Gloucester is one of 11 New England-based locations to be selected for a Living Shorelines Planning Series technical assistance project to advance nature-based solutions in Massachusetts. The Nature Conservancy in Massachusetts (TNC), the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC), and the Massachusetts Office for Coastal Zone Management (CZM) selected TownGreen and the City of Gloucester, the Town of Bourne, and the City of Quincy in Massachusetts. The focus is to promote and test nature-based solutions in coastal areas, such as salt marshes and dunes, using, for example, native plants and oyster reefs, to stabilize shorelines. The award will provide training and technical assistance from the Woods Hole Group and the Stone Living Lab to work on a project at Good Harbor Beach Marsh, possibly focusing on creek bank stabilization.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to expand our knowledge of nature-based approaches to combating flooding caused by sea level rise and to obtain free design services on a local project,” noted Greg Federspiel, Director of TownGreen’s MARCH. “We are thrilled to be working with our partners from the City of Gloucester on this effort.”
The City and TownGreen staff will receive technical assistance that includes:
- Participating in workshops, training sessions, site visits, and other opportunities for education, outreach, and training to enhance knowledge about the implementation of successful living shorelines.
- Developing and sharing resources, tools, and case studies to expand knowledge exchange and learning about the successful application of living shorelines across the Northeast.
- Contributing to a new living shorelines theme on the Northeast Ocean Data Portal to provide access to maps of current projects, locations where potential or planned projects could be implemented, and resources for practitioners.
The goal of the program is to promote the adoption of nature-based solutions and living shorelines to show that they are one solution to coastal flooding and erosion. These types of projects create resilience within an ecosystem, as well as build social resilience, as residents learn more about the benefits of living shoreline projects.
