[Problem]
A new bottom lease in California takes 5 to 10 years and an EIR that can cost $150,000 to $500,000. Even changing the species on an existing lease takes 2 to 5 years. Small shellfish and seaweed farms can't survive those tides — and there was no shared chart of the reef.
[Approach]
- 01Built an EIR drafting wizard that scaffolds the document small operators otherwise can't afford to commission.
- 02Designed a tracker that maps what's broken in the current permitting process so the aggregated data becomes the case for reform.
- 03Shaped the whole tool as a public-interest resource — chart, compass, and advocacy — usable by growers, agencies, and policy folks without a login wall.
[Outcome]
A public-interest charting tool for California aquaculture permitting that doubles as a coalition-building surface for the small-farm community.
[Background]
A new bottom lease in California takes 5 to 10 years and an EIR that can cost $150,000 to $500,000. Even changing the species on an existing lease takes 2 to 5 years. Small shellfish and seaweed farms can't survive those tides.
Permit Reef is the chart, the compass, and the case for change — all in one tool. An EIR drafting wizard scaffolds the document small operators otherwise can't afford to commission. A tracker maps what's broken in the current process so the data builds a case for reform. Built by and for California growers, in the open.
