Living shorelines use natural materials like native plants, oyster shells, and biodegradable coconut-fiber coir logs to help protect property and as a barrier against shoreline erosion and flood impacts /DNREC photo

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will host a free webinar Wednesday, Feb. 28 to introduce property owners to DNREC’s Living Shoreline Cost Share Program, which provides funding that can help Delawareans in selected watersheds install living shorelines using natural materials. The hour-long webinar begins at 10 a.m. and registration can be made up to the start of the webinar presented by the DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship in conjunction with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speaker is Kayla Clauson, an environmental scientist with DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship, who will provide an overview of the cost share program and discuss how the program aims to assist property owners in select watersheds throughout the state by providing funding to install living shorelines using natural materials. The webinar will highlight the specific project criteria, a timeline of how the program works, financial reimbursement, and as well as provide insight to both landowners and professionals looking to apply for the program.

The Living Shoreline Cost Share program was relaunched in 2023 and expanded to help enable landowners, homeowners’ associations and community boards who qualify join the growing number of Delawareans who are turning to living shorelines to help protect their property in watersheds throughout the state from environmental impacts of climate change and sea level rise.

Living shorelines utilize natural materials like native plants, oyster shells, and biodegradable coconut-fiber coir logs as a barrier against shoreline erosion and flood impacts. Living shorelines also enhance the natural beauty of shoreline ecosystems. The webinar will offer insights into the Living Shoreline Cost Share Program for both landowners and professionals looking to apply for program assistance, summarizing details on project criteria, timelines for installation, and financial reimbursement.

Eligible living shoreline project areas are located within targeted watersheds. Currently, only tidal projects in these watersheds will be considered for cost share assistance. Groups of landowners, HOAs, or community boards are also encouraged to apply for assistance with projects where properties may be adjacent to each other or in shared neighborhood spaces. Learn more at de.gov/livingshoreline.

The webinar also will explain that funding for the Living Shoreline Cost Share Program comes from a collaborative DNREC effort between the Watershed Assessment and Management Section and the Non-Point Source Program for securing funding, specifically the CWA Section 319 Nonpoint Source Pollution Grant and the Chesapeake Bay Implementation Grant III. Information about both also can be found at de.gov/cheswip.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

###

A Louisiana living shoreline site originated through the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana with Darrah Fox Bach, CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program manager in New Orleans, deploying shells at the site /Submitted photo

The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) and living shorelines along the coast of Louisiana are the topic of a free webinar at 10 a.m., Thursday, Oct. 12, presented by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, in partnership with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee. Registration for the webinar and more information is posted on the DNREC events and meetings calendar at de.gov/DNRECmeetings.

The webinar speaker is Darrah Fox Bach, CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program manager in New Orleans, La. Bach will provide an overview of the non-profit CRCL and the organization’s work on shorelines across the Gulf coast state over the past 35 years. The presentation will showcase on-the-ground habitat restoration projects, advocacy and education in which CRCL engages.

Ms. Bach will highlight a wide range of partners sharing in a vision and commitment to the sustainability of coastal Louisiana. She also will detail the organization’s two volunteer-based restoration programs: the Oyster Shell Recycling Program, which offers a recycling service to New Orleans area restaurants and builds recycled oyster shell living shoreline restoration projects; and the Native Plants Program, which grows native plants from seed and uses them to restore habitat along the Louisiana coast. In addition, the webinar will cover the use of oyster shells and native plants in constructing enduring, adaptive living shorelines that accumulate materials across rectangular platforms to provide habitat and protect critical ecosystems.

This webinar is part of an ongoing virtual series offered by the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, a work group dedicated to facilitating the understanding, peer review and implementation of living shoreline strategy within the First State. The DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program represents the Department in supporting the committee and its work.

More information can be found at delawarelivingshorelines.org.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn.

Media contact: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov

###

Dr. Joshua Moody, Restoration Programs Manager for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary.

The living shoreline feasibility model as a tool for green infrastructure design is the topic of a free webinar at 10 a.m. Tuesday, April 19, presented by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, in partnership with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speaker is Dr. Joshua Moody, Restoration Programs manager for the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Moody will provide an overview of the living shoreline feasibility model (LSFM) and how the tool evaluates a variety of metrics to assess considerations when installing and maintaining a living shoreline. The presentation will showcase how the LSFM guides users in collecting information on the physical and ecological characteristics of a specific site location, as well as factors related to site access and community resources.

The model provides a relative evaluation of sites and can integrate with baseline data on existing conditions to help inform team building, design and installation planning. The webinar presenter will discuss how the LSFM can be used to assist in the implementation of site selection and inform the various types of expertise required for success. Additionally, the lecture will touch on how the model can help practitioners better understand how to phase a multi-step project.

The webinar is part of an ongoing virtual series offered by the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, a work group dedicated to facilitating the understanding, peer review and implementation of living shoreline strategy within the state. DNREC’s participation is represented by the DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment program and the DNREC Coastal Training program.

More information, including registration, can be found at de.gov/livingshorelinewebinar.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

###

Webinar speaker Capt. Alek Modjeski will discuss case studies of living shoreline projects in New Jersey

The importance of community engagement and involvement in shoreline restoration projects is the topic of a free webinar at 10 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 17, presented by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, in partnership with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speaker is Capt. Alek Modjeski, a professional ecologist, fisheries biologist, and the habitat restoration program director for the American Littoral Society.

Modjeski will provide an overview of coastal estuarine restoration projects that have a strong emphasis on community engagement and involvement. The presentation will showcase how the use of public and private partnerships create connectivity and resiliency throughout the habitat restoration process. This model includes several case studies of projects conducted throughout New Jersey focusing on the application of living shorelines. The webinar presenter will discuss how these projects goals extend beyond just restoring coastal areas to increase the ecosystem’s resiliency and functionality for the future. A unique feature of the case studies in this lecture will identify the involvement of a workforce consisting of military veterans and volunteers.

The webinar is part of an ongoing virtual series offered by the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, a work group dedicated to facilitating the understanding, peer review and implementation of living shoreline strategy within the state. DNREC’s participation is represented by the DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment program and the DNREC Coastal Training program.

For more information, visit Delaware Living Shorelines. Registration for the webinar and more information about it are also available on the DNREC events and meetings calendar at de.gov/DNRECmeetings.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

A North Carolina living shorelines application (app) is the topic of a free webinar at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Nov. 16, presented by the Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control, in partnership with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee.

The webinar speakers are Jenny Davis, of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and Lora Eddy, of The Nature Conservancy (TNC).

Davis and Eddy will discuss how TNC partnered with NOAA’s Beaufort, N.C. Lab to create a living shorelines app. Their presentation will showcase research on North Carolina shorelines in the southern Pamlico, Core and Bogue Sounds and the New River Estuary, as well as discuss the app’s goal of helping people identify where more natural techniques can stabilize their shorelines. This digital tool identifies where shoreline wave energy conditions are suitable to ensure successful living shoreline projects. Webinar presenters will help the audience learn more about the North Carolina living shorelines app, including the purpose, development, and practical uses of the tool.

The webinar is part of an ongoing virtual series offered by the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, a work group dedicated to facilitating the understanding, peer review and implementation of living shoreline strategy within the state. DNREC’s participation is represented by the DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment program and the DNREC Coastal Training program.

For more information, visit Delaware Living Shorelines. Registration for the webinar and more information about it are also available on the DNREC events and meetings calendar at de.gov/dnrecmeetings.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities. For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.

Media Contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

###