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Summer is perfect for spend time outdoors, especially if you happen to own a home on the water. You can step outside to fish, go for a boat ride, and enjoy nature. However, owning a waterfront home comes with some difficulties, too. 

Many waterfront property owners experience erosion due to storms, boat wakes, and even just everyday wind-driven waves. While watching your property wash away might invoke thoughts of bulkheads and shoreline hardening, there is another option that is better at preventing erosion, provides habitat for wildlife and makes the water cleaner: living shorelines!

Living shorelines are a natural alternative to shoreline hardening that not only protects a shoreline from waves but also have a host of other benefits. To learn more about living shorelines, attend a free workshop in coastal Mississippi. 

A side-by-side comparison of a shoreline before and after the installation of a living shoreline. The "Before" image shows an eroding, barren shoreline next to a dock. The "After" image shows lush, green vegetation stabilizing the shoreline with clearer water.
Figure 1 A shoreline before and after living shoreline installation at Camp Wilkes in Biloxi, Mississippi.

 

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium and Mississippi State University Living Shoreline Technical Assistance Program are hosting a series of free workshops throughout coastal Mississippi for waterfront property owners. By attending these workshops, you will learn about the benefits of a living shoreline, what goes into building one, and where to go for more information. You will also have the opportunity to get one-on-one advice for protecting your shoreline from a qualified program team member and get a free dinner. Workshop details are in the image below. 

A flyer listing dates, locations, and times (5:00–7:30 PM) of living shoreline workshops in May and June across coastal Mississippi, including Ocean Springs, Pass Christian, Pascagoula/Moss Point, Gulfport, and Biloxi.

If you would like to attend a workshop, please register.

For all other questions, you can email me at [email protected]. 

Meet the author

Sara Martin

Wetland Specialist, Mississippi State University

Sara Martin is a wetland specialist for Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant, a program manager at Mississippi State University and the science coordinator for the Mississippi Sound Estuary Program.In her... Read more

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