INDIAN CREEK PARK RESTORED AS LIVING SHORELINE

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) Office of Coastal and Aquatic Managed Areas (CAMA) through its Coastal Training Program of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) and the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA) have partnered with the Apalachicola Riverkeeper and Franklin County Schools to restore Indian Creek Park as a Living Shoreline. Living shorelines are an environmentally friendly technique to restore coastal habitats and resolve shoreline erosion problems.

“DEP and our partners have successfully restored a section of Florida’s important coastline using living shoreline projects,” said Seth Blitch, DEP’s Director of ANERR. “Indian Creek Park is an active example that can teach others about natural ways to achieve shoreline stabilization, and demonstrates the power of partnerships.” 

In 2008, Franklin County acquired Indian Creek Park from the Trust for Public Lands with grant funding from Florida Communities Trust. The property, formerly an RV park, had a hardened shoreline, which eroded to an extreme vertical drop at the water’s edge. The condition was unsightly and potentially unsafe to use as a park and for public access to the East Bay.

The Apalachicola Riverkeeper organization received grants for shoreline restoration from the Seaworld and Busch Gardens Conservation Fund and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation. With technical assistance from DEP Staff funded by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) GOMA Community Engagement Grant, the living shoreline and upland park plans were designed and implemented. Volunteers from DEP’s ANERR, the Riverkeeper and science classes from Franklin County Middle and High Schools pitched in to plant more than 7,500 salt marsh grasses and upland salt tolerant native plants and trees. Indian Creek Park is now open for public enjoyment at 93 North Bayshore Drive in Eastpoint, Florida.

More About Living Shorelines

Living shorelines are growing in popularity.  However, success in creating a project depends on many factors, such as wave action, depth, soils, slope and salinity. Training programs, research and publications are helping people decide when, where and how to create living shorelines. In Florida, local, county and statewide environmental agencies have begun to enhance, protect and recreate healthy coastal habitats.

Living shorelines use natural shoreline features such as salt marshes, seagrasses, other plants native to the region to preserve and recreate coastal habitats. Understanding the importance of natural shoreline stabilization techniques, how they work, and the benefits of these alternatives play an important role in sustaining Florida’s coast.

Natural stabilizers reduce coastal erosion and provide valuable habitat by using native vegetation, sand and organic material, and can be more cost efficient than structural stabilization in low-energy environments. Because the plants stabilize the soil and absorb wave energy, living shorelines are a first line of defense in coastal storms. Living shorelines also decrease the amount of harmful nutrients and pollutants entering coastal waters, adding natural filtration for improved water quality.

For more information, visit http://www.dep.state.fl.us/coastal/news/articles/0812_Shorelines.htm.

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