The Peconic Estuary has experienced increases in the frequency and severity of storms, rising sea levels, and coastal flooding. Coastal protection is a growing concern, and communities bordering the Peconic Estuary have seen an upward trend in shoreline hardening.
PEP has been focusing efforts on:
In 2019, PEP completed a GIS-based inventory to document the extent of hardened shoreline coverage along the Peconic Estuary.
PEP worked with partners to ground truth the shoreline assessment. Review the final report on the PEP Data Hub here.
Create a tool for local governments to inform decision-making regarding land preservation
Ground-truthing efforts confirmed the accuracy of aerial interpretation of these shorelines structures.
GIS database developed can be viewed through PEP GIS data hub.
GIS database developed can be viewed through PEP GIS data hub.
The results of this hardened shoreline validation project, in combination with the Horseshoe Crab Workgroup and eventual Horseshoe Crab Management Strategy, will aid PEP in the development of a Shoreline Management Model (SMM) to better support and inform decision-making for the agencies and municipalities that manage the shoreline resources. The SMM is a novel, geospatial technique used to model existing and potential future conditions along a shoreline and to recommend best management practices for shoreline protection by considering a variety of factors. Such factors include wave energy, sediment type and movement patterns, submerged aquatic vegetation, value of the shoreline as wildlife habitat, risk of climate-change related impacts such as flooding, storm surge, and sea level rise. By weighing these factors, managers are better equipped to recommend the most appropriate shoreline protection strategy for a specific area. Ideal strategies minimize impact to ecosystems and aid in identification of areas where nature-based solutions may be more suitable than conventional hardened shoreline structures to maintain the ecological and structural integrity of the shoreline, as well as riparian rights for the surrounding community. Additionally, the development of a Horseshoe Crab Management Strategy will enhance this model by allowing PEP and shoreline resource managers to incorporate information on preferred nesting habitats for this important species. This will better protect these ecologically active shorelines from development and to ensure that essential intertidal and salt marsh habitat is prioritized for preservation.
If you have any further questions, please contact:
Jade Blennau – Coastal Resilience and Communities Coordinator, Peconic Estuary Partnership, jade.blennau@stonybrook.edu
Funding
This report is a product resulting from a project memorandum of understanding with the State
of New York acting through the Department of Environmental Conservation funded under award
DEC01-C01674GG-3350000 and Cornell University on behalf of New York Sea Grant.
