The NH Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Coastal Program and its partners are kicking off the Great Bay Living Shorelines Project, which focuses on Great Bay Estuary projects that protect salt marsh ecosystems and coastal communities from erosion and sea-level rise.
The project team is working with community stakeholders and landowners in Durham, Dover, Newmarket, and Stratham to identify four new living shoreline project sites, develop conceptual designs for the chosen sites, provide practical living shoreline design learning opportunities for professionals, and share recommendations for future living shoreline projects in the Great Bay Estuary. One of the sites will be located at Wagon Hill Farm in Durham, continuing work to manage ongoing erosion along the popular public property situated on the tidally-influenced Oyster River.
In an effort to support a growing economy focused on nature-based shoreline management, project partners are currently soliciting applications from professionals looking to gain hands-on experience with living shoreline design. Living Shoreline Design Teams will learn about and design living shoreline projects at the selected Great Bay sites. Each team will be supported by experienced scientists and professionals, and stipends are available to support professional participation. Applications are due next week June 25. To learn more about applying to be on a Living Shoreline Design Team and to access the application form, visit the project website.
The Great Bay Living Shoreline Project is a collaboration between the NHDES Coastal Program, the Town of Durham, the University of NH, the Great Bay Stewards, the NH Fish and Game Department Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, and the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership and is funded by a competitive National Coastal Resilience Fund grant administered by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.
If you are interested in following the Great Bay Living Shoreline Project progress, you can sign up to receive project email updates using this form. Please contact NHDES Coastal Program Resilience Coordinator Kirsten Howard at (603) 559-0020 or kirsten.b.howard@des.nh.gov with inquiries about the Great Bay Living Shoreline Project.
Current Issue - April 2024