This is the bulkhead-hardened shoreline looking East from a dock in Watson Bayou.

This is the natural shoreline looking West from the same dock

The Living Shoreline Initiative of the Fish and Wildlife Service is aimed at encouraging practices such as in this picture to minimize shoreline alteration wherever appropriate as property development continues in the Bay area.

There's good reason for the program. Over half of the western shoreline of Florida is "hardened" with seawalls, bulkheads and rock barriers. The Panhandle is one of the areas where most of the shorelines still remain in their natural state.

These soft, natural intertidal shorelines provide many of the abundant benefits that make living in the Bay area so attractive. Seventy percent of sports fish caught here have spent some portion of their lives in the shallow waters and protective plant growth along the shoreline. There is no such shelter where the shoreline has been hardened,

The salt marshes that provide this shelter also buffer and absorb wave energy, reducing erosion of upland property. Shoreline vegetation traps sediment and removes pollutants that drain into the water from stormwater runoff.

The primary reason for hardening the shoreline is to protect property from erosion. The cause of erosion is exposure to wave energy. Waves can be caused by the wind, by boat wakes or by recreational watercraft. Currently, the common solution is to harden the shoreline with seawalls, bulkheads, stones and rip-rap. However, this is not always necessary. In areas of low wave energy, living plants can protect against erosion naturally. The goal of the Living Shorelines Initiative is to make this the option of choice in those low energy areas where it is appropriate.

Ms. Ray-Culp described two local FSAB projects as examples of early efforts to soften shorelines in the St. Andrew Bay system.

Both were projects completed in 2005 by volunteers from FSAB and St. Andrew Bay Resource Management Association (RMA). The first is along 110 feet of the Hoeckley property on the southern shore of West Bay. Vegetation was planted there to absorb wave energy and control erosion. The second was somewhat more ambitious. This project is on the Newman property in Pretty Bayou. It involved removing a concrete bulkhead along 120 feet of shoreline, and then planting vegetation to replace the concrete.

BMP committees organized
In this start-up phase of the FWS Initiative, top priority will be given to compiling, analyzing, and synthesizing available information on living shorelines. This information will be used to develop best management practices (BMPs) for different shoreline types. BMP committees have been formed for estuarine, dune, and stream habitats. These committees will work with regulatory agencies and Bay County's planning staff to ensure that regulations support those practices.

Plans also call for preparing instruction manuals, workshops, and a one-stop-shop website for living shoreline resources specific to our area. Vegetation is sometimes a limiting commodity for restoration efforts. The plans also calls for establishing "Grasses in Classes" programs where students will grow the native plants needed for living shoreline projects. A certification process for contractors interested in constructing living shorelines is also under consideration.

To focus efforts, the Initiative will regularly coordinate on the inventory of all eroding shorelines in the Panhandle. This will include developing survey methods, determining which restoration profile could work best for each area, and deciding upon the highest priority areas in need of living shoreline protection. With this information, technical assistance and incentive programs can be directed to areas of greatest need.

Quarterly seminars on subjects affecting the Bay such as the Living Shorelines Initiative are hosted by FSAB and are open to the public. If you would like to be notified of the date and subject of these seminars, please click here.