Living Shoreline at Naval Weapons Station Earle
NY/NJ BAYKEEPER®
Protect. Preserve. Restore.
Meredith Comi, Restoration Program Director11th Annual Sustainable Raritan River ConferenceJune 7, 2019
Problem:Sea level rise, increasing storm surge threats and changing precipitation patternsSolution:Nature-based tools to protect and restore• Increase sedimentation on shoreward side• Dampen wave energy• Reduce erosion • Increase species diversity
Due to the unique challenges of working in an urban estuary, incorporating artificial shorelinesinto restoration projects is necessary.
NY/NJ Baykeeper Restoration Program• Living Shoreline Project at NWS Earle-largest permitted project in the HRE at 11.6 acres• On-site aquaculture facility used to set larval oysters onto marine concrete Oyster Castles®• Living Shoreline established in 2016 and consists of 500 oyster castles arranged in pyramids set with
approximately 150,000 spat
Ware Creek is a 200-acre salt marsh located at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Middletown, NJ. A livingshoreline placed offshore will contribute to stabilization of the remaining dune systems and increasebiodiversity.
10 feet
10 feet
Juvenile oyster Crassostrea
virginica
Monitoring:• Done via SCUBA and visual assessments• Structural integrity, scouring, oyster growth and survivorship, natural recruitment• Shoreline monitoring and sediment traps to determine accretion/erosion patterns• Fish traps and sediment plates to determine biodiversity
Natural Recruitment
Meredith [email protected]
www.nynjbaykeeper.org
NY/NJ Baykeeper
30 Washington St.
Matawan, New Jersey 07747
732-888-9870
Acknowledgements
• NWS Earle and Ohmsette• Patogonia• Marta Heflin Foundation• Johanette Wallerstein
Foundation• Victoria Foundation• Dodge Foundation• Proud Pour• Biohabitats, Inc.• NJDEP• Army Corps of Engineers• EPA• Rutgers University/CUES• Pederson and Sons Marina• Belford Shellfish Co-op• Leonardo State Marina• Dr. Allison Fitzgerald/NJCU• Frank Steimle• Rutgers CUES• NOAA