About this workshop
For videos and slide presentations from the workshop see below 

Many coastal communities are looking to “living shorelines” as the preferred method for dealing with erosion problems because the environmental benefits of this approach and because it is  considered more adaptable to potential impacts associated with climate change such as increased sea level rise. In May of 2013, New York Sea Grant held a workshop on Long Island to provide attendees with practical information on the use of living shorelines as an erosion control alternative. The meeting focused on smaller scale projects that have erosion protection as the primary objective.  The workshop featured nationally recognized experts who have extensive practical experience in designing, building, and monitoring living shoreline projects around the country and provided attendees with information and resources to help them make informed decisions regarding the appropriate use of living shorelines in New York.

At the workshop government officials, coastal managers and planners, shoreline property owners, marine contractors and consultants, NGOs and others interested in coastal erosion management:

• Learned how living shorelines are being used in other areas to combine shore protection with habitat enhancement.
  
  
• Gained a better understanding of the advantages and limitations associated with using living shorelines for erosion control and climate change adaptation.
  
  
• Are better able to evaluate the feasibility and suitability of applying this technique on New York’s coast to address coastal erosion.

For those that could not attend the workshop, videos of each presentation along with the a pdf file containing the presenter’s slides can be accessed below.


Living Shorelines for Coastal Erosion Protection in a Changing World
Presented by New York Sea Grant

Workshop Background, Overview, and Objectives - Jay Tanski, Senior Coastal Processes Specialist, New York Sea Grant (Presentation Video) (Slides)
 
Experiences with Living Shorelines in Other Areas
Technical Perspective:  What Are Living Shorelines.  What works where, when, how and why it works (or doesn’t). Siting and design criteria. Costs.  Benefits and limitations. Innovative state funding programs.

Living Shorelines in the Chesapeake Bay (Presentation Video) (Slides)
C. Scott Hardaway, Senior Research Scientist Virginia Institute of Marine Sciences

Living Shorelines in the Gulf of Mexico (Presentation Video) (Slides)
Scott Douglas, Professor, University of South Alabama

Living Shorelines in North Carolina (Presentation Video) (Slides)
Spencer Rogers, Coastal Construction and Erosion Specialist, North Carolina Sea Grant Program

State of Maryland Living Shorelines Program (Presentation Video) (Slides)
Bhaskaran Subramanian, Program Manager, Habitat Restoration and Conservation, Maryland Department of Natural Resources,

Living Shoreline Plant Materials Appropriate for New York (Presentation Video) (Slides)
Chris Miller, Manager, Cape May Plant Materials Center, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service

Hudson River Soft Shoreline Project (Presentation Video) (Slides)
Jon Miller, Assistant Director, NJ Coastal Protection Technical Assistance Service / Research Assistant Professor, Stevens Institute of Technology

Green Shoreline Projects on Long Island (Presentation Video) (Slides)
Laura Schwanof, GEI Consultants, Inc., Huntington, New York

Will Living Shorelines Work Here? (Presentation Video)
Panel discussion with audience participation on opportunities, issues and obstacles associated with the use of Living Shorelines in New York and Long Island.

Panelists:

• Leonard Houston, Chief, Environmental Analysis Branch, NY District Corps of Engineers
• Steve Papa, Senior Biologist, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
• Dawn McReynolds, Section Head, Marine Habitat, Bureau of Marine Resources, NYS Department of Environmental Conservation
• Jeffrey Zappieri, Federal Consistency Review Manager, New York State Coastal Management Program
• David Bergen, Trustee, Town of Southold
• Ed Parthe, President, Long Island Marine Contractors Association
• Aram Terchunian, President, First Coastal Corporation

Workshop Organizing Committee:  New York Sea Grant, U.S. Fish and Life Service, U.S.D.A Natural Resources Conservation Service Cape May Plant Materials Center, New York Department of State Coastal Management Program, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Suffolk and Nassau County Soil and Water Conservation Service Districts, Long Island Contractors Association, First Coastal, Corp., GEI, Consultants.

Partial funding for this work was provided by Save Our Seashore, Inc.

For more information contact:
Jay Tanski, NYSG Coastal Processes and Facilities Specialist
E-mail: Jjt3@cornell.edu Phone: 631.632.8730