Regulatory progress on encouraging living shorelines in New Jersey

Transcription

1 Regulatory progress on encouraging living shorelines in New Jersey Bill Shadel Habitat Restoration Program Director

2 Acknowledgements - Partners Barnegat Bay Partnership Jacques Cousteau Estuarine Research Reserve Monmouth County Parks Department Monmouth U. Urban Coast Institute NJDEP Coastal Management Office Partnership for the Delaware Estuary Rutgers Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences Stevens Institute of Technology Sunshine Harbor Property Owners Assn.

3 Acknowledgements - Funding The National Partnership between NOAA s Community-based Restoration Program and Restore America s Estuaries The members of the American Littoral Society

4 Founded in 1961, we promote the study and conservation of marine life & habitat, defend the coast from harm, and empower others to do the same.

5 American Littoral Society Chesapeake Bay Foundation Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana Conservation Law Foundation Galveston Bay Foundation North Carolina Coastal Federation People for Puget Sound Save San Francisco Bay Association Save The Bay - Narragansett Bay Save the Sound Long Island Sound Tampa Bay Watch

6 To accelerate the conservation, protection, restoration, and enhancement of habitat for native Atlantic coastal, estuarine-dependent, and diadromous fishes through partnerships between federal, tribal, state, local, and other entities.

7 Acknowledgements - Partners Barnegat Bay Partnership Jacques Cousteau Estuarine Research Reserve Monmouth County Parks Department Monmouth U. Urban Coast Institute NJDEP Coastal Management Office Partnership for the Delaware Estuary Rutgers Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences Stevens Institute of Technology Sunshine Harbor Property Owners Assn.

8 Acknowledgements - Funding The National Partnership between NOAA s Community-based Restoration Program and Restore America s Estuaries The members of the American Littoral Society

9 Why do we care about shorelines? Big Fish Need Small Spaces

10 Habitat Restoration & Job Creation Perfect Together Restoring our coasts can create more than 30 jobs for each million dollars invested. That s more than twice as many jobs as the oil and gas and road-construction industries combined Jobs and Dollars Restore America s Estuaries

11 Bulkheads & Seawalls

12 Bulkheads & Seawalls 1. Reflect wave energy 2. Increase erosion in front 3. Degrade & eliminate shorezone habitat 4. Sever terrestrial-aquatic continuum 5. Cause erosion to adjacent structures 6. Costly to maintain 7. Not needed in low-to-medium energy shorelines 8. Not a permanent solution

13 An alternative solution Living Shorelines A method of stabilizing shorelines with sand fill, wetland plants, coir fiber logs, or stone in a way that that maintains the gradual slope and much of the function of the shorezone

14 Living Shorelines 1. Absorb (rather than reflect) wave energy 2. Prevent or reduce coastal erosion 3. Decrease nutrient runoff 4. Help maintain ecosystem processes (sediment movement, nutrient cycling) 5. Protect, restore, and enhance habitat for fish 6. Provide spawning / rearing habitat 7. Not suitable for highest energy shorelines 8. Living shorelines last

15 Living Shorelines Key Points: Control erosion while also enhancing habitat for fish, birds, etc.

16 NJ Living Shorelines Initiative Goal To build support and momentum in New Jersey for the implementation of living shorelines as the preferred solution to estuarine and riverine shoreline erosion.

17 NJ Living Shorelines Initiative 1. Landowners outreach 2. Site identification, assessment, and design 3. Convene practitioners and regulators to identify challenges and opportunities

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20 NJ LS process to date Unwitting guinea pigs DELSI Mordecai Island

21 Delaware Estuary Living Shorelines Initiative (DELSI)

22 SW Mordecai Island

23 NJ LS process to date Growing interest among advocates and practitioners enviros, universities, agencies Growing interest within NJDEP Coastal Mgt Office, Coastal Engineering

24 NJ LS process to date Workshop of many parties: Goal: Lay the foundation for developing a living shorelines program in NJ By the end of the day we will: Review living shoreline projects (types, locations, goals) Share challenges & lessons that could assist with implementing future living shorelines Discuss the currently regulatory complications with living shorelines Produce recommendations for regulatory improvements consistent with promoting living shorelines policy Brainstorm ways to increase living shoreline utilization in NJ

25 NJ LS process to date Rewriting of Coastal Zone Mgt Rules workshop on draft General Permit for LS draft rules under internal legal review

26 Draft GP for LS Base: COASTAL GENERAL PERMIT 29 Habitat creation and enhancement activities Agency sponsorship or University research Part of habitat restoration, creation, or enhancement Consistent with Wetlands Act of 1970, Waterfront Development Law, CAFRA

27 Draft GP for LS cont d Improves or maintains the values and functions of the ecosystem Reasonable likelihood of success will advance scientific engineering Minimum amount of Special Areas impacts*** No fill beyond Tidelands line except for a structural component intended to reduce wave energy. Beneficial use of dredged material may be acceptable

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