We face a slow-moving freight train as climate change bears down upon us, and we need to build our resiliency as well as minimizing our contribution to the problem itself.

Two key areas of resiliency involve our risk of wildland fire and our town’s periodic flooding. After two fires in my neighborhood, we worked together with local fire fighters to discuss proper evacuation methods and keeping defensible space cleared. Each of these is written into the General Plan Safety Element. Our neighborhood Firewise Community, one of many in Fairfax, and our excellent Marin Wildfire Protection Agency, are both making real progress.

Flooding is an increasingly frequent event, and has in the past wiped out many beloved downtown businesses. As the town’s representative (now Chair) on the Flood Zone 9 Advisory Board, I have sought to significantly reduce the frequency and severity of flooding with the least impact — and we have built the now fully operational Sunnyside Detention Basin. Unfortunately other options for larger detention basins were opposed, with a great deal of fear-mongering and disinformation. It is still likely that Building Bridge Two will be removed from San Anselmo Creek, which would hugely benefit our neighboring town along with the Sunnyside Basin. Much other work has been accomplished downstream along Corte Madera Creek. And Fairfax intends to use federal dollars to greatly improve storm drainage throughout town.

There needs to be more transparency from all parties despite the complexity of the technical details. With my scientific and engineering background, I seek to be a bridge between the technical details and citizens to establish solutions that work on many levels.

We will be faced with more questions like this as we adapt and rebuild our natural world, and I strongly believe we need to raise our level of collective intelligence and discourse so that we can make the very best decisions.