Education and Outreach Campaigns

Case Studies:

Overview:

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Training workshops for local decision makers or marine contractors can be important tools for educating people about alternatives to shoreline hardening.

Strong education and outreach programs are needed for the success of any good coastal management program and shoreline erosion control is no exception. Natural resource managers, the public and political leaders must be aware of the problem, its causes and solutions to make environmentally and economically sound decisions.

Targeted audiences, such as marine contractors that install shoreline stabilization structures, also need to be educated about the alternatives to shoreline armoring and how to appropriately design and install soft or hybrid stabilization projects. One of the difficulties with promoting soft-structural stabilization approaches is that there are a limited number of contractors that have experience doing these types of erosion control projects. While that number is growing, additional education and training programs are still needed.

Education and outreach programs should rely on a variety of techniques to inform their audiences about the best practices for shoreline management, including educational brochures and guidebooks, training workshops, and one-on-one technical assistance to waterfront landowners.

Benefits: Education is extremely important for promoting good shoreline management practices and is vital for gaining the political and public support needed for successful erosion control programs.

Drawbacks: Requires staff time and resources to conduct effective education and outreach programs.

Case Studies:

Maryland's Shore Erosion Control Technical Assistance Program

Since 1968, Maryland's Shore Erosion Control (SEC) Program has provided technical assistance to property owners in implementing shoreline erosion control practices. SEC program staff provide assistance to landowners by evaluating sites, assessing problems, and recommending solutions. Staff work with property owners during the project planning and implementation stages to make sure the owners have a good understanding of the benefits of different types of shoreline protection methods, costs, maintenance needs, and regulatory requirements. Where appropriate, SEC staff encourage the use of soft-structural or hybrid control methods. Maryland's Shore Erosion Control Program has assisted numerous property owners and helped with more than 800 structural projects and 325 non-structural projects since its creation.

As part of their education and outreach efforts, with support from NOAA and the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Maryland's Shore Erosion Control Program partnered with the Eastern Shore Conservation Council to produce a booklet on "soft" approaches to erosion control, Shore Erosion Control, The Natural Approach. The publication, which provides information about several "soft" approaches including their benefits, suitability under different energy regimes, and their costs compared to "hard" stabilization methods, has been very popular.

Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Coastal Training Program

The Padilla Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve's Coastal Training Program (CTP) has largely focused on shoreline management issues. Over the past few years, the Reserve has sponsored many training workshops. Topics discussed have included: the physical processes that shape marine shorelines; how shorelines are impacted by development; how to prepare shoreline inventories and characterization analyses for local shoreline management plans; how to determine the ordinary high water mark; alternative methods for shoreline stabilization. The workshops have been very well received and are in high-demand. Audiences have included local and county planners, consultants, natural resource managers and others. The Padilla Bay CTP is part of the Washington Department of Ecology's larger Shoreland and Environmental Assistance Program which has produced several property owner's guides and other resources such as "Slope Stability Erosion Control Using Vegetation," and "Surface Water and Groundwater on Coastal Bluffs," and how to manage vegetation along the shoreline.

Mid-Atlantic States Hold Contractor Education Workshops

Several groups including the Virginia Chesapeake Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, Maryland's Shoreline Erosion Control Program and the North Carolina Coastal Federation have sponsored workshops to educate contractors about alternative shoreline stabilization techniques to avoid shoreline hardening. The workshops inform contractors how living shorelines or non-structural approaches can be used to control shoreline erosion. Specific topics often included discussing the different types of soft, hybrid or non-structural methods, including construction and design considerations, situations where these would be most effective, and cost and maintenance issues for each alternative method.

Oregon and Wisconsin Produce Educational DVDs for Property Owners

Oregon and Wisconsin are two state coastal management programs that have produced educational videos (DVDs) to educate shorefront homeowners, and perspective home-buyers about the risks of owning waterfront property. Oregon's video titled "Living on the Edge, Building Property on the Oregon Coast" is a joint effort between the Oregon Coastal Management Program and Oregon State Sea Grant. It's intended to influence the behavior of perspective buyers and builders informing them of the unique risks that accompany development along the ocean shore, and how to avoid problems. The video features scientific experts, state and local planners, a local government representative, a developer, a mortgage banker and a real estate agent discussing what a shorefront homeowner needs to know and do to protect their property from erosion. Oregon plans to air its video on local cable channels, show it to chambers of commerce, realty groups and others, as well distributing the video to local planning offices and using it as a training tool for locally elected and appointed officials.

The Wisconsin Coastal Management Program recently developed a similar DVD, "Wisconsin Shores: Coastal Erosion in the Great Lakes," as part of their 2002-2006 Coastal Zone Enhancement (Section 309) strategy. The DVD combines a case study of several homes damaged and/or destroyed by a 2002 landslide along Lake Superior, with animation and narration, to illustrate risks associated with coastal erosion. The DVD also emphasizes the important role shoreline planning plays in avoiding unnecessary losses in the future.

 

 

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