NATURAL ALLIES: LIVING SHORELINES IN THE NANTICOKE RIVER WATERSHED NATURAL ALLIES: LIVING SHORELINES IN THE NANTICOKE RIVER WATERSHED Introduction to Living Shorelines: 3 Water Quality Concerns: 4 Hardened Shorelines Versus Living Shorelines: 5 Beginning the Process: 6 Demonstration Living Shorelines: 7 Plants and Shrubs for Living Shorelines: 8-9 Project Costs and Maintenance: 10 Bibliography and Resources: 11

This publication is available online at www.nanticokeriver.org.

Acknowledgments The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance would like to thank the Chesapeake Bay Trust for funding “Natural Allies: Living Shorelines in the Nanticoke River Watershed,” which includes this publication and workshops held in spring 2015.

Further thanks go to the University of Maryland Sea Grant Extension, the Maryland Department of the Environment, Environmental Concern, and Bryan and Sons for presenting at the workshops and to the Federalsburg Historical Society and Museum and the Westside Community Center for providing space to hold workshops.

Photo Credits All photos are by the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance, with the exception of the conceptual diagram on page 5 and the coir log photo on page 10. Both graphics are courtesy of Jane Hawkey, Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (ian.umces.edu/imagelibrary/).

Kathryn Holtan created the inset map on the rear cover, which was originally used in the Nanticoke River Watershed Atlas.

Cover Photo A living shoreline project in Federalsburg, Maryland, along the Marshyhope Creek shows off design elements at low tide. Introduction to Living Shorelines 3

As a shoreline property owner, you have a special relationship with the Nanticoke River, its creeks, and the Chesapeake Bay itself. You are on the “front line” of the battle against pollution. The choices that you make on your property can make a major difference in improving water quality, enhancing wildlife habitat, and preventing erosion problems. In turn, making the wrong choices can also degrade water quality and wildlife habitat and further erosion on your property or on neighboring lands.

Shoreline erosion is a natural process. The process may be exacerbated by excessive wakes caused by recreational and commercial vessels and storm events. Often, homeowners assume that their options are limited to installing hardened structures to prevent further land-loss. Bulkheads and rip-rap are prevalent, and many marine contractors are not knowledgeable in other, more natural shoreline stabilization techniques.

In general, living shorelines mimic natural wetlands that are found throughout the Nanticoke River and Fishing Bay watersheds. Residents of brackish Bivalve need only gaze across the water toward the Fishing Bay Wildlife Management Area to view a vast, contiguous acreage of salt marsh. Residents further upriver in tidal freshwater also have ample opportunity to examine naturally occurring wetlands in action, whether at Phillips Landing (near Bethel, Delaware) or at Cherry Beach in Sharptown, Maryland.

Emergent plants and perennial plant buffers (along with forest buffers) provide several critical functions, including holding sediment that runs off land and filtering nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Since the entire Nanticoke River watershed’s waterways have an excessive amount of nitrogen, reduction of nitrogen and phosphorus is paramount. Excessive amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus fuel algal blooms, which in turn die, decompose, and take available dissolved oxygen in water. Decaying algal blooms also diminish water clarity, which bottom-dwelling species require. In addition, water clarity along the mainstem of the river from Seaford, Delaware, to Nanticoke, Maryland, is moderate to poor. Living shorelines, unlike bulkheads and rip-rap, hold sediment and filter nutrients running off your property.

As sea level rises due to land subsidence, thermal expansion of waters due to increasing sea temperatures and other climate change factors, natural shorelines and wetlands will play a major role in preventing sediment from entering waterways and in reducing flooding and storm event impacts on water quality and property. Please consider partnering with a natural ally--living shorelines.

