>> Sreenivasan: WHEN IT COMES TO

PROTECTING SHORELINES FROM

THREATS OF EROSION, STORMS AND

RISING SEAS, THE TRADITIONAL

SOLUTION HAS BEEN TO BUILD WALLS

OR HARD INFRASTRUCTURE.

BUT AROUND THE U.S., A NEW

ALTERNATIVE IS GAINING TRACTION.

IT'’S CALLED A LIVING SHORELINE.

THIS STORY IS PART OF OUR

ONGOING SERIES, "PERIL AND

PROMISE: THE CHALLENGE OF

CLIMATE CHANGE"; AND PRODUCED IN

PARTNERSHIP WITH CLIMATE

CENTRAL, A NON-PROFIT SCIENCE

AND NEWS ORGANIZATION.

ON A MUGGY SUMMER DAY, ALMOST A

DOZEN WORKERS AND VOLUNTEERS

FORM A BUCKET BRIGADE.

THEY PASS 20 TO 30 POUND BAGS OF

TRUCKED-IN OYSTER SHELLS ONTO

WAITING ROWBOATS.

THEN, THEY TRANSPORT THEM DOWN

THE SHORE, PILING THE BAGS

STRATEGICALLY IN THE SHALLOW

WATER NEXT TO THE MARSH.

ABOUT 200 BAGS OF OYSTER SHELLS

ARE USED TO BUILD EACH 20-FOOT

ARTIFICIAL REEF, A FORM OF GREEN

INFRASTRUCTURE KNOWN AS A LIVING

SHORELINE.

RACHEL GWIN IS THE RESTORATION

COORDINATOR FOR THE

CHOCTAWHATCHEE BASIN ALLIANCE,

OR C.B.A., A NONPROFIT

ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATION

BUILDING THIS LIVING SHORELINE

AT A WATERFRONT HOME ON

FLORIDA'’S PANHANDLE.

SO, WITHOUT THESE REEFS, WHAT'S

HAPPENING TO THIS SHORE?

>> WITHOUT THESE REEFS, THIS

MARSH AREA-- WHICH IS A REALLY

GOOD, HEALTHY SALT MARSH-- IT

WOULD JUST EVENTUALLY KEEP

ERODING.

>> Sreenivasan: TRADITIONALLY,

SEAWALLS BUILT OF CONCRETE, WOOD

OR HARDENED PLASTIC HAVE BEEN

USED TO LOCK SHORELINES IN PLACE

AND PREVENT EROSION.

A LIVING SHORELINE IS AN

ALTERNATIVE, WHICH PROTECTS THE

LAND BEHIND IT FROM EROSION BY

REDUCING THE WAVE ENERGY.

AS THE WAVES ARE KNOCKED DOWN BY

THE ARTIFICIAL REEF, SAND AND

OTHER SEDIMENT IS TRAPPED BEHIND

IT, REBUILDING THE SHORE AND

ALLOWING VEGETATION TO GROW.

>> WITH THE LIVING SHORELINES,

EACH SITE IS DIFFERENT--

ESPECIALLY WITH THE SEDIMENT

MOVEMENT, IF IT'S SANDIER OR

SILTY-- BUT YOU COULD START TO

BUILD BACK SHORELINE.

AND WITH THE MARSH GRASSES

GROWING OUT, IT CAN HELP RECLAIM

A BIT OF YOUR SHORELINE WHILE

STABILIZING.

>> Sreenivasan: SO, ALL THIS IS

NEW?

>> ALL OF IT IS NEW IN THE LAST

TWO-AND-A-HALF YEARS.

>> Sreenivasan: ON THE OTHER

SIDE OF THE BAY, HOMEOWNER

JENNIFER McPEAK'S PROPERTY HAS

BEEN TRANSFORMED SINCE THE

C.B.A. INSTALLED A LIVING

SHORELINE.

>> PRIOR TO HAVING THIS

PROTECTION, THIS WHOLE SHORELINE

WAS SCRUBBED CLEAN.

IT WAS JUST SAND.

THERE WASN'T ONE BLADE OF

VEGETATION ON THE ENTIRE LENGTH

OF THE SHORELINE.

AND THAT WAS MAKING THE EROSION

FAR WORSE.

>> Sreenivasan: YOU'RE WATCHING

YOUR LAND, YOUR BACKYARD,

DISAPPEAR?

>> WE WERE WATCHING OUR BIGGEST

INVESTMENT FALL INTO THE OCEAN.

YES.

>> Sreenivasan: McPEAK AND HER

HUSBAND WANTED WHAT MANY OF

THEIR NEIGHBORS HAD: A SEAWALL.

