Resources

Living Shoreline Guidance

Living Shoreline Suitability Models

Foundational Literature

• The tide doesn’t go out anymore – the effect of bulkheads on urban bay shorelines, 1999. Douglass, S.L. and B.H. Pickel.
• Management, policy, science and engineering of nonstructural erosion control in the Chesapeake Bay. 2006. Proceedings of the 2006 Living Shoreline Summit. CRC Publ. No. 08-164, Gloucester Point, VA. (136pp.)
• Mitigating Shore Erosion Along Sheltered Coasts. 2007. National Research Council. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press (188 pp.).
• The importance of habitat created by molluscan shellfish to managed species along the Atlantic coast of the United States, 2007. Coen, L.D. and R.E. Grizzle. Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Habitat Management Series #8.
• A Living Shoreline Initiative for the Florida Panhandle: Taking a Softer Approach. 2007. Ray-Culp, M. National Wetlands Newsletter. Vol 29: 6.
• Effects of coastal development on nearshore estuarine nekton communities. 2008. Bilkovic. D.M. and M.M. Roggero. 2008. Marine Ecology Progress Series. Vol. 358: 27-39.
• Rethinking Living shorelines, 2012. Pilkey, O.H., N. Longo, R. Young, and A. Coburn. 2012. Program for the Study of Developed Shorelines, Western Carolina University.
• Restoring Gulf Oyster Reefs. 2012. Stokes, S., S. Wunderink, M. Lowe, and Gereffi. Duke Center on Globalization, Governance & Competitiveness.
• Living shorelines: coastal resilience with a blue carbon benefit, 2015. Davis, J.L., C.A. Currin, C. O’Brien, C. Raffenburg, A. Davis. 2015. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0142595.
• Living shorelines – the science and management of nature-based coastal protection, 2017. Editors: D.M. Bilkovic, M/M. Mitchell, M.K. La Peyre, and J.D. Toft. CRC Press (519 pp.)
• Oyster Restoration Workgroup website, including guidance on design and monitoring, funding opportunities, and the latest shellfish research.

Training

• Living Shorelines (Georgia)
• Living Shorelines Training (Clemson)
• Living Shorelines – On Demand – Water Resources
• Living Shorelines Training for Marine Construction Professionals Webinar Series | North Carolina Coastal Federation
• NC Living Shoreline Academy
• Living Shorelines – Coastal and Marine Extension Program
• Practitioner Training Program List

Glossary

• Breakwater – An offshore, parallel structure that “breaks” waves, reducing their energy
• Bulkhead – A type of shoreline armoring that prevents land from sliding into the water by constructing a hard wall of sheet pile or rocks
• Coir log – A log made of coconut fiber, straw, hay, or other biodegradable materials that can be used to temporarily protect a shoreline while plants are growing
• Erosion – The process of water or wind removing soil or rock
• Fetch – The unobstructed distance that wind travels over a body of water in a constant direction, which directly influences wave generation and size
• Marine mattress – A habitat restoration method that uses geosynthetic or concrete mattresses to protect shorelines and submerged infrastructure while also providing a stable, eco-friendly surface for marine life to colonize and thrive
• Resilience – The ability of wildlife and habitats to prepare for, absorb, respond to, recover from, and adapt to natural and human-caused changes in environment
• Riprap – A layer of stones that protects soil from erosion
• Seawall – A type of shoreline armoring that prevents land from sliding into the water by constructing a hard wall of sheet pile and concrete in areas that experience high wave energy
• Sill – A low-elevation, shore-parallel structure made of materials like stone or logs, designed to reduce wave energy and hold sand or soil, creating a protected area for planting and establishing tidal marshes or other vegetation
• Storm surge – The dangerous rise of water that happens during a storm event in addition to water levels that change with tides