Tidal marsh at the Prime Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Delaware has been degraded by impounded freshwater drowning out marsh plants, as well as salt water intrusion from storm events. To reduce impounded water and restore functioning salt marshes, 30 miles of channels were dredged across 4,000 acres of tidal marsh.  

After an extremely heavy rain destroyed almost 500 miles of roadway in Colorado, the state is redesigning roadways and the streams they follow to make the roads more resilient to future floods. Rebuilding strategy include armoring road base away from river and constructing floodplain between the road and the river.

Rising temperatures threaten coral reefs, which dissipate wave and storm energy to protect nearby shorelines for nearly 200 million people worldwide. To enhance coastal protection, this novel project will identify thermally tolerant coral stocks, propagate in nurseries and outplant at three sites on O’ahu, Hawai’i.

The Maidford River Saltmarsh Restoration Project in the Sachuest Point National Wildlife Refuge in Rhode Island spans 11 acres of degraded saltmarsh. The marsh is degraded by storm surges, development, redirection of riverine input, and sea-level rise. This project restored marsh habitat and elevation through thin-layer placement of dredged material. 

The San Juan Bay Estuary Program (SJBEP) conducted a risk determination and vulnerability assessment for the San Juan Bay estuary. They also engaged the communities that live and work around the bay through workshops and on-site discussions. The estuary program is now implementing measures to improve the resiliency of coastal wetlands and coral reefs. 

The Seaview community on Shark River Island in Neptune, New Jersey was experiencing flooding, erosion, and experienced damage from Hurricane Sandy. A failing bulkhead on the shoreline led to severe marsh erosion. The homeowner’s association decided on a hybrid living shoreline made of ECOncrete to protect their community. 

Sodus Point Beach on Lake Ontario experienced significant flooding in 2017 and 2019, causing over $3 million in damages to the beachfront community. To restore the beach, this project created a sand-collection feature using a dune, sand fencing, and 30,000 native dune-grass plants to capture wind-borne sands and keep the sand on the beach.  

The Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program and Southwest Florida Regional Planning Commission partnered to assess historic and current range of salt marshes in the region, as well as dentify their vulnerability to changing climate conditions. This helps local governments identify priority conservation areas to preserve salt marshes.  

On the southeastern shore of Lake Michigan, the city of St. Joseph is vulnerable to flooding from storm surges. Residents and city officials recognized the need to build resilience and worked together to enact a "no-build" ordinance to help minimize coastal erosion and retain beach access.

In 2017, the City of St. Louis Park, Minnesota implemented the Rainwater Rewards Program with the goal of increasing awareness and importance of managing stormwater and green infrastructure throughout the city. The program seeks to increase green infrastructure by providing residents with financial and technical assistance to install projects that reduce stormwater runoff on residential properties.

To restore a degraded but historically, culturally, and ecologically important watershed on O‘ahu’s Eastern Coast, The Nature Conservancy collaborated with local partners aiming to restore 405 acres of wetlands and promote traditional Hawaiian agricultural practices. The project involves removing invasive red mangroves, replanting native plants, and restoring natural stream flow.

Sand Dollar Island protects Tigertail Lagoon and the city of Marco Island, Florida, a barrier island community. The island was migrating landward, squeezing the lagoon and reducing coastal protection. This project restored the sand spit, a coastal lagoon, and mangrove shorelines by reestablishing an adequate flow channel. 

Following a 100-year rain storm in 1999, city officials of Two Harbors, Minnesota were concerned by the devastating flood damages to infrastructure, properties, roads, and water ways. They designed stormwater management plan emphasizing green infrastructure development. All togather, the city built three flood control basins, two streambank stabilization projects, and a rain garden.

In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused extensive damage to Puerto Rico’s already threatened dune system. After data collection and analysis steps, the team at Vida Marine chose high priority sites to implement restoration projects. These methods include vegetation plantings, new boardwalks to redirect foot traffic, public signage, and sand-trapping devices.  

Just south of Atlanta’s busy Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, Clayton County seems like an obvious place for metropolitan growth. But more homes and businesses mean a higher demand on the county’s limited water supplies. Clayton County Water Authority (CCWA) chose to construct treatment wetlands to increase water supply.