THEY EVEN STARTED THE PROCESS OF

GETTING A PERMIT FROM THE

STATE'S DEPARTMENT OF

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION, OR

D.E.P.

>> WE HAD SIGNED ON THE DOTTED

LINE, WE'RE PUTTING IN A

SEAWALL.

AND THE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE

D.E.P. SAID, "HAVE YOU EVER

HEARD OF A LIVING SHORELINE?"

AND I SAID NO.

SHE SAID, "WELL, CONTACT THESE

FOLKS OVER AT THE CHOCTAWHATCHEE

BASIN ALLIANCE AND ASK THEM

ABOUT IT BECAUSE I THINK YOU

GUYS WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD

CANDIDATE."

>> Sreenivasan: IT TOOK ALMOST A

YEAR TO GET THE PERMITS FROM THE

STATE AND FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO

BUILD THE LIVING SHORELINE, AND

IT COST ABOUT $3,000-- ABOUT A

QUARTER OF WHAT AN 80-FOOT

SEAWALL WOULD HAVE.

THE C.B.A. SUBSIDIZES THE COST

WITH GRANTS, LABOR AND OYSTER

SHELLS, WHICH ARE COLLECTED

FROM LOCAL RESTAURANTS.

ARE YOU SURPRISED AT HOW FAST

IT'’S TAKEN?

>> SHOCKED.

SHOCKED.

WE JUST HAD TO PROTECT THE

SHORELINE A LITTLE BIT TO GIVE A

CHANCE FOR THESE GRASSES TO GAIN

A FOOTHOLD, AND WITH IT ALL THIS

LIFE.

AND THAT'S BEEN THE BIGGEST

THRILL FOR US.

THIS ISN'T JUST GRASS AND SOME

REEFS; THIS THING IS TEEMING

WITH LIFE.

>> Sreenivasan: THE BAGS OF

OYSTER SHELLS CREATE A WHOLE NEW

HABITAT.

RESEARCH SHOWS THAT LIVING

SHORELINES ATTRACT MORE MARINE

LIFE AND PLANTS THAN SEAWALLS.

WHAT KIND OF THINGS DO YOU SEE

HERE?

>> OH, MY GOSH.

EVERY KIND OF CRAB YOU CAN

IMAGINE.

WE'VE GOT HERMIT CRABS, STONE

CRABS, BLUE CRABS, FIDDLER

CRABS, MARSH CRABS.

I SOUND LIKE THAT GUY FROM

"FORREST GUMP" RIGHT NOW WITH

THE SHRIMP, BUT IT'S ME WITH THE

CRABS!

(LAUGHTER )

>> Sreenivasan: McPEAK'S LIVING

SHORELINE IS ONE SMALL EXAMPLE

OF WHAT'S BEEN TRIED ON A LARGER

SCALE TO PROTECT SHORELINES ALL

AROUND THE GULF.

HERE IN PENSACOLA, FLORIDA, JUST

LIKE THE REST OF THE SOUTHEAST

OR MUCH OF THE EASTERN SEABOARD,

COASTS HAVE TO DEAL WITH LARGE

STORMS AND HURRICANES.

BUT THERE'S A GROWING BODY OF

RESEARCH THAT SUGGESTS LIVING

SHORELINES LIKE THIS ONE ARE

MORE RESILIENT THROUGH STORMS

THAN HARDENED SHORELINES LIKE

SEAWALLS.

>> IT LOOKS TODAY AS GOOD, IF

NOT BETTER, THAN BEFORE THE

HURRICANE.

>> Sreenivasan: DARRYL BOUDREAU

IS THE WATERSHED COORDINATOR FOR

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY.

HE SHOWED US A 30-ACRE LIVING

SHORELINE PROJECT IN DOWNTOWN

PENSACOLA CALLED PROJECT

GREENSHORES.

THE FIRST PART WAS COMPLETED IN

2003, ONE YEAR BEFORE HURRICANE

IVAN HAMMERED THE REGION.

>> HURRICANE IVAN WAS A CATEGORY

THREE HURRICANE.

IT WAS BASICALLY A DIRECT HIT.

IT WASHED AWAY THE ROAD ON I-10

FURTHER UP THE BAY.

THAT'S HOW POWERFUL THAT STORM

WAS.

BUT THE ROAD BEHIND PROJECT

GREENSHORES WAS REALLY NOT

DAMAGED.

>> Sreenivasan: THE EXPERIENCE

WITH PROJECT GREENSHORES IN

PENSACOLA IS NOT UNIQUE.

