Growing up in the Los Angeles area, the coastal allure was an integral part of my childhood. Then adulthood led me to Maryland, and my new coastal haven is along the Chesapeake Bay. Unfortunately, the region faces an imminent threat: devastation from flooding and climate change that can destroy native habitats and wildlife and displace families. By now, it is well known and documented that, as polar ice melts due to increased air temperatures, the sea level rises.