Nature-based Shorelines

A nature-based shoreline uses natural materials, alone or in combination with other structures, to stabilize an eroding shoreline. Nature-based shorelines provide a natural alternative to “hard” stabilization methods, such as rip rap or bulkheads, and provide numerous environmental benefits.
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Shoreline Support

A nature-based, or living, shoreline uses natural materials, alone or in combination with other structures, to stabilize an eroding shoreline. Nature-based shorelines provide a natural alternative to “hard” stabilization methods, such as rip rap or bulkheads, and provide numerous environmental benefits.
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The Barnegat Bay Partnership

The Barnegat Bay Partnership is assisting with the installation and monitoring of nature-based shoreline projects in the Barnegat Bay estuary.

Sedge Island Shoreline Project

In 2019, the Barnegat Bay Partnership assisted the NJ DEP’s Division of Fish and Wildlife and Marine Fisheries Administration with the installation of a living shoreline at the Sedge Island Natural Resource Education Center. The project consists of “soft,” nature-based coconut fiber mats and logs designed and installed to mitigate shoreline erosion under the caretaker’s house at the Center.

After assessing damage from several large storms in the fall and winter of 2019-2020, the BBP began working with the NJDEP and Partnership for the Delaware Estuary to determine the best strategies for ensuring the stability of the materials used in the project. BBP wetlands scientists conducted elevation and position monitoring at the site in 2020 and will continue to track changes over the next several years. The monitoring data will not only inform management of this project but also help improve designs for future shoreline projects.

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Living shoreline

Little Egg Harbor Shoreline Projects

In 2020, two shoreline stabilization projects were installed in Little Egg Harbor, one at Iowa Court and one at Green Street, with funding provided by the NJ Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership.

Photo: BBP scientists Emily Pirl and Shannon Vasquez take elevation measurements at the Green Street shoreline stabilization site in Little Egg Harbor.

Protecting Our Shorelines

The BBP designed a monitoring plan that borrows metrics from the Mid-Atlantic Wetlands Assessment (MACWA) framework to track changes to these two projects over time. BBP scientists completed the first round of assessments in 2020. With additional funding provided by the Township of Little Egg Harbor, the BBP will continue to monitor the projects for the next several years. The BBP also teamed up with the NJDEP Office of Information Technology to use drone technologies to visualize and quantify project progression. Using high resolution imagery, researchers can track specific movements in vegetation communities, shoreline position, and project structures.
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UNKNOWN

There is limited data available to quantify Wetland and Riparian Buffer Preservation, or updated data to quantify Wetland Acreage. The BBP has obtained funding and will begin assessment efforts for both targets, in the next few years.

 

 Hard Clam abundance has not been updated since 2012. Recovery of the stock will be guided by the Fishery Management Plan for Hard Clams, which is under development with the NJDEP, BBP, and other organizations. Reclam the Bay and other partners have continued to plant clams for restoration purposes. Continued plantings in strategic locations which maximize survival and reproduction is one strategy to pursue in the coming years. This work can use a model developed by Rutgers with BBP funding which identified areas where planted clams could have the greatest dispersal of their larvae and thus potentially maximally contribute to the recovery of the stock.

 Water Withdrawals were over the target in the 2021 report; USGS has not yet completed its latest update, so a definitive determination of status is not available. However, additional NJDEP data show that it is likely that we continue to not meet the target. Per capita water use has gone down, demonstrating the effectiveness of water-saving appliances and practices, but that decrease has been offset by population gains. 


IN PROGRESS

New maps quantifying Submerged Aquatic Vegetation extent were developed, but poor image clarity resulted in a high degree of uncertainty in the total acreage. NJDEP and Rutgers are working to resolve the uncertainty of these maps, and improve the total acreage estimate. Funding has also been obtained for further research and restoration activities. Several groups are developing potential restoration actions.

The USGS has completed the first phase of its study to identify minimum ecological flows in select Barnegat Bay tributaries. USGS scientists compared streamflow statistics between historical and current time periods to better understand trends in watershed flow conditions. This work provides a foundation for developing ecological flow targets in the Barnegat Bay watershed.  Similar to SAV extent, funding (approximately $450K) has been obtained by the BBP to complete the remaining phases necessary for threshold determination.

 

TARGETS ACHIEVED

No targets can be considered “Achieved” at this time.

 

NOT ACHIEVING

Several Public Swimming Beaches exceeded their safe swimming standards more frequently than during their baseline time period (2016-2018).

While most beaches are routinely safe for swimming, several problematic areas such as Beachwood, Hancock, Windward, and several lake beaches need track-down studies and restoration to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

Acres of Approved Shellfish Waters decreased from the last report. While this decrease was small, it represents a loss of previously approved waters. Similar to public beaches, track-down studies and restoration work are needed to pinpoint and address sources of bacteria.

 

Nature-Based Shorelines

A nature-based, or living, shoreline uses natural materials, alone or in combination with other structures, to stabilize an eroding shoreline. Nature-based shorelines provide a natural alternative to “hard” stabilization methods, such as rip rap or bulkheads, and provide numerous environmental benefits.

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Living shoreline