Figure 1: Salisbury’s (Maryland) Market Street urban stormwater and shoreline buffer project couples elements of a rain garden with living shoreline features along the Wicomico River. Stone runs parallel against the parking lot, thereby slowing stormwater that runs off the impervious pavement. Once the shrubs, grasses, and perennial plants take hold, they will help filter nutrient and chemical pollution and keep sediment in place. This project was recently completed at the time of publication in spring 2015. The plants and shrubs will fill out over the course of a growing season. Water Quality Concerns in the Nanticoke River Watershed 4

Although the Nanticoke River watershed is known for being one of the most pristine tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay, the system has water quality issues, as does any waterway. The three major pollutants in the watershed are nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment. Sediment runs off land in urban and in rural areas and into waterways. Phosphorus binds with sediment and becomes active as sediment becomes suspended. Excessive sediment in the water can smother bottom-dwelling creatures and prevent light from reaching the river-bottom, which prevents aquatic grasses from growing. In addition, excessive nitrogen (an issue throughout the watershed) and excessive phosphorus (more problematic in the lower section of the watershed) fuel algal blooms during warm seasons, resulting in fish kills and other water quality issues.

For detailed information about water quality, please refer to the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance’s Nanticoke River Report Cards, available online at www.nanticokeriver.org.

Figure 2: Wakes from recreational watercraft and commercial barges can generate excessive wave energy that damage shorelines. Living shorelines can help absorb wave energy and prevent sediment from entering the water, as the wetlands across from Woodland, Delaware, in this photo do.

Figure 3: The small buffer on the left provides some means of filtering nutrients and retaining sediment, while the bulkhead on the right provides none of those benefits. Algae covers the surface of Broad Creek in Laurel, Delaware, during a hot, dry summer. Even in cooler, wetter summers, or in the mainstem of the river, you can find algae suspended in the water column. Hardened Shorelines Versus Living Shorelines 5

Hardened or armored shoreline does little but protect your shoreline for a brief period of time. It does not filter nutrients as they run off your property into the water, and they cannot hold sediment, as native emergent plants and shrubs can. They also do not provide a means for wildlife to access your shoreline for nesting or for food or a place for juvenile fish or blue crabs to hide.

Hardened structures also present other issues. In time, scouring occurs at the base of bulkheads. As water overtakes bulkheads during high energy events from boat wakes or storms, scouring also occurs behind bulkheads. Further, bulkheads will also deteriorate over time and must be replaced.

Along the mainstem of the Nanticoke River, commercial barge traffic and high-speed recreational boating are parts of river life but may also cause erosion and shoreline Figure 4: This bulkhead along stabilization issues for homeowners. Incorporation of a the mainstem of the river breakwater or vented sill can protect a living shoreline has extensive visible scouring against higher wave energies. As your living shoreline on the landward side of the expands and becomes more marsh-like, it will be better structure. This is usually able to withstand high energy impacts, including storm caused by water overtaking events. the bulkhead during storm events or due to high energy wakes caused by boats and barges.

Figure 5: This diagram compares a hardened shoreline dominated by bulkhead and stone (left) with a living shoreline that incorporates a vented sill. The shoreline on the right provides a means for wildlife to access the shoreline for shelter and for nesting purposes. The grasses and trees also filter nitrogen and phosphorus and retain sediment, reducing the amount of pollutants that enter the water. The hardened structure on the left allows water to run off from the lawn into the water with minimal filtration and prevents wildlife from accessing the shoreline.

Credit: Jane Hawkey, Integration and Application Network, University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science (ian.umces.edu/imagelibrary/) Beginning the Process 6

Although living shorelines are suitable in many situations, the first step to determining the type of project appropriate for your shoreline is to schedule an appointment with a living shoreline expert. Shoreline stabilization options are dependent upon site-specific conditions, including fetch (distance wind travels from opposite shoreline to your shoreline) and boat traffic.

Homeowners should begin the process by contacting the state agency responsible for permitting. In Delaware, this is the Wetlands and Subaqueous Lands Division, The Living Shorelines Act of 2008 requires who may be contacted at (302) 739-9943. In Maryland, that Maryland residents employ living contact the Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). Agency employees will visit your property shorelines to stabilize shorelines unless and discuss potential options. If you already have a there are compelling reasons why a living design contractor in mind, it is beneficial to include the shoreline would not work. Applicants contractor in the initial meeting. must consult with the Maryland Department of the Environment’s Tidal Also, the MDE provides an online application package Wetland Division prior to submitting an with fee schedule at http://goo.gl/J5v7J6.The MDE application for a shoreline stabilization also provides an extensive listing of “Tidal Wetlands project. Consultants” who can assist in the permitting, planning, designing, and installation of living shorelines. In the Nanticoke River watershed, contact the Tidal Wetlands Division at (410) 537-3837.

