Since 2014, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation has partnered with Restore America’s Estuaries (“RAE”), a national non-profit conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring bays and estuaries as essential resources for our nation. Through its grant with RAE, The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation also supports a number of subgrantees with shared conservation visions including Tampa Bay Watch, Galveston Bay Foundation, New Jersey League of Conservation Voters, and the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay.
One of the ways RAE works with partners and communities to protect coastal areas and habitats susceptible to erosion and storm surges is by installing living shorelines. Unlike traditional hard structures such as seawalls which work against dynamic and natural forces, living shorelines use a blend of natural materials to reduce wave energy and filter runoff. This approach mimics and encourages natural coastal processes through the strategic placement of plants, stone, sand fill, and other structural and organic materials.
RAE volunteers in New Orleans planting a living shoreline of cypress trees at the Violet Canal in Louisiana to prevent shoreline erosion. (Photo: RAE)
Employing natural materials helps maintain and grow vital beach and wetland areas, which are also crucial for healthy ecosystems and wildlife. Living shorelines offer protection from storms and tides by working with nature, preserving the beauty and ecological benefits of natural coastlines.
OysterCorps members planting marsh grasses (Photo: Franklin’s Promise Coalition)
“The Scotts Miracle-Gro Foundation continues to demonstrate its dedication to a culture of stewardship within our interconnected waterways,” expressed Daniel Hayden, President and CEO of Restore America’s Estuaries. “RAE and our partners will continue in our joint endeavor of public education, community outreach, and restoring critical ecosystems.”
