On August 30, the Chesapeake Bay Trust, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and the Maryland Department of the Environment announced more than $800,000 in federal, state, and private funding for the creation of “living shorelines,” an innovative technique that combines habitat restoration with erosion control protection for coastal landowners.
“The Chesapeake Bay is an integral part of who we are as Marylanders – our heritage, our economy and our culture,” Senator Barbara Mikulski said. “I’m proud to fight for the health of the Bay and to support the lives and livelihoods of those who rely on it. Through the Living Shorelines program, we will help communities improve their infrastructure and preserve the Bay for generations to come.”
In total, 16 homeowner associations, nonprofit organizations, and municipalities were selected to participate in this program, a collaborative multi-state effort designed to encourage the installation and understanding of “living shorelines” throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed. “Living shorelines” are a shoreline stabilization technique that uses natural habitat elements, instead of bulkhead or riprap, to protect shorelines from erosion while also providing critical habitat for fish, crabs, and other wildlife. Awareness and use of the living shoreline practice, partly as a result of this funding collaborative’s success, has blossomed nation-wide.
“In order to fully restore our great Chesapeake Bay, we are going to have to employ a multitude of techniques, including the creation of living shorelines,” said Senator Ben Cardin, a longtime supporter of Chesapeake Bay restoration efforts. “Living shorelines not only provide ecological gains for Bay wildlife and improve water quality, but they also benefit property owners by stabilizing shorelines to limit erosion.”
The Trust’s Living Shoreline program, now in its seventh year, has awarded more than $4 million and leveraged $7 million in matching funds from landowners throughout Maryland and Virginia. This high leverage rate can be explained by the fact that these types of projects truly help landowners through their dual-purpose nature – erosion control and habitat benefits.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was one of the founding partners of this innovative program which to date, has funded 68 on-the-ground projects in local communities that have created 28,000 linear feet of living shoreline and 18 acres of wetland habitat. Today’s announcement of more than $800,000 marks the largest amount ever awarded to support this ground-breaking restoration technique, and celebrates the newest partner in the funding collaborative, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. NOAA and the Trust each contributed $275,000 in funding; the Maryland Department of the Environment contributed roughly $200,000; and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources contributed $50,000.
“We are working hard to ensure that Maryland meets its Chesapeake Bay restoration goals, and we are right on track,” said Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown. “I am pleased to see so many great organizations taking the initiative to implement techniques like living shorelines. These programs allow us to educate our communities about restoration efforts, while at the same time providing tangible benefits to the environment.”
“Living shorelines represent a win-win solution to shoreline erosion issues,” said Eric Schwaab, assistant administrator for fisheries at NOAA. “They replace hardened structures and bulkheads—which often increase erosion—with more natural, vegetated shorelines that not only prevent erosion and protect shorelines, but also provide habitat for fish and other wildlife.”
Today’s event was held at the site of three neighboring homeowners who worked together to remove bulkheads and build a contiguous living shoreline on their properties. During the gathering, experts also provided information to educate area residents on how they can create their own living shorelines and what living shorelines mean for private residential property.
“With so much Chesapeake Bay shoreline privately owned, it is important to educate residents about the benefits of living shorelines and how they can use these kinds of ‘green’ techniques on their own properties,” said Dr. Jana Davis, executive director of the Chesapeake Bay Trust. “Projects like the 16 we are funding here today provide excellent examples of how living shorelines work, how neighbors can work together to build them, and what kinds of amazing ecological benefits they accomplish.”
Living Shoreline grant recipients include:
MARYLAND
Annapolis Cove Property Owners Association, Anne Arundel County, $40,000
Baltimore County Department of Recreation & Parks, Baltimore County, $13,336
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum, Talbot County, $60,000
Chester River Association, Queen Anne’s County, $99,000
Magothy Beach Improvement Association, Anne Arundel County, $100,000
North East Isles, Cecil County, $100,000
Severn Riverkeeper Program, Anne Arundel County, $18,784
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Anne Arundel County, $41,931
South River Federation, Anne Arundel County, $12,880
St. Mary’s College of Maryland, St. Mary’s County, $16,500
The Gunston School, Queen Anne’s County, $100,000
West/Rhode Riverkeeper, Anne Arundel County, $39,850
VIRGINIA
City of Norfolk, VA, Norfolk, VA, $134,082
Friends of Norfolk’s Environment, Norfolk, VA, $5,894
Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Prince William County, Virginia, $16,500
The Landings at Bolling Square Community Association, Norfolk, VA, $11,212
For more information on the Chesapeake Bay Trust’s Living Shoreline Program visit www.cbtrust.org. For complete descriptions of these grant projects or photos from the event, email [email protected].
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Joan Murray says
Having just suffered through months of permit purgatory trying to put in a living shoreline, I challenge Senator Barbara Mikulski, Senator Ben Cardin and Lt. Governor Anthony G. Brown to go through the same process I did. They extol the benefits of a living shoreline, but I doubt they know how incredibly onerous and expensive it is for the private landowner to obtain the many different permits. I was required to obtain permits from the Army Corps of Engineers, the Maryland Department of the Environment, the Critical Areas Commission, the Board of Public Works, Talbot County’s Building and Zoning; I also had to prepare a Sediment and Erosion Control plan, a County Stormwater Management plan, a Buffer Management plan and pay for two surety bonds from both the town and the County. The different agencies would sometimes take weeks to sign the permits, often delaying the process with myriad demands. I am baffled as to why the regulators made it so difficult to obtain the permits; I had assumed they would have encouraged me to preserve the land. Instead, I was made to feel as if I were putting up a Las Vegas casino.
There is no doubt that my new living shoreline has attracted a proliferation of sea life from horseshoe crabs to turtles, herons and ducks. But if landowners are going to be forced to put in living shorelines, then perhaps the many agencies could combine their applications into one document, similar to the common application for college. Each agency would still get their application fees, and more property owners might go back to purchasing waterfront property— and willingly invest in preserving their land with a living shoreline.
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