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Assessing Ecological and Physical Performance of Sustainable 

Shoreline Structures Stuart Findlay, Jon Miller, Omar Lopez‐Feliciano

Ona Ferguson, Emilie Hauser01/20/2016

hrnerr.org 

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Advisory Committee

Land owners

Funders

Regulators

Natural resource managers

Designers (engineers landscape architects and restoration scientists)

Land stewards

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Sustainable Shorelines ProjectPromoting choices that preserve or enhance ecology and shoreline benefits while meeting upland use and engineering needs in a changing climate.

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BEDROCK OTHER

MUDSAND2005 Shoreline Inventory

41%

58%

Engineered,Hard ShorelineNatural

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Ecological Studies & Products

• Literature review • Study of biodiversity (fish,

plants) and organic matter accumulation as a function of shore zone structure & age

• Rapid assessment protocol

• Ecological brochure and handbook

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Engineering Studies & Products

• Literature review • Physical forces

• Cost analysis

• Forensic analyses

Ultra high resolution version of NYHOPS developed

for understanding wave & current variability

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A Literature Review of Existing Methods for Limiting Erosion along Sheltered Shorelines

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• Several alternatives exist at each site for which the costs are relatively similar.

• Alternative solutions can be cost competitive with traditional approaches.

• Consistent with NOAA’s “Weighing Your Options” report.

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Other Studies & Products

Understanding the management arena

Legal framework

Perceptions of shorelines by users

Outreach

Training

See: https://www.hrnerr.org/hudson-river-sustainable-shorelines

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Demonstration Site Case Studies & Network

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Forensic Analysis Common Findings

• Vegetation Establishment

• Slope Compatibility

• Debris Impact

• Leeside Erosion

• Adaptive Management

• Stone Sizing

Site Coxsackie Esopus Meadows

Habirshaw Irvington Oak Point Hunt’s Point

River Mile 125 86.5 18 25 East River East RiverCounty Greene Ulster Westchester Westchester Bronx Bronx

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Assessing Ecological and Physical Performance of Sustainable Shoreline Structures

Foundry Cove, Cold Spring, NY

Objectives ‐Create a simple yet validated set of metrics targeting key ecological attributes and physical performance of sites within the Sustainable Shorelines Demonstration Site Network ‐Train local and regional land stewards to use these tools, so they can track performance into the future. 

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Long Term Outcomes

• Engineers, regulators and policy makers are more confident about performance of nature based shorelines.

• Innovative projects built and become the norm

• Uniform protocols will facilitate long-term and cumulative tracking of performance

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Name Hudson

River Mile

Demonstration Site 

Network Case Study

Demonstration Site Forensic 

Analysis

Coxsackie Boat Launch  125 Yes Stevens Institute Yes

Athens 4th St. Kayak 

Launch 

117 Yes Kaaterskill Associates 

& Kleinke Associates

Rhinecliff Landing 

Bulkhead

90 Stevens Institute

Feeney’s

Esopus Meadows 86.5 Yes Creative Habitat Yes

Foundry Dock 54 Yes Hudson & 

Pacific Designs

Dockside 55 Milone & MacBroom 

Habirshaw Park  18 Yes Creative Habitat Yes

Nyack Beach 30 Princeton Hydro 

Harlem River  Harlem River Yes NYC Parks et al.

Hunts Point East River Yes HDR Yes

Oak  Point East River na Yes

Demonstration Site Network

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Project Outputs

• Field-validate assessment tools • Guidance manual on the appropriate use of the assessment

tools.• Field-based workshops on applying the assessment tools • Collection of local data on ecological and physical

performance • Baseline condition established before the next major storm.• Potential to establish conditions before a shoreline is

modified.

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Thank YouEmilie Hauser

Estuary Training Coordinator

Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve

Emilie.hauser@dec.ny.gov hrnerr.org