Photo Courtesy Arundel Rivers Federation
Members of the Columbia Beach community join DNR Secretary Josh Kurtz and Arundel Rivers Executive Director for celebratory ribbon cutting.
arundelrivers.org
Edgewater, MD - Recently, Maryland Department of Natural Resources Secretary Josh Kurtz and staff joined Arundel Rivers Federation and Columbia Beach community leaders to celebrate the completion of a 1,000+ foot resilient, living shoreline restoration project at Franklin Point State Park. Attendees got their hands dirty planting marsh grasses to add to the expansive marsh habitat at the site prior to a ribbon-cutting ceremony and brief remarks by the Secretary and other leaders.
Visitors of Franklin Point State Park can witness scenic views as they explore the park’s 477 acres of marshes, forests, sandy shorelines, and grassy fields. Unfortunately, low elevation and exposure to high wave energy caused the shoreline of a 30-acre peninsula within the park to erode, with an average of 7.5 feet lost per year and bank heights up to 3.5 feet in some areas. As erosion causes the marshes and forests in the area to disappear, the surrounding land and nearby community of Shady Side becomes more exposed to storms and other impacts of climate change. A 2011 Sea Level Rise Strategic Plan published by Anne Arundel County identified Franklin Point State Park as vulnerable to sea level rise, with the Deale/Shady Side area as having the greatest number of impacted residences in the county.
To stabilize the peninsula, enhance the existing wildlife habitat and improve community resilience, Arundel Rivers Federation has constructed 1,060 linear feet of living shoreline with breakwater and sill features that will mitigate the effects of coastal storms, sea-level rise, flooding, and erosion. Thousands of native grasses and other plants will be added to increase the integrity of the natural marsh, reduce rates of erosion and absorb wave energy before it can damage critical infrastructure. Stabilizing the Franklin Point shoreline protects both community and ecological resources for current and future generations.
The project was designed by Coastline Design, constructed by Resource Restoration Group, and funded by MD Department of the Environment and MD Department of Natural Resources. This site was selected as a pilot project for the state’s new Resiliency Through Restoration Initiative to demonstrate how nature-based practices can help address flooding and erosion to protect people, infrastructure, and ecosystems.
More project details are available from Arundel Rivers through this link and from MD Department of Natural Resources through this link.
Arundel Rivers Federation is an environmental non-profit based in Annapolis, Maryland working to protect, preserve, and restore the South, West, and Rhode Rivers of Anne Arundel County while fighting for clean water everywhere. Arundel Rivers manages multiple large-scale environmental restoration projects each year to improve water quality and habitat.
