July 28th, 2021
Cocagne / Caraquet - Organizations to offer hands-on workshops entitled Living Shorelines: A Natural Way to Manage Coastal Erosion.
The Acadian Peninsula Regional Service Commission, the Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group (GDDPC), the Shediac Bay Watershed Association and Vision H2O of Cap-Pelé and Beaubassin-East have partnered to organize two practical workshops:
Caraquet - Tuesday August 24, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm, Hotel Super 8, 9 avenue du Carrefour, Caraquet NB.
Cocagne - Thursday August 26, 8:30 am to 3:00 pm, Cocagne Marina, 130 rue Marina, Cocagne NB.
Cost: $ 20
To register of for more information on the workshop, visit the New Brunswick Environmental Network (NBEN) website:
Caraquet August 24
Cocagne August 26
NB. Maximum of 50 participants per workshop
These practical workshops will be presented by Rosmarie Lohnes of Helping Nature Heal. This Nova Scotian entrepreneur uses materials from nature, advanced science and ecosystem restoration expertise to restore vegetation and stabilize shorelines. "The Living Shorelines approach is done manually with as little mechanical intervention as possible and helps protect coastal and riparian lands against erosion accentuated by climate change," confirms Rosmarie Lohnes.
By sharing this know-how in the Province of New Brunswick, shoreline owners, entrepreneurs and organizations working in the environmental sector will be able to apply these methods in their operations. "The objective of the Living Shoreline approach is to modify the use of protective walls, riprap and other fixed structures to protect coastal areas against erosion," says Benjamin Kocyla of the Acadian Peninsula Regional Service Commission.
The practical workshop, one in Caraquet and the other in Cocagne, is inspired by the workshops held in 2020 in Pokemouche and Shediac. The workshop will begin with a discussion of methods related to the Living Shorelines approach. The workshop will continue with the practical application of natural shoreline stabilization techniques. Participants will learn the types of plants and planting methods suitable for coastal sites.
"By offering a solution that uses and imitates nature, we encourage the conservation of natural environments, and the restoration of coastal ecosystems and their biodiversity," says Rosmarie Lohnes. "With this approach, we are maintaining New Brunswick's coastal and riparian landscapes, which constitute an irreplaceable ecological and economic benefit for the Province", adds Serge LaRochelle, program coordinator at the Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group (GDDPC).
This initiative is made possible by the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund, Nature NB, the New Brunswick Environmental Network, and the Rural Community of Cocagne.
