An aerial view of a living shoreline project in Havre de Grace, Md. A DNREC-sponsored webinar Nov. 14 will offer insights into the nature-based project that improved the city’s resilience to climate change. /Submitted photo

The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control will host a free webinar Thursday, Nov. 14 about nature-based stormwater management and living shoreline projects. Presented in conjunction with the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, the hour-long webinar begins at 10 a.m., with registration open up to the start of the webinar.

Speakers Ellie Chetelat, ecological landscape designer, and Amanda Poskaitis, partnership development manager, from the environmental consulting company Underwood & Associates, will provide an overview of several nature-based stormwater management and living shoreline projects implemented along the City of Havre de Grace, Md. waterfront to help restore natural infrastructure. The webinar will highlight specific tactics used in projects that address the goal of improving the city’s resilience to climate change.

Chetelat and Poskaitis will showcase how these efforts were coupled with revitalization of public waterfront spaces, supporting the creation of public parks that also function as ecologically diverse areas. The variety of ecological restoration projects that will be covered in the presentation started at the Concord Point Park, where several stormwater outfalls were retrofitted with a regenerative, nature-based design, tying into a dynamic living shoreline. This project set the stage for implementing similar efforts, on a larger scale, along Havre de Grace’s Water Street waterfront, where the legacy of industry defined the shoreline.

Living shorelines utilize natural materials like native plants, oyster shells, and biodegradable coconut-fiber coir logs as a barrier against shoreline erosion and flood impacts. Living shorelines also enhance the natural beauty of shoreline ecosystems. The presentation will offer insights into the how to enhance the natural beauty of a property or public space and showcase large scale projects along the head of the Chesapeake Bay.

The webinar is part of an ongoing virtual series offered by the Delaware Living Shorelines Committee, a work group dedicated to facilitating the understanding, peer review and implementation of living shoreline strategy within the First State. DNREC’s participation is represented by the DNREC Wetland Monitoring and Assessment program.

More information is available at delawarelivingshorelines.org. Registration for the webinar is available on the DNREC events and meetings calendar at de.gov/DNRECmeetings.

About DNREC
The Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control protects and manages the state’s natural resources, protects public health, provides outdoor recreational opportunities and educates Delawareans about the environment. The DNREC Division of Watershed Stewardship develops and implements innovative watershed assessment, monitoring and implementation activities.   For more information, visit the website and connect with @DelawareDNREC on Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) or LinkedIn. 

Media contacts: Joanna Wilson, joanna.wilson@delaware.gov; Michael Globetti, michael.globetti@delaware.gov

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