In 2001, downtown Houston, Texas, faced an historic 1,000-year flood as a result of Tropical Storm Allison, shutting down the 700-acre Texas Medical Center Complex. While rebuilding the Center to withstand future floods, Texas Medical Center implemented a stormwater management plan that increases green space and improves water absorption through advanced landscaping techniques and permeable paving systems.

The Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest (ASNF) utilized over 25 million funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to support projects that increase local employment, support forest restoration and fire mitigation, and boost local economy. Projects included forest restoration and fuels reduction, recreation and related road improvements, forest fire rehabilitation efforts, and greenhouse construction on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

The iconic and productive Sonoran Desert landscapes of the Tuscon Basin are threatened by Buffelgrass, an invasive species introduced to the area in the 1930s. Buffelgrass alters the fire regime and is a threat to ecosystems, and human life and property. The Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordination Center was established in 2008 to bring stakeholders together to remove Buffelgrass effectively.  

Brunswick Town–Fort Anderson is an important historic site on the North Carolina coast. To prevent further erosion and negative impacts from storms and sea-level rise, the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources installed 140-meters of Reefmaker along the shoreline. This stabilized the shoreline and produces multiple co-benefits.  

A manufacturing company purchased 100 acres of abandoned golf course on floodplain of Fort Collins to develop its new headquarter. To reduce the frequency and severity of flooding, the company reconnected the Cache la Poudre River with its floodplain, removing fill from 31 acres to build up pads for properties.

BLM is leading the construction and maintenance of a system of up to 11,000 miles of strategically placed fuel breaks to control wildfires within a 223-million-acre area in the Great Basin that includes portions of Idaho, Oregon, Washington, California, Nevada and Utah. Fuel breaks would be implemented along roads or rights-of-way on BLM-administered lands.

Cape Lookout State Park, located in coastal Oregon, experienced extreme erosion and storm damage to its beach and infrastructure. Instead of a less aesthetic, more expensive, seawall or revetment, managers opted to build a cobble berm backed by an artificial dune to increase coastal protection and enhance the natural shoreline community. 

Cat Island and Ship Island are barrier islands off the coast of Mississippi that provide protection to coastal communities from erosion and storm surges. This project used millions of cubic meters of sand and reused dredged sediment to restore the islands’ beaches and dunes.  

Cleveland Metroparks worked closely with 12 community-based organizations and 40 stakeholder groups in restoring Lake Erie’s eastern shorefront. The team managed to conduct virtual and in-person outreach activities during the COVID-19 pandemic and develop a plan for 150 acres of park and habitat amenities, including 80 acres of newly acquired park land.

Oregon DOT designed several nature-based solutions to protect the 363-mile-long Oregon Coast Highway (U.S. 101) from extreme events and coastal bluff erosion. Three demonstration sites were selected, where cobble beaches were restored to enhance natural wave protection along the backshore.

While massive waves attract surfers and visitors to the North Shore of O‘ahu in Hawai‘i, they also cause coastal erosion and high sea level events that threaten coastal residents. Instead of building sea walls, the state took an ecological approach by restoring sand dunes in front of coastal properties.

County of Barnstable, Massachusetts encourages municipalities to take actions that lower flood risks, which can reduce flood insurance premiums by earning credits through the Community Rating System (CRS). In one project, 26 mosquito-control workers cleaned debris out of the 1,500 miles of ditches, pipers, and other conduits that channeled stormwater away from buildings and roads.

Deer Island is a barrier island in the Mississippi Sound that protects the city of Biloxi from storm impacts, sea-level rise, and wind impacts. Storms caused a breach in the island, reducing elevation, killing vegetation and eroding beaches. The island was restored using dredged material to increase elevation and nourish beaches.  

An engineer-ecologist team designed a living shoreline tailored to conditions on New England coastlines. After site analysis, the team used coir products (“marsh pillows”) in their living shoreline design. This winter storm-resistant approach slowed the erosion of a 30-foot bank, increased vegetation cover, and protected coastal properties. 

This project is testing the effectiveness of dune restoration as a tactic for combatting sea-level rise and erosion in Southern California. Sand dunes were constructed from locally dredged material and planted with native vegetation. It is projected that this project will successfully protect the shoreline from flooding with no additional sand maintenance until 2050.  

This project will restore dunes on Duxbury Beach to prevent erosion and enhance the beach’s ability to protect communities behind it from storm surges and sea-level rise. 76,633 tons of sand were used to restore the dunes. The dunes were raised to 17ft high, and the tops of the dunes were raised to over 45 feet.  

Havasu National Wildlife Refuge is threatened by a large population of invasive Feral Swine (Sus scrofa). Feral Swine negatively impact native vegetation and wildlife, cause damage to human property and infrastructure, and are a public health and safety threat. In 2016, refuge staff and many collaborators began to work towards Feral Swine eradication within the refuge.  

Following a devastating 2010 wildfire and post-fire flood outside of Flagstaff, city residents approved a $10 million bond to support forest restoration work to reduce the risk of wildfire and post-fire flooding. This bond created the Flagstaff Watershed Protection Project (FWPP), which implements restoration projects like thinning and fuel reduction.  

The Yakima River Basin in Washington State was once home to thriving salmonid populations, that are important cultural and economic species to Tribal Nations in the basin. Salmonid populations have declined due to habitat degradation and fish passage barriers. To address these issues, the Bureau of Reclamation created the Schaake Habitat Improvement Project. 

Two hurricanes in 2004 destroyed Fort Pierce, Florida’s waterfront. This waterfront is a public access space that includes a park and a marina. The city and Tetra Tech Inc. developed a 6-hectare island breakwater system that will protect the city under current conditions and adapt to projected sea-level rise.