Planted grass stabilizing Fort Erie’s Bay Beach
Nature-based solutions can protect region’s popular shorelines and reduce damaging erosion, says Niagara Coastal
Fort Erie’s Bay Beach is a prime example of how nature-based solutions can protect shorelines and reduce erosion, says Niagara Coastal’s executive director Gregary Ford.
Saturday, Niagara Coastal was joined by representatives from Niagara College, Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority, Town of Fort Erie and others for a coastal day of action.
“We’re going to be engaging members of the community to plant and transplant some native beach grass along the shores here at Bay Beach,” Ford said.
The partners have been working on a shoreline resiliency project in the town.
Fencing was installed to gather sand in areas of the beach to allow the planting in advance of winter storms to prevent erosion seen over the past few years.
Fall and winter storms have scoured beaches from Fort Erie through to Wainfleet in that time.
“When you build up the sand and then plant beach grass, it stabilizes it and the sand stays. Bay Beach is a prime example of how it has worked.”
Ford said once beach grass establishes itself, it will start growing across a dune, knitting it together through its root system, making it more resilient than man-made solutions such as jetties and stone breakwalls.
Beach grass, which acts as a windbreak and traps new sand, will grow from its root system even if covered over.
Ford said residents along the Lake Erie shoreline could plant the grass, also found on the Atlantic Ocean shoreline, if they want to protect their beaches.
“I think it’s a good idea, as long as it’s being done sustainably with the advice of a flora or plant expert. It is a good approach to solving some of the shoreline erosion issues we’ve seen.”
Areas with beach grass tend to absorb wave energy, whereas that energy will break on a jetty or breakwall and deflect to neighbouring properties or an area on a property that is not protected.
Geoffrey Verkade, NPCA’s senior manager of integrated water strategies, planted beach grass with his daughter Molly.
He oversees restoration services for the agency and said it partners with Niagara Coastal often on nature-based restoration solutions along the shoreline.
“We’re out here supporting them,” he said, adding NPCA provided funding for fencing at Bay Beach.
Fort Erie’s Mike Pressacco has been volunteering with Niagara Coastal for about a year, carrying out algae surveys and helping with ecosystem restoration.
He said stabilizing the shoreline is important work and must be done to protect beaches on the Great Lakes.
Outgoing Fort Erie Ward 5 Coun. Don Lubberts has been with Niagara Coastal since its beginning.
“I’ve always thought we should protect our shorelines and make sure that we keep them for the people, not for development.”
More than a decade ago, Lubberts was a vocal opponent of a proposal to build a 12-storey condominium tower at Bay Beach.
“There shouldn’t be anything on the shoreline. Go across the street, that’s fine, but stay away from the shore. That’s ours,” he said as he planted beach grass on top of a dune.
Niagara College’s Albert Garofalo, who teaches plant identification, said the beach grass used Saturday came from Port Colborne’s Pleasant Beach.
“Unfortunately, a lot of the areas where there used to be beach grass, we went back to visit them, and every single one is either gone or there are a few little clumps left,” he said, adding the damage was caused by storms and high water levels.
“We’re bringing it here to expand it,” he said of Saturday’s planting.
Garofalo said it’s important to use locally-harvested beach grass versus purchased seeds or harvested from the east coast.
‘‘ I’ve always thought we should protect our shorelines and make sure that we keep them for the people, not for development.
DON LUBBERTS NIAGARA COASTAL