Overview: This project builds upon ongoing efforts to reduce shore armor in north Puget Sound. This project supports behavior change of property landowners through educational outreach as well as through assistance programs designed to address barriers to reduce shoreline owners’ willingness to remove and soften shore armor.
What we are doing:
The Northwest Straits Foundation and its partners are working with shoreline property owners to reduce the impacts from existing armor, and prevent unnecessary installation by offering incentives and services:
- Free “Living with the Coast” workshops
- Free site visits with an expert coastal geologist
- Cost‐sharing for engineering design to remove hard armor
- Permitting assistance for armor removal
Why is this issue important:
Currently more than 27% of the region’s shoreline is modified with some type of armor. Heightened understanding about the effects of concrete bulkheads, seawall, and other types of armor is an important step toward reducing unnecessary threats to shorelines. Physical processes such as wave action, landslides, and erosion shape the extraordinary shorelines of Puget Sound. Forage fish, salmonids, marine mammals, and migratory birds rely on the resources provided by bluffs and beaches.
What you can do:
Maintaining a natural shoreline is often the best means of protecting your waterfront property from erosion. Consider removing hard armor or replacing old armor with a natural soft‐shore alternative. Adequate setbacks, native vegetation, and proper drainage management all help slow erosion rates while supporting vibrant marine ecosystems.
Additionally you can attend an upcoming workshop and learn more:
- Saturday, May 5th: Sequim, Clallam County – Living with the Coast Workshop
About our organization:
As the nonprofit organization in the Northwest Straits Initiative, the Foundation works with seven county‐ based Marine Resources Committees and the Northwest Straits Commission to protect and restore marine ecosystems in Puget Sound. The Foundation manages large habitat restoration projects, and provides a variety of resources to interested (public and private) shoreline property owners.
Did you know: The Habitat Strategic Initiative’s Shoreline Armoring Implementation Strategy encourages incentives which assist marine shoreline landowners in reducing their hard armor impacts. This project allows you and other marine landowners to sign-up for a free, expert site-visit to their property and take the next step towards supporting a healthy Puget Sound shoreline.