Living Shoreline at Naval Weapons Station Earle

NY/NJ BAYKEEPER®

Protect. Preserve. Restore.

Meredith Comi, Restoration Program Director11th Annual Sustainable Raritan River ConferenceJune 7, 2019

Problem:Sea level rise, increasing storm surge threats and changing precipitation patternsSolution:Nature-based tools to protect and restore• Increase sedimentation on shoreward side• Dampen wave energy• Reduce erosion • Increase species diversity

Due to the unique challenges of working in an urban estuary, incorporating artificial shorelinesinto restoration projects is necessary.

NY/NJ Baykeeper Restoration Program• Living Shoreline Project at NWS Earle-largest permitted project in the HRE at 11.6 acres• On-site aquaculture facility used to set larval oysters onto marine concrete Oyster Castles®• Living Shoreline established in 2016 and consists of 500 oyster castles arranged in pyramids set with

approximately 150,000 spat

Ware Creek is a 200-acre salt marsh located at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Middletown, NJ. A livingshoreline placed offshore will contribute to stabilization of the remaining dune systems and increasebiodiversity.

10 feet

10 feet

Juvenile oyster Crassostrea

virginica

Monitoring:• Done via SCUBA and visual assessments• Structural integrity, scouring, oyster growth and survivorship, natural recruitment• Shoreline monitoring and sediment traps to determine accretion/erosion patterns• Fish traps and sediment plates to determine biodiversity

Natural Recruitment

Meredith Comimeredith@nynjbaykeeper.org

www.nynjbaykeeper.org

NY/NJ Baykeeper

30 Washington St.

Matawan, New Jersey 07747

732-888-9870

Acknowledgements

• NWS Earle and Ohmsette• Patogonia• Marta Heflin Foundation• Johanette Wallerstein

Foundation• Victoria Foundation• Dodge Foundation• Proud Pour• Biohabitats, Inc.• NJDEP• Army Corps of Engineers• EPA• Rutgers University/CUES• Pederson and Sons Marina• Belford Shellfish Co-op• Leonardo State Marina• Dr. Allison Fitzgerald/NJCU• Frank Steimle• Rutgers CUES• NOAA