Jersey Shore Magazine

j e r s e y s h o r e • F A L L / H O L I D A Y 2 0 2 0 55 continued on page 56 erosion on neighboring properties. Even in the best of cases, bulkheads can completely fail after twenty or thirty years, say experts. Perhaps it's not surprising then, that despite the seeming strength and solidity of bulkheads, research indicates living shorelines can actu- ally more resilient in protecting against the effects of hurricanes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The New Jersey Office of Policy and Coastal Management, a division of the Department of Environmental Protection (NJDEP), states on its site: "When properly designed, living shorelines have been proven to be an effective response to [erosion and sea level change] and frequently more beneficial than hard structure responses, such as bulk- heads." The site references a study conducted after Hurricane Irene that found: "76% of bulkheads were damaged during the storm, while other shoreline protection types experienced no damage… Vegetation density, while initially reduced by the storm, recovered within one year." With more intense coastal storms, sea level rise, and a changing cli- mate, it's not news to any New Jersey resident that nearly 1,800 miles of the state's shoreline are tidally influ- enced and vulnerable, including 239 coastal communities that can face surge and flooding. Building Ecological Solutions to Coastal Community Hazards (available for download at www.state.nj.us/dep/opi/assets/nwf_ final_bescch_070517.pdf) is a sober- ing and informative read of future projections and potential solutions for our coastal environments given these challenges. Legislation and Permits With over 7,700 miles of tidal shoreline, much of it eroding, the state of Maryland is at the forefront of coastal advocacy and passed the Living Shoreline Protection Act in 2008. The law requires shoreline property owners in the state to use natural solutions to prevent erosion unless they can prove such meth- ods won't work on their property. A Maryland loan program has distrib- uted funds "for 475 living shoreline projects, protecting 200,036 linear feet of shoreline and creating over 3.75 million square feet of marsh." Other states active in living shore- line initiatives include Florida and several of the Gulf states to name a few. Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. of New Jersey has been push- ing for a federal Living Shorelines Aerial view of the restoration and stabilization of Iowa Court in Little Egg Harbor. courtesy of T&M Associates

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