Re-post from Jenna Jewett, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
The Shore Friendly program is excited to announce the release of the 2019 Shore Friendly Request for Proposals: Local Shore Friendly Programs (RFP). The Shore Friendly program is a brand developed to encourage forgoing or removing shoreline armor and is grounded in social marketing research conducted in the Puget Sound.
Did you know: A near-term priority in the Shoreline Armoring Implementation Strategy is funding to sustain marine shoreline landowner incentive programs throughout Puget Sound. Throughout the Sound, a number of organizations provide a range of educational opportunities as well as technical and financial assistance.
Read more below about our grant program manager’s experience visiting the landowner incentive program at the Northwest Straits Foundation supported by FY16 NEP funds from the Habitat Strategic Initiative
In the shoes of a shoreline landowner by Jennifer Griffiths
On a gray Saturday morning, approximately 20 marine shoreline landowners settled into their seats at the Lake Goodwin Community Center in Stanwood. They were attending a free “Living with the Coast” workshop hosted by the Northwest Straits Foundation (NWSF). Lisa Kaufman of NWSF welcomed the group and shared the goal of the workshop: working together to protect and restore Puget Sound by increasing marine shoreline landowners’ knowledge of their shoreline management options.
Throughout the morning, geologist Jim Johannessen gave a primer on how the shoreline works. How do we get beaches on Puget Sound? Why and how quickly are bluffs eroding? Erosion from the bluffs along the Puget Sound shoreline accounts for approximately 90% of the sediment on our beaches.
Interest in the room piqued when an image of erosion rates around Port Susan appeared on the screen, and soon Johannessen was peppered with questions. Erosion is something landowners observe directly, and they wanted to know: What are the erosion rates? What erosion rates should worry me? Where are the greatest landslide risks?
An important element of the workshop was to introduce marine shoreline landowners to the different options they have to contribute to healthy ecosystems while also ensuring their safety and the protection of their property. While shoreline armor is a common tool to try to prevent erosion and protect property, we have now learned that armor has a number of negative impacts on shoreline habitats and, in turn, the species that depend upon those habitats. With examples from properties throughout the Puget Sound, Johannessen demonstrated how alternatives to armor and armor removal can be successful options for achieving landowner goals while helping Puget Sound’s ecosystem.
The take-home message: There are a lot of different alternatives to manage shoreline properties, and you need an expert to visit your property to help you determine which alternatives are best for you.
