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Living Shorelines
Workshop
By Kelly G. Robertson
If you had been in Panama City for the Living Shoreline Workshop on June
13, you would have learned about the many projects built, scheduled or
under way in the Florida panhandle that provide an eco-friendly
alternative to hardened protective structures - structures that fight
against erosion along our beaches and waterways such as Project
Greenshores, along Bayfront Parkway in downtown Pensacola, a showcase
example of “soft” shoreline protection.
The seminar, sponsored by Sea Grant Florida and the University of
Florida IFAS Extension, attracted about 150 participants from around
Florida and the adjacent states. The attendance was well mixed between
federal, state, and local government representatives, educators, living
shoreline contractors, non-profit organizations, and even a few
individual homeowners.
Presenters at the workshop included Melody Ray-Culp from the US Fish and
Wildlife Service, Dr. Chris Boyd of the Miss. State University and
Mississippi Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, Capt. Robert Turpin from the
Escambia County Marine Resources Division and Dr. Debbie Miller from the
University of Florida, Milton Campus.
So what did we learn? 80% of Florida’s population lives within 10 miles
of the coastline, and 45-50% of that coast has armored protection. And
yet, viable alternatives for seawalls and hardscape to protect our
eroding shorelines are readily available to those that take the time and
initiative to research and plan their soft shoreline protection effort.
Seawalls, bulkheads and other hardened structures tend to alter or
create a loss of natural habitat. They affect water circulation patterns
and increase suspended solids creating turbid conditions that prevent
light penetration in the water column. They also create erosion and
decrease the quantity of organic matter and biological organisms needed
for the maintenance of wetlands. What are the alternatives?
 Do
nothing, or put another way, do not exacerbate the problem.
Plant
eco-friendly, stabilizing vegetation, such as smooth cordgrass (Spartina
alterniflora), saltmeadow cordgrass (Spartina patens) and sea oats (Uniola
paniculata) or saw palmetto (Serenoa repens). See the table below
showing ideal zones for planting these species.
Create
soft, not structural stabilization .
Create
offshore breakwaters to slow erosion contributing wave energy.
Look
for hybrid-structures to protect the shorelines from the loss of sandy
beach.
In summary, property owners and developers need to make better decisions
about the type of erosional structures they build on their property. Not
only can living shorelines save money, they provide direct waterfront
access, are habitat friendly and are aesthetically pleasing. Living
shorelines also promote land creation, and having a larger shoreline
protection plan possibly can prevent more unintentional erosion in
neighboring sites.
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A yellow-crowned night
heron feeds in the restored Project Greenshores emergent grass. The
project near downtown Pensacola restored historic oyster reef and
saltmarsh, an effort of DEP’s Ecosystem Restoration Lab, the city and
other partners. (Courtesy DEP)
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