4. acquisition

   • fee simple

   • conservation easements

   • rolling easement

   • lot retirement

Land use control and land management techniques transfer responsibility of shoreline management from the individual to the community and are often perceived as more difficult to implement than a single action by a property owner. The long-term individual and cumulative benefits of these measures extend beyond those produced by other methods, including: (1) reduced coastal infrastructure and development, (2) diminished water quality degradation, (3) improved ecological status of shorelands by avoidance of fragmentation, (4) no loss of recreational access, (5) increased property values, and (6) reduced property losses.

Vegetation can be used to control shore erosion by planting appropriate grasses into the existing tidal and supratidal substrate. This strategy is generally limited to sites with very limited fetch. At sites with a larger fetch (over roughly 0.8 km, about 0.5 mi), creation of a marsh fringe will require the addition of elements such as sand fill (to provide a better substrate or planting terrace, see Figure 3-1) with or without some type of sill to attenuate wave action (see Figure 3-9).

This procedure for addressing erosion is not limited to the shore zone, but can be used elsewhere, such as on upland banks or bluffs. Various forms of bioengineering techniques can be employed to control groundwater seepage and surface runoff. Vegetation also can be used to stabilize banks or bluffs—roots from plants (trees, bushes, grasses) bind soils and form a living, adaptive barrier. Vegetation can be used in combination with graded banks to provide an effective approach to reduce erosion.

Marsh creation for shore erosion control can be accomplished by planting the appropriate species, typically grasses, sedges, or rushes, in the existing substrate and addressing the original cause(s) of marsh loss (e.g., altered hydrology, low water clarity, invasive species, erosion from boat wakes, or shading from overhanging tree branches on the bank). Planting of marsh grass to stabilize the shoreline has been used successfully for many years (Knutson and Woodhouse, 1983). Numerous planting guidelines exist for creating marsh fringes such as Rogers and Skrabal (2001). Recently, educational efforts by NOAA and others in Chesapeake Bay and North Carolina have resulted in a revival of these tech-

Front Matter (R1-R14)

Summary (1-10)

1 Introduction (11-24)

2 Understanding Erosion on Sheltered Shores (25-43)

3 Methods for Addressing Erosion (44-77)

4 Mitigating Eroding Sheltered Shorelines: A Trade Off in Ecosystem Services (78-97)

5 The Existing Decision-Making Process for Shoreline Protection on Sheltered Coasts (98-123)

6 A New Management Approach for Sheltered Shorelines (124-137)

References and Bibliography (138-150)

Appendix A Committee and Staff Biographies (151-158)

Appendix B Acronyms (159-160)

Appendix C Workshop Agenda and Participants List (161-166)

Appendix D Potential Federal Regulatory Requirements (167-169)

Appendix E Glossary (170-174)