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Living Shoreline Assistance Program Helps Coastal Residents Combat Erosion
Now Accepting Applications for Perdido Bay Watershed
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We are pleased to announce the launch of the Living Shoreline Assistance Program to help waterfront property owners and community groups address shoreline erosion in the Pensacola and Perdido Bay watersheds.
Across the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Watersheds, coastlines are threatened by erosion and shoreline hardening, impacting both coastal residents and our local waters.
A "living shoreline" is a nature-based approach to protecting coastal shorelines. Living shorelines use elements like native plants or oyster shell to keep shorelines stable while replicating natural shoreline ecosystems. "Hybrid shorelines" are also used, blending natural elements with non-living materials like rocks or artificial oyster reefs when needed. Both living and hybrid shorelines help prevent erosion, create habitat for wildlife, and improve water quality.
| | Living shoreline in Blackwater Bay, FDEP NWFL Aquatic Preserves | | |
While bulkheads and other “hard” structures have been traditional solutions for erosion, living shorelines are more effective, sustainable, and typically more cost-efficient over time. They better withstand storms and provide added benefits like flood mitigation, shoreline stabilization, and habitat creation.
Increased shoreline hardening has dramatically altered the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Watersheds, with roughly 55% of Pensacola Bay and 27% of Perdido Bay shorelines now hardened. Through this Program, PPBEP aims to reduce additional shoreline hardening across the bays and promote the use of living shorelines.
The PPBEP Living Shoreline Assistance Program empowers coastal property owners to implement a living or hybrid shoreline to benefit both their property and our local waters. Program assistance includes technical resources, expert design guidance, help navigating the permitting process, and financial assistance to make projects more affordable. Through the Living Shoreline Assistance Program, PPBEP aims to restore residents’ connection to their coastline.
The Program will provide assistance in two phases.
Phase 1 Perdido Bay Watershed: Now to Dec 31, 2025
Phase 2 Pensacola Bay Watershed: Aug 1, 2025 to Dec 31, 2026
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Interested commercial or residential property owners, neighborhood associations, and community groups can find more information on eligibility and application details at ppbep.org/livingshorelines and are invited to attend an open house to learn more about the program, meet with staff and discuss their project, and schedule a site assessment.
Perdido Bay Watershed Open House
May 1, 2025
Drop by between 2 PM - 8 PM CT
Perdido Key Community Center
15500 Perdido Key Dr., Pensacola, FL 32507
Attending an in-person open house is recommended when possible. Individuals that are unable to attend an in-person open house are invited to join a virtual informational webinar this Friday:
Perdido Bay Watershed Webinar
April 4th, 2025
5:30 PM CT- 7:00 PM CT
Additional workshops will be held in the Pensacola Bay Watershed later this year.
| | Former Mayor Cherry Fitch and Senator Doug Broxson Honored for Their Service | | |
At the March PPBEP Board of Directors meeting, former City of Gulf Breeze Mayor Cherry Fitch and former Florida Senator Doug Broxson were thanked for their service.
During her tenure as the Mayor of Gulf Breeze, Cherry served as the City's representative on the PPBEP Board of Directors. PPBEP expresses sincere gratitude for her dedicated service on the Board, as well as her unwavering optimism and support. Her passionate commitment to protecting our waterways shined through her work, whether she was securing high-impact auction donations like a stand-up paddle board or inspiring local youth as a volunteer with our Seagrass Sleuths program. While her formal service has come to an end, we are delighted to know her commitment to our mission remains strong, and we look forward to her continued support in other capacities.
In his capacity as District 1 Florida Senator, former Senator Doug Broxson championed funding for environmental projects in Northwest Florida, recognizing our way of life is deeply connected to the natural environment.
His support for vital funding, including appropriations for our Community Grant Program, will leave a lasting legacy on the long-term health of Pensacola and Perdido Bays and our communities. PPBEP expresses our sincere gratitude for his dedication to our region.
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Help Us Welcome Kaylee Beasley,
Our New Manatee Outreach Intern!