IN NORTH CAROLINA, RESEARCHERS

DOCUMENTED HOW LIVING SHORELINES

LIKE THIS ONE WERE BARELY

DAMAGED AFTER HURRICANE IRENE IN

2011.

WHILE ABOUT 100 YARDS AWAY, THIS

HARDENED SHORELINE HAD TO BE

COMPLETELY REPLACED.

AND THEN, THERE'S SEA LEVEL

RISE.

CLIMATE CHANGE IS EXPECTED TO

PUSH SEAS IN THIS REGION UP

BETWEEN TWO AND FIVE FEET OVER

THE NEXT 80 YEARS.

WE'VE GOT TWO DIFFERENT

STRATEGIES TO DEAL WITH SEA

LEVEL RISE.

YOU GOT A SOLID WALL, AND YOU'VE

GOT THIS MARSH.

WHAT'’S GOING TO DO BETTER?

>> I... I WOULD SAY OVER TIME

THE MARSH IS GOING TO DO BETTER.

THE... THE SEAWALL IS SORT OF A

FIXED POINT, SO IT'S A FIXED

HEIGHT.

IT'’S A FIXED LOCATION.

WITH SEA LEVEL RISE, THE WATER

LEVELS ARE GOING TO INCREASE.

AND THE ONLY WAY TO ADAPT A

HARDENED STRUCTURE IS TO COME

BACK WITH A HIGHER STRUCTURE.

>> Sreenivasan: PROJECT

GREENSHORES WAS FUNDED BY THE

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, THE STATE

AND PRIVATE SOURCES, INCLUDING

THE LOCAL UTILITY PROVIDER.

ANOTHER PHASE OF THE PROJECT IS

CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED USING

MONEY FROM THE B.P. OIL SPILL.

BOUDREAU SAYS IT WAS DESIGNED TO

BE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT A LIVING

SHORELINE COULD BE.

BUT WITH MORE THAN 14,000 MILES

OF THE NATION'S NEARLY 100,000

MILES OF TIDAL SHORELINE ALREADY

HARDENED WITH INFRASTRUCTURE

LIKE SEAWALLS, LIVING SHORELINES

CURRENTLY REPRESENT A TINY

FRACTION OF AMERICA'’S COASTS.

>> IT TAKES EDUCATING THE

COMMUNITY BECAUSE THEY SEE A

SOFTER SOLUTION, THEY JUST SAY

HOW DOES THAT PROTECT IT?

BUT ONCE THEY HAVE IT PUT IN AT

THE NEIGHBOR'S HOUSE AND THEY

SAY, "HEY, THEIR PROPERTY IS NOT

ERODING," AND LOOK AT THE

WILDLIFE THAT THIS ATTRACTS,

THAT'S HOW YOU GET THAT CHANGE

AND YOU WIN PEOPLE OVER.

>> Sreenivasan: SO, SEEING IS

BELIEVING.

>> SEEING IS BELIEVING.

>> WE DON'T HAVE THE RESEARCH

THAT SHOWS US HOW TO DO IT ALL,

YET.

>> Sreenivasan: JUST CEBRIAN IS

A MARINE ECOLOGIST WITH THE

DAUPHIN ISLAND SEA LAB AND THE

UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA.

>> SO, THAT'S DAUPHIN ISLAND,

RIGHT THERE.

>> Sreenivasan: HE TOOK US TO A

LIVING SHORELINE PROJECT BY AN

UNINHABITED BARRIER ISLAND OFF

THE COAST OF ALABAMA.

FUNDED WITH MONEY FROM THE

STIMULUS PLAN IN 2009,

RESEARCHERS INSTALLED BAGGED

OYSTER SHELLS BUT ALSO A

COMMERCIAL PRODUCT KNOWN AS

REEFBLK, A METAL TRIANGLE FILLED

WITH OYSTER SHELLS AND CONCRETE

REEF BALLS, LIKE THESE, WHICH

ARE SUBMERGED UNDER WATER.

CEBRIAN SAYS FISH AND MARINE

INVERTEBRATES LOVE THE HABITAT,

BUT NONE OF THE REEF DESIGNS

HAVE COMPLETELY PREVENTED

EROSION.

THE REEFS ARE TOO FAR FROM THE

SHORELINE.

>> WE ARE STILL LOSING THE

SHORELINE VERY QUICKLY.

>> Sreenivasan: HOWEVER, AT A

NEARBY SITE, THE STATE AND THE

FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FUNDED THIS

PROJECT TO INSTALL THESE

TRAPEZOIDAL CONCRETE BLOCKS TO

HELP REBUILD A NARROW PENINSULA

DAMAGED BY HURRICANE KATRINA.

