Workshop Summary: Edges of our Estuaries
In October 2018, the GTM Reserve in northeastern Florida and a Science Collaborative project team hosted a regional workshop, Edges of Our Estuaries. The two-day workshop brought together restoration practitioners from across the southeastern United States, including representatives from coastal management, coastal restoration, universities, state agencies (e.g., Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Florida Department of Environmental Protection), and federal agencies (e.g., U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, National Park Service, National Marine Fisheries Service).
The workshop was designed to foster discussion about where to direct research and management efforts in the future. Presentations, discussions, and field visits helped synthesize trends in shoreline change, identify common challenges and key research gaps for managing dynamic shorelines, and teach attendees about the project's new technique for reducing erosion along high-energy shorelines. The team conducted a preliminary and follow-up survey with all participants and is developing a peer-reviewed manuscript that describes current variation in estuary structure, condition, and stressors across the southeastern United States.
This webpage provides access to the summary documents and presentations from the Edges of Our Estuaries Workshop.
Workshop Documents
Workshop Presentations
The workshop kicked off with presentations from attendees from across the southeastern United States. Each presenter explained the threats, current management efforts, and research needs for their region or state.
- East Florida: Challenges and opportunities on the edges of East Florida, Nikki Dix, GTM Research Reserve
- South Florida: South Florida coastal habitats, Kara Radabaugh, Florida Fish & Wildlife Research Institute
- West Florida: Edges of our estuaries West Flordia region, Mark Clark, Florida Sea Grant
- North Carolina: North Carolina estuaries, Rachel Gittman, East Carolina University
- South Carolina and Georgia: Challenges and opportunities managing dynamic shorelines in South Carolina and Georgia, Gary Sundin, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources
- Alabama and Mississippi: Alabama and Mississippi marshes and reefs, Eric Sparks, Mississippi State University
- Engineering with nature and living shoreline efforts across USACE, James Nifong and Safra Altman, US Army Corps of Engineers
- Ecologically engineering living shorelines for high energy coastlines, Christine Angelini, University of Florida
Contacts
For more information about the workshop and project, contact:
- Kaitlyn Dietz, Coastal Training Program Coordinator, GTM Reserve, Kaitlyn.Dietz@dep.state.fl.us
- Christine Angelini, Assistant Professor, University of Florida, christine.angelini@essie.ufl.edu
- Project page: Re-Engineering Living Shorelines for High-Energy Coastal Environments