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Home / Blogs / The Power of Partnership: Leading a Living Shoreline Restoration
May 29, 2026
Rachael Harrington (third from left) and Lucas Lees (first on left) welcoming volunteers to the planting site and sharing background to the project.
This year, I am serving as a Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps Member (CCCC) with the Alliance’s Green Infrastructure Team. The CCCC program provides early career professionals with opportunities to explore green careers across the watershed. The program and my work supporting the Alliance and Chesapeake Conservation Landscaping Council (CCLC) has allowed learning and hands-on experiences, equipping me with a priceless foundation into the green infrastructure world.
All CCCC program members complete a capstone project during their service year. My goals were to have a hands-on project with lasting impact, while highlighting the collaboration with CCLC and the Alliance. I became interested in organizing a shoreline planting event with volunteers.
The Alliance Green Infrastructure Program Team’s Ecological Restoration Initiative focus is to enhance where land meets water, by collaborating with partners to design and install practices like living shorelines to enhance ecosystem resilience. This project is a key part of the Green Infrastructure program, restoring habitat for native species, and protecting vulnerable coastal areas throughout the watershed.
My interest in living shorelines grew throughout my corps year as I learned from community stewards and completed the Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional (CBLP) Living Shoreline training covering assessment, design, permitting, and maintenance of these practices. Motivated by these experiences, I began looking for project sites that would allow me to apply what I learned and meet my hands-on practical experience for the CBLP Shoreline Certificate. My search connected me with Lucas Lees at Unity Landscape Design and Build. They were currently constructing a living shoreline restoration project on Tilghman Island in Maryland and would be ready for planting come spring!
An osprey flies over the planting, carrying a small fish. Living shoreline restoration efforts that include a mix of nature-based solutions can provide habitat and support species like osprey by improving water clarity and water quality for fish.
Living shorelines are a nature-based engineered approach to stabilize shorelines, reduce erosion, and maintain coastal processes. Across the watershed, many shorelines have lost the ability to sustain natural processes like coastal erosion and accretion that are vital for preserving habitats such as tidal wetlands and beaches. Living shorelines mimic natural shorelines, and allow them to adapt and be resilient to changing environmental conditions. There are different practices that work together to make up a living shoreline.
The living shoreline on Tilghman Island was designed with features to mitigate impacts of coastal storms and erosion, and adapt to sea level rise. These include stone breakwaters, tidal marsh enhancement, and the creation of a coastal dune, nontidal wetland, and meadow.
Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps Members work to plant native grasses.
The native plants planted through this event have extensive root systems. As they grow, they will keep the new sand in place, helping the dune establish and stabilize. The grasses also provide habitat and resources for native wildlife like terns, osprey, and snapping turtles who use the sandy soil for nesting. As the living shoreline establishes, it will not only enhance the resiliency of the immediate shoreline area, but the surrounding residential neighborhood.
From left to right, Melissa Dombrowski CBLP Regional Program Coordinator Pennsylvania and Delaware, Rachael Harrington Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps Member, Beth Ginter Executive Director of CCLC, Laura Todd Associate Green Infrastructure Program Director at the Alliance, standing in front of Harris Creek and living shoreline rock sill structures.
Preparing for the volunteer planting on Tilghman Island required collaboration and coordination across multiple groups. I decided to focus volunteer efforts on the dune section of the project based on the planting timeline.
Next, we aimed to gather a group of stewards, reaching out to fellow CCCC members, CCLC shoreline professionals, and local residents. As the event approached, Unity ensured the shoreline was ready for the volunteers. This collaborative planning ensured every volunteer arrived with a clear understanding of their role.
Beyond volunteer coordination, I prepared by creating outreach materials, like a flyer and RSVP form, to effectively engage volunteers. To ensure I had the necessary planting tools and could thank our volunteers, I applied for and was awarded a Chesapeake Bay Trust mini-grant, covering costs for the trowels and a native plant giveaway.
Volunteers arrive and check in with Alliance staff before planting begins.
On the beautiful spring morning of the planting, a total of 42 volunteers and staff arrived for the event. We began the day with Lucas and his crew leading a planting demonstration and providing volunteers with technical background of the project.
Volunteers plant native grasses across the dune.
Volunteers spread across the dune to plant a variety of native species that will thrive in the sandy habitat together planting over 3,000 plugs! Volunteers worked in small groups to plant their selected species. It was truly special to see all the preparation pay off and seeing all the volunteers engage with one another!
A young diamondback terrapin treks across the newly-planted dune. This project will help stabilize this dune for future terrapins to possibly use as nesting areas.
Nearing the end of the planting, a small turtle emerged and began its trek over the dune! This young turtle, likely a Diamondback Terrapin (Malaclemys terrapin) likely stayed in its nest over winter, to conserve energy and stay warm before emerging mid-spring. Diamondbacks live exclusively in coastal brackish, saltwater estuaries and tidal marshes, and can be found across the coast of North America. Female diamondbacks often return to similar areas and use soft sandy soils to lay their eggs. Ensuring access to critical habitats like this one is crucial for their survival.
As volunteers began to depart after successfully planting the rest of the dune, they took home native plants as thank yous for their support.
Native plants, free to volunteers as a token of appreciation for their help
The dune area after the planting!
The shoreline planting event was a resounding success, demonstrating a powerful blend of community engagement and restoration efforts. This project was critical in stabilizing the dune ecosystem, enhancing the shoreline’s natural resilience, and providing habitat for native wildlife. The hands-on work also provided real-world practices for volunteers to get involved in conservation work. Through this project, I gained invaluable experience in the complexities of project coordination in the restoration field and grant writing.
Volunteers, excited to plant the native grasses along the shoreline.
Thank you to all the dedicated volunteers who gave their time and support toward this planting and my capstone project, your effort will have a physical, lasting impact on the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Finally, immense gratitude for my mentors, for their guidance and support, and to Lucas Lees and Unity Landscape Design and Build and the Tilghman on Chesapeake community for their partnership and technical expertise in making this project possible.
Chesapeake Conservation and Climate Corps members posing for a picture at the end of the planting.
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