LIVING SHORELINES
Living shorelines are shoreline protection projects that provide habitat for plants and animals, stabilize shorelines and improve water quality.
Living shorelines usually include the construction of a hard structure or breakwater made from rock or bagged shell and the planting of native vegetation along intertidal shorelines. The breakwaters play an important role in living shorelines as they help with erosional issues, slow the intrusion of muck and storm water and provide essential hard surface for a variety of sheltered and attached organisms. The inclusion of needed habitat as part of IRL restoration is well documented.
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Living Shoreline Sites
With the help of community volunteers, ORCA has created nine living shoreline sites along the Indian River Lagoon on Indian River Land Trust properties.
All of ORCA’s living shoreline sites are monitored quarterly by trained volunteer citizen scientists. Learn how you can get involved with ORCA’s Living Shoreline Monitoring Citizen Science Project.