Figure 6: The living shoreline demonstration site at Old Trinity Church in Church Creek, MD, is open to the public during daylight hours. This project incorporates a stone sill to slow waves as they meet the shoreline, thereby protecting tender plants and grasses and preventing erosion. Demonstration Living Shorelines 7

Before undertaking a living shoreline project, it may be beneficial to visit a demonstration shoreline. The following projects are on the Delmarva Peninsula and may be visited by the public. This is not an exhaustive list. All sites are readily accessible and provide ample parking.

Old Trinity Church (Church Creek, MD) Living Shoreline Project Parking: 38.503784, -76.166788 | 1716 Taylors Island Road, Church Creek, Maryland 21622 Brackish water

Old Trinity Church is located a mile outside of Church Creek, Maryland, and near the Blackwater National Wildlife Refuge. From the parking lot, walk toward the creek. The living shoreline project will be visible. Visitors may view the living shoreline during daylight hours.

Market Street (Salisbury, MD) Stormwater Retrofit Project Parking lot/project: 38.363140, -75.601638 | 130 W Market St, Salisbury MD 21801 Tidal fresh

Living shoreline meets urban stormwater control in this project, which includes elements of a rain garden and a living shoreline. This project is highly recommended for businesses along shorelines that aim to reduce the impact of run-off from parking areas and to replace hardened structure with a living shoreline. Ample parking is available in the municipal lot next to Market Street Inn.

Federalsburg Living Shoreline Project near the VFW Boat Ramp Federalsburg Marina: 38.687972, -75.770806 | 400 S. Main St., Federalsburg, MD 21632 VFW Boat Ramp: 38.679016, -75.774837 | 2793 Rosser Rd, Federalsburg, MD 21632 Tidal fresh

Either park at the Federalsburg Marina and walk downstream (approximately 2.5 miles) or the VFW Boat Ramp (2591 Rosser Rd., Federalsburg, MD) and walk upstream (a tenth of a mile) along the Marshyhope Creek Greenway Trail. At low tide, the coir logs are visible. The living shoreline is bolstered by shrubs and tress further upland. Across the creek, the shoreline has a forest buffer.

Indian River Marina Living Shoreline at Delaware Seashore State Park 38.614905, -75.072582 | 39415 Inlet Rd., Rehoboth Beach, DE 19971 (next to Marina’s dry storage area) Brackish water/very close to ocean

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary installed a living shoreline project at the Indian River Marina near Bethany Beach, DE. Although this project is well-outside of the Chesapeake Bay watershed, the project demonstrates a living shoreline at a site with high salinity and higher energy. Ample parking is available at the Marina lot. Plants and Shrubs for Living Shorelines 8

In general, successful living shoreline projects and the herbaceous and woody plants that inhabit them require full sunlight. Tree limb trimming may be necessary prior to planting.

Although the spartina genus of plants are the most common selected for living shoreline projects, they are by no means the only plants that can be selected. Depending on your specific design concerns or desires, inclusion of herbaceous perennials and shrubs may be desirable. Many plants and shrubs provide food and cover for waterfowl and other wildlife, act as soil stabilizers, or provide aesthetic value.

Figure 7: Spartina cynosuroides or big Figure 8: Zizania aquatica Figure 9: Peltandra virginica or cordgrass bolsters the Wetipquin Creek’s or wild rice grows on the arrow arum is a common sight in salt marsh. As with the other spartina banks of Broad Creek near the freshwater and low salinity varieties, big cordgrass acts as a soil Phillips Landing. Wild rice marshes of the Nanticoke. Arrow stabilizer. provides food for waterfowl arum or tuckahoe provides and other wildlife. wildlife habitat and food.

