Last week, multiple volunteer groups joined the North Carolina Coastal Federation’s northeast staff for the planting of marsh grasses at the Moor Shore Road living shoreline project site. The plantings of black needlerush, Juncus romerianus, is the final step in the completion of the project. The project has been a culmination of multiple moving parts and groups coming together to successfully stabilize the shoreline along the historic road in Kitty Hawk.
The planning for and construction of the vinyl sill offshore included multiple stakeholders such as property owners along the road, the town of Kitty Hawk, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and Dare County Soil and Water and the plantings involved various volunteer groups throughout the community. The northeast staff was joined by Better Beaches OBX, Outer Banks Running Club, staff from the North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island, a summer camp group from the Aquarium, 4-H Groups from Dare County and Camden County, River City YouthBuild of Elizabeth City and individual community members. The generosity from the volunteer groups saved the federation and the town of Kitty Hawk time and money, while also demonstrating the potential for community engagement that the living shoreline provides.
The federation would like to thank the Town of Kitty Hawk for their help in recruiting volunteers, providing volunteer transportation to the site, for housing the plants and for their support of the project.
With the plants in the ground, stabilization of the shoreline will occur with sediment accumulation and with the footing their roots provide. The plants create habitat for wetland species and improve water quality. For more information on the history of the project, click here. For more information on living shorelines, click here.
