August 12, 2020
Pokemouche/Shediac - New partnership between organizations on the east coast of New Brunswick to offer workshops on a natural approach to dealing with coastal erosion.
The Acadian Peninsula Regional Service Commission, the Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group, the Shediac Bay Watershed Association and Vision H2O of Cap-Pelé and Beaubassin-est have formed a partnership for the organization of two workshops entitled:
Living Shorelines - A Natural Approach to Coping with Coastal Erosion.
Pokemouche – Wednesday August 26, 9 am to 5 pm, Centre communautaire d’Inkerman, 122 rue de l’église Street. Online registration here: https://db.nben.ca/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=20
Shediac – Friday August 28, 9am to 5 pm, Shediac Multipurpose Centre, 58 Festival Street. Online registration here: https://db.nben.ca/civicrm/event/info?reset=1&id=18
(Maximum of 50 participants per workshop)
These workshops, both theoretical and practical, will be presented by Rosmarie Lohnes of Helping Nature Heal Inc. This Nova Scotia company uses materials from nature, advanced science principles and ecosystem restoration expertise to restore vegetation and stabilize the coast. This approach, called "Living Shorelines", is done manually with minimal mechanical intervention and helps protect coastal and riverfront lands from climate change.
By sharing this know-how in the province of New Brunswick, organizations and watershed groups working in the environmental sector will be able to apply this expertise in their activities and thus limit the use of seawalls, rip rap and other fixed structures to protect our riverbanks and shorelines from erosion. By participating in the workshop, landowners and watershed groups will be able to learn more about this method, which represents an environmentally friendly alternative to fixed structures or rip rap on their property.
The workshop, one in Shippagan on a riverside property and the other in Shediac on the coast, will begin with a teaching session to give participants a good understanding of the philosophy and theory behind the Living Shorelines approach. The workshop will continue with a practical application of natural bank stabilization techniques, including the types of plants used and planting methods.
By proposing a solution that uses and imitates nature, we encourage the conservation of a natural environment, the maintenance of the local ecosystem and its biodiversity. More generally, with this approach, we maintain New Brunswick's coastal and riparian landscapes, which constitute an irreplaceable tourist and economic asset for the Province. This initiative is made possible through the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund.