Herbaceous Emergent Salinity Type Role Plant Spartina alterniflora Brackish Stabilization and wildlife habitat smooth cordgrass Spartina patens Brackish Stabilization and wildlife habitat salt meadow hay Schoenoplectus pungens Freshwater to brackish (15 ppt) Wildlife habitat common three-square Spartina cynosuroides Freshwater to brackish (10 ppt) Stabilization and wildlife habitat big cordgrass Peltandra virginica Freshwater to slightly brackish Wildlife habitat arrow arum Spartina pectinata Freshwater to slightly brackish (3 ppt) Stabilization freshwater cordgrass Spartina pectinata Freshwater Stabilization and wildlife habitat freshwater cordgrass Zizania aquatica Freshwater Wildlife habitat and food wild rice Plants and Shrubs for Living Shorelines 9

Shrub Salinity Type Role Cephalanthus occidentalis Freshwater Wildlife and pollinator habitat buttonbush Clethra arnifolia Freshwater to slightly brackish Wildlife and pollinator habitat sweet pepperbush Morella cerifera (Myrica cerifera) Freshwater to brackish (10 ppt) Wildlife habitat and nitrogen fixer wax myrtle Morella pensylvanica (Myrica pensylvanica) Freshwater to brackish (20 ppt) Wildlife habitat; prolific northern bayberry Perennial Salinity Type Role Hibiscus moscheutos Freshwater to brackish (15 ppt) Pollinator habitat rose mallow Kosteletzkya virginica Freshwater to brackish (10 ppt) Pollinator habitat seashore mallow Lobelia cardinalis Freshwater Wildlife and pollinator habitat cardinal flower

Salinity Regimes in the Nanticoke River Watershed

The salinity varies throughout the Nanticoke River and its tributaries according to the distance from the mouth of the river, where it meets the Tangier Sound. Seasonally, salinity will also vary, depending upon the temperatures and the amount of rain.

In general terms, mesohaline (5-15 ppt) communities in the lower part of the river include Nanticoke, Bivalve, and Tyaskin, Maryland. Property owners in this section of the river should investigate plants, and shrubs that tolerate brackish conditions and may also consider the use of oysters and ribbed mussels in projects.

A stretch of the river that includes the river at Lewis Wharf, Maryland, is oligohaline (0.5-5 ppt). Homeowners in this region with all-season oligohaline conditions may also consider adding shellfish to projects.

Although Vienna, Maryland, is oligohaline during the summer and early Figure 10: Hibiscus moscheutos (rose mallow) autumn, the rest of the year it falls within the freshwater regime. and Kosteletzkya virginica (seashore mallow) are ideal perennials for living shorelines, Broadly speaking, the river and creeks north of Vienna are typically adding beautiful splashes of color during the freshwater, regardless of the season. This includes all of the river and summer months. Rose mallow is tolerant of its tributaries in Delaware. Delaware residents should only incorporate salinity of up to 15 ppt, while seashore mallow freshwater elements in projects. is tolerant up to 10 ppt. Project Costs 10

Living shoreline project costs, as well as bulkhead costs, are site-dependent. Factors include the shoreline length, the types and amounts of project materials used, and the wave energy present at the site.

Roughly, low-energy sites that incorporate only plants and ribbed mussels (brackish sites) shoulder the lightest financial burdens, with a linear foot cost of $50-$225. Higher energy sites require additional features, such as vented sills ($250-$700 per linear foot) or breakwaters ($450-$1000 per linear foot). Homeowners at brackish sites may wish to also incorporate oyster reefs, which cost $100-$1000 per linear foot. Figure 11: Coir logs (center), which are made of coconut fiber, are common in living shoreline projects. Compare these costs against the price of installing a Some project designers incorporate ribbed mussels bulkhead at $500-$1,500 per linear foot. Bulkheads in coir logs to help increase the amount of nutrients tend to cost more to install and to maintain and do being filtered and to help hold a project area together. not provide all of the benefits that living shorelines Coir logs break apart over time, so homeowners do. should take precautions to ensure that log do not enter waterways. Cost source: Partnership for the Delaware Estuary

Other common project materials are goose fencing to protect young plants from being destroyed by Neighboring shorelines can and will be impacted waterfowl. by the actions taken in either hardened or living shoreline projects. It is important to talk Photo credit: Jane Hawkey, Integration and Application with neighbors about your intentions prior to Network, University of Maryland Center for beginning a project, as your choices will impact Environmental Science (ian.umces.edu/imagelibrary/) their shorelines. Maintenance

In Maryland, homeowners must actively maintain living shorelines for 3-5 years. Homeowners can choose to perform the work themselves or to work with contractors. If a contractor installs the living shoreline, often, a maintenance plan is included.

