Small communities are now faced with managing the impacts of a global problem. A planning department in rural Louisiana uses a state-developed adaptation plan to spark resilience initiatives and prepare for the effects of climate change. Since the development and adoption of the St. John the Baptist Parish Adaptation Strategy, the rural planning department restructured with a new “Coastal and Water Management Division” that prioritizes the delivery of resilience and climate adaptation for the community. The Parish now coordinates efforts among local planners, engineers, and federal and state agencies to develop projects and policies that go beyond the traditional role of planners into the multi-disciplinary world of implementation. Collectively, the new division and its body of work serve as a model for rural communities throughout the country to address environmental sustainability in the face of climate change and sea-level rise — issues that planners are uniquely positioned to address and solve.