Coastal Conservation and Restoration Program

🌱 We’ve officially completed this 600-linear-foot living shoreline after months of planting and restoration efforts!

Thanks to our partners at Chemours and Oldfields, approximately 2,000 marsh grass plugs were planted, helping restore the shoreline and strengthen this important coastal habitat.

Through NPPN’s GlassRoots subprogram, 300 middle school students from seven classes across the Mississippi Gulf Coast learned about the vital role marsh plants play in protecting and supporting coastal ecosystems. Students grew plants in recycled glass sand provided by Glass Half Full and had the opportunity to assist our team with living shoreline plantings, making a direct impact on local restoration efforts.

This project not only restored shoreline habitat but also inspired the next generation of coastal stewards through hands-on conservation and environmental education. 🌊🌿

We’re excited to expand our Native Plant Producer Network into Alabama and work with local growers interested in producing native wetland plants for coastal restoration!

During our Growing Native Wetland Plants for Coastal Restoration Workshop at Weeks Bay NERR, we connected with a fantastic group of participants to discuss the importance of native marsh plants, living shorelines, and how local growers can help increase the availability of regionally sourced plants for restoration projects along the Gulf Coast.

The Native Plant Producer Network is building a strong community of local growers who can supply native marsh grasses when living shoreline projects are ready to begin. By increasing access to locally sourced plants, we’re helping bridge the gap between supply and demand while strengthening coastal restoration efforts right here at home. 🌱🌊

Before any living shoreline restoration can begin, our team takes a close look at what’s happening along your shoreline. Using drone imagery, elevation data, and on-site assessments, we document plants, existing structures, and erosion patterns to inform a design that fits your property.

These assessments lay the groundwork for living shorelines—nature-based alternatives to bulkheads that use marsh grasses, oyster shell, and other natural materials to slow erosion, reduce wave energy, and create valuable coastal habitat.

The best part? We offer this service free to private property owners. That includes:
✅ Free shoreline assessments
✅ Custom living shoreline designs
✅ Permitting assistance

💡Learn more at msucoastal.com/living-shorelines

🐦🐡This week, our interns prepared for GRITS Camp with hands-on training and plenty of new experiences! From seining and boat trailering to soldering and bird banding, they built practical skills they’ll use throughout the program! CCR interns also got the chance to practice teaching our MFE counterparts some of the skills they’ve learned along the way.

All birds were handled under proper permits.

As part of monitoring the Keesler Living Shoreline Project, our team is collecting data along 2.5 miles of shoreline from Hiller Park to Keesler Air Force Base both before and after the living shoreline installation. This monitoring allows us to track how living shorelines influence fish abundance, shoreline elevation, and vegetation cover over time.

Leslie and her team are also using cameras to monitor and identify bird species utilizing the area, while conducting vegetation surveys to document plant species and estimate percent cover at each survey site. The data collected will not only contribute to Leslie’s thesis research, but also help demonstrate the effects living shorelines can have on marsh vegetation and habitat use.