SINCE THE NEARLY ONE-MILE OF

ARTIFICIAL REEF WAS INSTALLED IN

2010, THE SHORE HAS GROWN

DRAMATICALLY, CREATING A VIBRANT

ECOSYSTEM.

>> SO, IT'S A VERY HEALTHY

ENVIRONMENT.

WE HAVE DOCUMENTED THAT OYSTERS

CAN SETTLE HERE.

AND ALSO, A LOT OF BIRDS WILL

COME OVER TO HANG OUT HERE, AS

WELL.

AND ALSO, THERE'S A LOT OF FISH

THAT COME TO THESE BLOCKS

BECAUSE THEY FIND A STRUCTURE.

SO, ALL IN ALL, COMBINING

MARSHES WITH PYRAMIDS IS A VERY

EFFECTIVE WAY TO CREATE LIVING

SHORELINES.

>> Sreenivasan: AND THERE'S A

LOT OF RESEARCH BEHIND THIS.

BEFORE THESE CONCRETE PYRAMIDS

WERE DEPLOYED IN THE BAY, THEY

WERE TESTED HERE, AT A WAVE POOL

AT THE NEARBY UNIVERSITY OF

SOUTH ALABAMA.

ENGINEERS TESTED SCALE MODELS OF

THE DESIGN.

HERE, THEY CAN ADJUST THE SIZE

AND FREQUENCY OF THE WAVES TO

SIMULATE REAL-WORLD CONDITIONS.

BRET WEBB IS A PROFESSOR OF

COASTAL ENGINEERING AND HAS

CONSULTED ON DOZENS OF LIVING

SHORELINES ON THE GULF COAST.

>> TESTING ALLOWED US TO SAY,

NUMBER ONE, THAT THE ORIGINAL

SIZE STRUCTURE WOULD NOT REALLY

WORK WELL FOR THAT SITE, THAT

THEY WERE GOING TO NEED TO BE A

LITTLE BIT BIGGER.

THE OTHER THING THAT ALLOWED US

TO SAY IS THAT, HEY, WE DON'T

NEED THREE ROWS OF THESE

STRUCTURES; WE COULD JUST HAVE

TWO ROWS.

>> Sreenivasan: WEBB SAYS

RESEARCHERS, INCLUDING ENGINEERS

AND ECOLOGISTS, ARE STILL

FIGURING OUT WHAT WORKS AND THAT

ONE SIZE DOES NOT FIT ALL.

EVEN WITH CUSTOMIZATION, WEBB

SAYS, LIVING SHORELINES ARE NOT

APPROPRIATE FOR ALL WATERFRONTS.

>> THERE ARE ALSO CERTAIN CASES

WHERE SOMEBODY JUST ABSOLUTELY

NEEDS VERTICAL, YOU KNOW,

STRUCTURE ALONG CITY WATERFRONTS

AND THINGS LIKE THAT WHERE

YOU'VE GOT WHARFS AND MARINAS OR

MAYBE PORTS AND HARBORS.

GOING TO A NATURAL SHORELINE

THERE IS... IS REALLY SOMEWHAT

COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.

>> Sreenivasan: BUT BACK ON THE

BANKS OF THE CHOCTAWHATCHEE BAY

IN FLORIDA, OYSTER REEF LIVING

SHORELINES LIKE THIS ONE HAVE

BEEN VERY EFFECTIVE AT

PROTECTING LAND FROM EROSION AND

BUILDING NATURAL HABITAT.

AS A FINAL STEP, THE TEAM PLANTS

SUPPLEMENTARY GRASS ALONG THE

SHORE.

>> FISHING IS GOING TO GET GOOD

OUT HERE.

>> Sreenivasan: HOMEOWNER BUTCH

RICHARD, A RETIRED AIR FORCE

PILOT, IS OPTIMISTIC THE SHORE

ON THE FAR SIDE OF HIS PROPERTY

WILL START TO BUILD BACK UP

AFTER YEARS OF EROSION.

>> ONCE YOU GET THAT GRASS GOING

AND GOING INTO THE WATER,

TOWARDS THE WATER, THEN YOU'RE

MAKING BIG PROGRESS.

>> Sreenivasan: THE C.B.A. HAS

BUILT MORE THAN TWO MILES OF

LIVING SHORELINES AROUND THE

CHOCTAWHATCHEE BAY, AND THE

GROUP SAYS THE IDEA IS GAINING

TRACTION; THERE'S CURRENTLY A

ONE-YEAR-LONG WAITING LIST TO

HAVE AN OYSTER SHELL LIVING

SHORELINE INSTALLED.