Shore armor reduction program portfolio
Presentation Abstract
This poster discusses the merits of the Shoreline Armor Reduction Program (SHARP) in the southern Salish Sea and showcases the outreach model first employed in 2012 in the Targeted Outreach to Reduce Impacts from Shore Hardening in the Port Susan MSA and several subsequent successful armor removal projects. The Northwest Straits Foundation and Coastal Geologic Services expanded this model to seven North Puget Sound counties with their Shoreline Armor Reduction Program (SHARP). According to the Northwest Straits Initiative, armor is present on 29% of the Salish Sea shore in Washington State, and almost half of all residential shoreline parcels are modified by shore armor. Such structures, including bulkheads, seawalls, and rock revetments, can impair nearshore ecosystem processes by disrupting sediment flow to down-drift features in the associated net shore-drift cell or by burying the backshore and intertidal beach. This, in turn, reduces the availability of essential nearshore habitat. Reducing the presence of shore armor on privately-held land presents unique challenges. Members of the public are often not familiar with the risks associated with coastal living, nor the reasons why shore armor may or may not be suitable for their property. In some instances, armor removal is not feasible because of threats posed to existing infrastructure by erosion. Where removal is feasible, the process may be cost-prohibitive. SHARP addresses these challenges in an integrated process of community outreach and education, individual site assessments by experts, and, where appropriate, assisting with engineering design and permitting. The Northwest Straits Foundation provides cost-sharing incentives, making the assessment and design services of CGS’s coastal professionals accessible to more property owners. CGS has completed over 22 workshops, 140 site assessments, and designed over 10 armor removal projects through SHARP and related programs, ultimately resulting in the removal of miles of shore armor (numbers coming!).
Session Title
Posters: Habitat Restoration & Protection
Conference Track
SSE18: Posters
Conference Name
Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference (2018 : Seattle, Wash.)
Document Type
Event
SSEC Identifier
SSE18-79
Start Date
5-4-2018 11:30 AM
End Date
5-4-2018 1:30 PM
Type of Presentation
Poster
Genre/Form
conference proceedings; presentations (communicative events); posters
Contributing Repository
Digital content made available by University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Subjects – Topical (LCSH)
Beach erosion--Monitoring--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Beach erosion--Washington (State)--Prevention; Bulkheads--Environmental aspects--Washington (State)--Puget Sound; Shore protection--Washington (State)--Puget Sound
Subjects – Names (LCNAF)
Coastal Geologic Services; Northwest Straits Marine Conservation Initiative (Wash.); Northwest Straits Foundation
Geographic Coverage
Salish Sea (B.C. and Wash.); Puget Sound (Wash.)
Rights
This resource is displayed for educational purposes only and may be subject to U.S. and international copyright laws. For more information about rights or obtaining copies of this resource, please contact University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9103, USA (360-650-7534; heritage.resources@wwu.edu) and refer to the collection name and identifier. Any materials cited must be attributed to the Salish Sea Ecosystem Conference Records, University Archives, Heritage Resources, Western Libraries, Western Washington University.
Type
Text
Language
English
Format
application/pdf
Shore armor reduction program portfolio
This poster discusses the merits of the Shoreline Armor Reduction Program (SHARP) in the southern Salish Sea and showcases the outreach model first employed in 2012 in the Targeted Outreach to Reduce Impacts from Shore Hardening in the Port Susan MSA and several subsequent successful armor removal projects. The Northwest Straits Foundation and Coastal Geologic Services expanded this model to seven North Puget Sound counties with their Shoreline Armor Reduction Program (SHARP). According to the Northwest Straits Initiative, armor is present on 29% of the Salish Sea shore in Washington State, and almost half of all residential shoreline parcels are modified by shore armor. Such structures, including bulkheads, seawalls, and rock revetments, can impair nearshore ecosystem processes by disrupting sediment flow to down-drift features in the associated net shore-drift cell or by burying the backshore and intertidal beach. This, in turn, reduces the availability of essential nearshore habitat. Reducing the presence of shore armor on privately-held land presents unique challenges. Members of the public are often not familiar with the risks associated with coastal living, nor the reasons why shore armor may or may not be suitable for their property. In some instances, armor removal is not feasible because of threats posed to existing infrastructure by erosion. Where removal is feasible, the process may be cost-prohibitive. SHARP addresses these challenges in an integrated process of community outreach and education, individual site assessments by experts, and, where appropriate, assisting with engineering design and permitting. The Northwest Straits Foundation provides cost-sharing incentives, making the assessment and design services of CGS’s coastal professionals accessible to more property owners. CGS has completed over 22 workshops, 140 site assessments, and designed over 10 armor removal projects through SHARP and related programs, ultimately resulting in the removal of miles of shore armor (numbers coming!).
