Living shorelines help control erosion and provide habitat for surrounding marine life. With assistance from various grant sources, the Federation has worked with many private and public property owners to install living shorelines at private properties. Funding sources include the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service/ Southeast Aquatic Resource Partnership, N.C. General Assembly, N.C. Land and Water Fund, and N.C. Division of Soil and Water Conservation’s Community Conservation Assistance Program. These funding programs provide financial assistance to property owners for living shoreline construction. In 2021 and 2022, ~9,000 feet or 1.7 miles of living shoreline were installed at 60 properties through the Federation’s successful Cost-Share Program.
These projects serve as demonstration sites for neighbors and the community. They encourage the use of living shoreline methods for erosion control over traditional hard structures like bulkheads.
Interested in building a living shoreline on your property? Please send an email to livingshorelines@nccoast.org to receive more information.
Check out this fact sheet which highlights coastal N.C. contractors and engineers who are trained to install living shorelines in your region.
Hear about the benefits of living shorelines from this homeowner who installed one in front of his property in 2018:
