Living Shorelines Living Watershed by Michael Valliant
lines at the edge of both private and public waterfront. NOAA says that a living shoreline is a protected, stabilized coastal edge made of natural materials, such as plants, sand or rock. They comprise natural elements in combination with harder structures to stabilize coasts, bays and tributaries. The state of Maryland understands the importance of living shorelines for the health and sustainability of its waterways: in
Maryland packs a lot of shoreline. A 2003 Maryland Geological Survey, which includes minor Bay tributaries, upstream sections of larger tributaries, and streams draining the interior into some marshes, cites the state’s tidal shoreline at 7,719 miles. That number has changed over time, and so have the locations of those shorelines. One of the biggest emerging means to protect shorelines and improve water quality is the practice of creating living shore-
Environmental Concern staff staging plants for the next planting at Walton Beach Nature Preserve on the Chesapeake Bay. 41