Living Shoreline Sites, Designs Developed

Five living shoreline marsh protection projects near the Pointe-au-Chien Indian Tribe (PACIT) community have been identified, and initial designs were created as part of a National Academy of Sciences Gulf Research Program grant, spearheaded by Louisiana Sea Grant (LSG).

Living shorelines are nature-based solutions – such as oyster reefs, marsh plantings and breakwaters – used to mitigate the impacts of coastal erosion, flooding and storm surge. The five designs that resulted from the project provide a practical and actionable pathway to help protect homes, sacred sites and the tribal community at-large in Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes.

“Through a collaborative process that used scientific modeling, applied design, traditional ecological knowledge and community engagement, site priorities and designs were identified and developed,” said Matt Bethel, LSG associate director for research and the grant’s principal investigator. “A Living Shorelines Site Suitability Model was customized for the tribe’s fragile landscape. Suitable living shoreline types and locations were identified with tribal input. And designs that include construction-ready details and visual renderings were created by LSU assistant professor Yao Wang and her students at the Robert Reich School of Landscape Architecture.”

The five site designs would help protect tribe member homes, cemeteries and burial sites, a critical road, canals and other culturally significant locations. Several other locations adjacent to terraces created by Ducks Unlimited and its partners were also identified as important by the tribe. Ducks Unlimited marsh terrace creation projects could be leveraged with the living shorelines sites to benefit the tribe.

The shovel-ready designs have been used to obtain a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant to help move the projects forward through the permitting process and negotiations with deed holders – as some of the sites are privately held.

Additionally, the Living Shorelines Site Suitability Model created for the project was deployed online so the tribe can continue to use it into the future. The Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana (CRCL) plans to utilize the vetted designs to help identify where to expand existing oyster shell living shoreline structures in the area through CRCL’s Oyster Shell Recycling Program. Also, there is discussion with the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority about integrating the model and nature-based design concepts into project ideas for the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan.

Partners on the project included Louisiana State University, the University of Washington, Troy University, Ducks Unlimited, Terrebonne Parish, the Coalition to Restore Coastal Louisiana, the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, PACIT, the University of Southern Mississippi and LSG’s Law and Policy Program.