Fisherman Bay homeowners and businesses can now obtain free assessments and landscaping plans for managing shoreline erosion and tidal inundation, thanks to a grant recently made to Kwiaht by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Wells Fargo.

Northwest winters are forecast to grow wetter and stormier, with higher tides and waves.  Rates of erosion will increase, shoreline roads will be undercut and large parts of the village and Fisherman Bay Spit will be flooded by winter storm tides.

Until recently, the usual response to shoreline erosion was defensive armoring: a wall of wood or concrete (bulkheads), or piles of large rocks (rip-rap).  As storm waves continue to pound hard defenses, beaches are scoured away together with the vegetation that provided habitat for shorebirds, beach-spawning fish, and juvenile crabs. Even sturdy armoring must be rebuilt periodically, often taller and thicker than before. So-called “soft shore” defenses are actually not much different. Very large quantities of pebbles or gravel are piled along the shoreline and graded, creating a new “beach” of heavier materials that take the waves longer to move. Soft-shore treatments slow erosion, but they must also be replaced every 20 years or so, and they do not substitute for lost dunes or salt marshes.

A new approach to managing erosion, promoted by marine scientists at NOAA, is building new salt marshes, tidal sloughs, and dunes. Roots bind together sand and organic matter in a flexible, living fabric that can absorb the energy of storm tides and heal itself. Sloughs and lagoons between homes and the sea can also slow waves and reduce erosion. This approach uses a wide coastal buffer belt of salt marsh gardens instead of a hard, high heavy wall to defend homes and roads.

Apart from simple engineering, modest cost and longevity, “living shorelines” can include attractive salt-tolerant flowering plants such as Henderson’s Checkermallow, and provide homes for shorebirds, songbirds, and butterflies. Homeowners regain acreage and greenery, while reducing the risk of tidal flooding. Most of the construction required for a living shoreline is shovel-and-rake labor using sand, compost, and local plant materials.

Landscape ecologist Nathan Hodges and botanist Madrona Murphy lead Kwiaht’s living shorelines design team, and welcome inquiries about assessments.  Five Fisherman Bay shoreline properties are already under study. Training for landscapers, gardeners and volunteer naturalists will also be available through the end of 2015.

You can learn more about living shorelines by contacting kwiaht@gmail.com, or by visiting the Fisherman Bay Marine Health Observatory canopy at the Lopez Farmers’ Market on Aug. 16 or Sept. 6.