Human alteration of river networks may exacerbate climate change impacts on rural communities. Extreme rainfall events lead to higher sediment inputs, reducing the flow of impounded rivers. Coastal erosion due to sea level rise is accelerated by a lack of sediment flow from hydrologically altered systems. Large-scale federally funded initiatives have led to reservoir dredging on the one hand, and the use of dredged sediments in coastal restoration efforts on the other. However, there are limited examples of small-scale initiatives for strategic sediment trading towards community-led climate resilience. In this study, we explore sediment trading opportunities in two communities along a river network. The inland community of Niobrara, Nebraska, bases its economy on recreational river use, an activity that has deteriorated due to sedimentation from flood events and river impoundment. The coastal community of Montegut, Louisiana, is losing land, but may benefit from local marsh creation initiatives to help revive culturally important fisheries. We apply sediment delivery models to the Niobrara River basin to identify priority locations for potential dredging and map priority locations for marsh restoration near Montegut, Louisiana. We explore the costs associated with sediment trading for marsh creation at this scale. We also discuss the potential socio-ecological barriers that require further research. Our assessment aims to think outside the box for advancing climate resilience locally and to highlight the need for exploring the feasibility of bottom up community-led initiatives.