Living Shorelines at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge

Living Shorelines at Eastern Neck National Wildlife Refuge. Protecting Habitat for Fish and Wildlife. , Shoreline erosion threatens the tidal marsh and sheltered shallow water habitats of Eastern Neck Island. The high energy waves from the Bay and the Chester River, worsened by boat traffic, major storm and sea level rise, endanger these important habitats., Refuge guts and creeks are home to high concentrations of submerged aquatic vegetation, which are critical to waterfowl, fisheries and other aquatic organisms. Protecting the refuge shoreline not only protects these important habitats, but also fish and wildlife., Refuge staff and partners are working to slow shoreline erosion through a variety of means. Living shorelines control erosion by protecting, restoring, or enhancing existing habitat. Unlike bulkheads, living shorelines utilize gradual slopes, native plants, and in some cases low-profile rock structures to slow waves and create habitat., Living shorelines have been constructed in a number of locations around the island. By slowing shoreline erosion and sheltering submerged aquatic vegetation and tidal marsh habitats, living shorelines are working to protect fish and wildlife., [Captions:] , Historic aerial photograph of Hail Cove from 1957. The red line shows the shoreline in 1964 and the green line shows the shoreline in 1989., Aerial photograph of Hail Cove following a living shoreline project. The strip of sand you see along the isthmus was added during the project., Volunteers in action planting marsh grasses to stabilize the added sand.