The University of North Florida has been awarded nearly $800,000 by the National Park Service to enhance efforts in restoring coastlines and combating shoreline erosion at three national parks in Florida and Georgia. The announcement was made at Kingsley Plantation, located within the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, one of the project’s key sites.
UNF President Moez Limayem expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, “It’s inspiring to see the years of research and dedication from UNF faculty and students that brought this impactful restoration project together. We look forward to continuing to work with the National Park Service to protect and preserve our coastlines for future generations.”
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The project is grounded in research by Dr. Raf Crowley, a professor of civil, coastal, and port engineering, and Dr. Kelly Smith, a biology associate professor emerita. Their work involves using pervious oyster shell habitat or POSH units to create living shorelines that restore coastal ecosystems and mitigate coastal erosion.
Over 100 units have already been installed at the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and the Guana Tolomato Matanzas National Estuarine Research Reserve.
The grant will facilitate the expansion of POSH units at the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, where efforts began in 2022. New units will also be installed along the coastlines at Fort Matanzas National Monument and Cumberland Island National Seashore. Additionally, the funding will be used to purchase a concrete batch plant, a rare machine that will aid UNF researchers in improving POSH unit production. This equipment will also be utilized by faculty and students in advanced manufacturing and material science courses for research and teaching purposes.
Chris Hughes, superintendent of the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve, highlighted the importance of the partnership, saying, “The Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve and National Park Service are proud to partner with UNF to protect and enhance shorelines along the Georgia and Florida coasts. This partnership focuses on preserving the invaluable ecological services, natural resources, and recreational opportunities provided by our shorelines.”
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Shoreline erosion is a significant issue in Florida and Georgia, compounded by the alarming disappearance of natural oyster reefs due to commercial harvesting and other factors. Oyster reefs are crucial for shoreline protection, nutrient filtration, and providing habitat for aquatic organisms.
Preliminary data from POSH unit deployments at Kingsley Plantation indicate that these structures effectively reduce wave energy, trap sediment, promote shoreline accretion, and recruit oysters more rapidly than similar structures, all without using environmentally harmful plastics.
UNF students will play an active role in constructing and deploying these new modules. The university will also host workshops on building POSH units for community organizations, inviting the public to participate in living shoreline installations throughout the project.