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Living shorelines are generally considered to be shoreline management options that provide erosion control, while working with nature to restore, create or protect valuable habitat. As opposed to bulkheads or armoring, living shorelines are designed to allow natural coastal processes to take place by allowing the movement of organics in and out of the marsh; absorbing wave energy from wind, boats, and storm events; and by filtering pollutants from runoff. In addition, they create and/or maintain vital habitat for economically and ecologically important fish and shellfish, and they provide nesting and foraging areas for resident and migratory birds. Living shorelines help protect landowner investments while enhancing the ecological value of the property and are comparable in price to traditional shoreline armoring methods.Living shorelines are especially important to coastal resilience in Texas where hurricanes, flooding, industrial activity and development are frequent hazards to the coastal environment. Living shorelines have proven to be longer-lasting and more effective than traditional bulkheads, and they benefit communities by providing habitat for wildlife and acting as natural filters of the air and water. GBF has a long history of habitat restoration utilizing living shorelines techniques in Galveston Bay and its watershed. In 2017, Galveston Bay Foundation (GBF) entered an agreement with Troy University and partnered with the Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM) at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) to adapt the existing VIMS Shoreline Management Model (SMM) for use in Galveston Bay using funding from the NOAA RESTORE Science Program project #NA17NOS4510100 (U.S. Department of Commerce Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Science, Observation, Monitoring, and Technology Program). The Shoreline Management Model is a GIS spatial model to determine appropriate shoreline best management practices from the desk-top using available spatial data and the decision tree logic. The assessment is conducted at parcel level scale but the output represents a reach based or cumulative approach to shoreline management. The variables used in the SMM include fetch, nearshore bathymetry, bank height, marsh presence, beach presence, tree canopy presence, and permanent structures within the riparian zone. Existing shoreline erosion control structures, and the presence of submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV) and oyster presence are additional variables used to enhance the model’s capabilities for evaluating best management practices along shorelines that have already been hardened or where erosion control practices may impact SAV or existing oyster populations. Most appropriate for desk-top reviews, regulatory compliance and comprehensive planning, the recommendations derived from the SMM may be altered due to lot size, shoreline length along a single parcel, proximity of primary buildings to the shoreline, type of existing erosion control structures, land use practices, and local biota. The output of the SMM is delivered to the end user in two ways: interactive map viewer, and digital shape file. |