Eighty-five percent of vegetative cover must be maintained, and replanting may be necessary. In addition, homeowners or contractors should remove trash and other debris from the project site.

Projects that include oysters or mussels may have additional maintenance requirements. Be sure to inquire about maintenance and to know who will perform maintenance during the planning process. Bibliography and Resources 11

WEBSITES

Delaware Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control (DNREC): Wetlands and Subaqueous Lands Section. http://goo.gl/mtsGcL

Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE). Tidal Wetlands Permits. http://goo.gl/J5v7J6

Maryland Department of Natural Resources: Critical Area Commission: http://dnr.state.md.us/ criticalarea/

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. http://delawareestuary.org/Living_Shorelines

GENERAL LIVING SHORELINE PUBLICATIONS

Chesapeake Bay Foundation. 2007. Living Shorelines for the Chesapeake Bay. http://www.cbf.org/ Document.Doc?id=60

Partnership for the Delaware Estuary. Living Shorelines: Healthy Shores, Healthy Community. https:// s3.amazonaws.com/delawareestuary/pdf/Living%20Shorelines/FFF_2011_LivingShorelines_ALL_ REVISED%20%282%29.pdf

PLANTS

Owens, Mary R. (Editor). 2012. The Green Book for the Buffer, 2012. Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Critical Area Commission for the Chesapeake and Atlantic Coastal Bays, Annapolis, MD. http:// www.dnr.state.md.us/criticalarea/pdfs/greenbook_buffer_sm.pdf

Slattery, Britt E., Kathryn Reshetiloff, and Susan M. Zwicker. 2003. Native Plants for Wildlife Habitat and Conservation Landscaping: Chesapeake Bay Watershed. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Chesapeake Bay Field Office, Annapolis, MD. http://www.nps.gov/plants/pubs/chesapeake/

SHELLFISH

Whalen, Lauren, Danielle Kreeger, David Bushek, Joshua Moody, and Angela Padeletti. 2011. Practicioner’s Guide: Shellfish-Based Living Shorelines for Salt Marsh Erosion Control and Environmental Enhancement in the Mid-Atlantic. Partnership for the Delaware Estuary, Wilmington, DE. https://s3.amazonaws.com/ delawareestuary/pdf/Living%20Shorelines/Final_DELSI%20Practitioners%20Guide_2012.pdf

WATER QUALITY

Nanticoke Watershed Alliance. Nanticoke Creekwatchers Citizen Water Monitoring Program data and Nanticoke River Report Cards, 2008-2014.http://nanticokeriver.org/programs/volunteer/creekwatcher/ About the Nanticoke Watershed Alliance

The Nanticoke Watershed Alliance operates in Delaware and in Maryland, throughout the Nanticoke River and Fishing Bay watersheds. Our goal is to conserve the natural, cultural, and recreational resources of the Nanticoke River watershed through dialogue, collaborative outreach, and education.

The NWA’s programs include: •the Nanticoke Creekwatchers Citizen Water Monitoring Program, •outreach initiatives that target watershed residents, •environmental education experiences, •collaborative urban stormwater initiatives and a Watershed Management Plan, •promotion of public access points in the Nanticoke River watershed and management of PaddletheNanticoke.com, •and on-the-ground tree plantings and river clean-ups.

For more information about the NWA, please visit our website or Facebook page. Figure 12: Above, the shaded area shows the location of the Nanticoke River and Fishing Bay watersheds on the Delmarva Peninsula.

Nanticoke Watershed Alliance Captain John Smith Discovery Center P.O. Box 111 Vienna, MD 21869 www.nanticokeriver.org www.facebook.com/NanticokeRiver