated with ASFPM staff on a grant proposal to support tribal nations in reducing flood risk. She emphasized a relationship-building-first approach and customized training and technical assistance to include tribal traditions, knowledge, and experience.
Prior to the fellowship, Annika attended the University of Michigan where they studied environmental policy and planning; her research focused on Great Lakes community coastal resilience and the relationships between local governments and state and federal agencies. Originally from upstate New York, Annika holds a B.A. in Anthropology from Cornell University and a M.S. in Environment and Sustainability from the University of Michigan.