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Sustainable Shorelines Project

Promoting Ecological Resilience
& Sustainable Shorelines
in an era of more rapid sea level rise
Why shorelines?
Logical next step in mapping &
ecological investigations
Concern over sea level rise impacts and
how our human responses would affect
river ecosystem
People started asking for technical
advice
Shorelines on the Hudson
(Troy to Tappan Zee Bridge)
Project Objectives
Develop science-based information
to guide shore zone management
decisions
Promote choices that preserve or
enhance shoreline benefits while
meeting engineering needs
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The shore zone
Sustainable Shorelines
Adaptable & Ecologically Enhanced
Soft AND Hard
Main Questions:
1. What do our intended users need? Betsy
2. What must shorelines withstand? What physical
stresses exist now, and what are our best
forecasts of the future? Jon
3. What management options exist? What are the
ecological, economic, and engineering trade-
offs among these? Betsy and Jon
4. Do shoreline options work? Emilie
Collaborative Learning
Intended users inform problem
definition, research design and
implementation, and ultimately, the
practical application of projects results
to a particular problem.
Partners & Advisors Project Team & Key Partners
DEC Hudson River
Research Reserve &
HR Estuary Program
Cary Institute of
Ecosystem Studies
Stevens Institute of
Technology
Consensus Building
Institute
NOAA: NERRS
Science Collaborative
Pace University Land
Use Law Center
The Nature Conservancy
New York Sea Grant
DOS Coastal Program
Office of Climate Change
NYSERDA
HRV Greenway
NOAA: CICEET
UNH
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Exploring Users Needs
Advisory Committee
Three focus groups with regulators and
municipal officials
Case studies of five communities
Interviews with shoreline engineers,
technical experts & consultants
Studies of angler and kayaker shoreline
preferences
Technical outreach
Intended Users
Selected Findings
Demonstration sites are essential to
provide evidence that alternatives will work
Our advisors were most interested in
construction and operational costs, rather
than ecosystem service valuations.
Community decisions on shorelines are
made very early in process
Anglers and kayakers preferred manicured
lawns to natural shorelines
High Tide
Low Tide
Upland/Floodplain
Protection of Property Protection of Waters
Ecologically Enhanced Shoreline- Where
does it go?
Shoreline management options
Ecological
benefits
Continuing
benefits over
time
Structural
stability
Adaptability
Failure risk
Construction
cost
Maintenance
cost
Shore Zone Services
Provides habitat and corridors for many
plants & animals
Provides opportunities for recreation
Produces & processes organic matter
Provides harvestable resources
Dissipates energy
Provides flood protection
Maintains water quality
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Shoreline Ecology Studies
Summary of Ecological Findings
Ecological characteristics/functions vary
widely across Hudson River shore zones
different functions do not vary in parallel
Some variation explained by shore type
engineered shores tend to have poorer
ecological function than natural shores
Some of this variation is explained by
physical characteristics of the shore zone
Further information:
2010 Shoreline Ecology Literature Review:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/147526m713
4jnt48/fulltext.pdf.
Strayer, D.L., S.E.G. Findlay, D.M. Miller, H.M.
Malcom, D.T. Fischer, and T. Coote. 2012.
Biodiversity in Hudson River shore zones:
influence of shoreline type and physical structure.
Aquatic Sciences. DOI 10.1007/s00027-012-
0252-9.
www.hrnerr.org/hudson-river-sustainable-shorelines/publications-
resources/
Rapid Assessment Protocol
Good at capturing current
physical variables proxies
for ecological variables
Applicable elsewhere?
Would need validation
studies
Shoreline management options
Ecological
benefits
Continuing
benefits over
time
Structural
stability
Adaptability
Failure risk
Construction
cost
Maintenance
cost
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Economic Tradeoffs
Traditional Engineering Costs:
installation, maintenance, replacement
or adaptation costs
Shore Zone Ecosystem Services
Valuations
Shore Zone Ecosystem Services
recreational fishing
commercial fishing
hunting & trapping
wildlife viewing
wave and ice
attenuation
storm surge & flood
protection
sediment capture
water quality
improvement
swimming
recreational boating &
marinas
commercial shipping
spiritual
aesthetic
education
www.hrnerr.org/hudson-river-sustainable-shorelines/