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Kaylee earned her Bachelors degree in Environmental Science from the University of West Florida and will graduate with her Master's degree in Environmental Science this fall.
At PPBEP, Kaylee is responsible for leading our Panhandle Manatee Program. As the Manatee Outreach Intern she coordinates volunteer Manatee Ambassadors, promotes seagrass and manatee safe boating practices, and encourages the public to report manatee sightings.
Kaylee believes it is important to do our part in protecting the environment, the way it protects us. She hopes to provide people with the tools to make small changes in their lives that lead to big impacts that help the environment. In her free time, she enjoys reading, camping, and hiking.
Welcome aboard, Kaylee!
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Happy 5 Year Anniversary
to Our Senior Scientist
Whitney Scheffel
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Help us congratulate our Senior Scientist, Whitney Scheffel, on her 5 year anniversary with the Estuary Program!
From water warrior to data wizard, Whitney has been a fixture of the Estuary Program since the beginning. From leading the National Coastal Condition Assessment in 2021, to the development of the first Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan in 2022, to the first State of the Bays Report in 2023, Whitney has been integral in a lot of firsts for the Estuary Program.
Driven by a passion for protecting our water resources, she’s ensured our decisions are science-based and community-driven, always bringing a sense of Whit (get it?!) and empathy to anyone who’s had the pleasure of working with her.
We couldn’t be prouder of Whitney and all her accomplishments over the last five years and are looking forward to the next five!
Congratulations, Whitney!
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Santa Rosa County Appoints PPBEP to
Land Development Task Force
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PPBEP's Executive Director, Matt Posner, was appointed to the Santa Rosa County Land Development Code (LDC) Task Force by Commissioner Wright with ten other representatives representing environmental, development, and citizen interests.
PPBEP welcomes the formation of the Land Development Code Task Force and looks forward to the collaborative process. PPBEP will actively utilize the insights gained from previous community input and the best available science to inform policies that will balance responsible development with the protection of Santa Rosa County's waterways and ecosystems.
The committee will continue working over the next two months to identify improvements to the LDC focused on erosion, sedimentation, clear cutting, and alternative subdivisions. A final report with recommendations will be presented to the commission for decision.
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Restoration Ramble Earth Day Edition:
Carpenter Creek Cleanup
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Saturday, April 19th from 9:30 AM to 11:00 AM CT
Join us for a special edition Restoration Ramble! Celebrate Earth Day with us by participating in a cleanup and learning about our upcoming restoration plans for Carpenter Creek from PPBEP staff and Moffatt & Nichol.
Waders and cleanup supplies will be provided, no training necessary! Volunteers under 16 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. Volunteers 16-17 must have waiver with parent/guardian permission.
Please note that this ramble will include steep and uneven terrain, wading through moving water that can get up to ~4ft deep, walking on mucky sediments, and ducking under occasional trees.
Registration is required as supplies are limited. Additional details will be sent to registered attendees 1-2 days before the event.
| | Free Summer Kayak Tours Return in May | | |
We are kicking off our summer kayak tours with an easy guided paddle at Escribano Point Wildlife Management Area. Join us to learn about the East Bay Oyster Habitat Restoration project as we paddle by reefs along the shore of East Bay. These paddle tours are free, but a limited number of kayaks will be provided, so hurry and register before spaces fill up! Our tours are beginner-friendly, but participants must be 14+ and able to independently operate your paddle craft.
Saturday, May 17th
10am to 12pm CT
Escribano Point Wildlife Management Area
| | Over 160lbs of Beads Collected During 4th Annual Mardi Gras Bead Cleanup | | Despite having to reschedule our cleanup due to severe weather (and the beads being increasingly tangled in the trees!), our dedicated group of volunteers were able to collect over 160lbs of Mardi Gras beads from the trees in downtown Pensacola! All of the beads collected were donated to The Arc Gateway to be repackaged for future use. | | University of South Alabama Researchers Want to Hear From You: Fish Habitat Community Survey | | |
Dr. Charlie Martin, professor at the University of South Alabama Stokes School of Marine and Environmental Sciences and PhD Student, Zoey Hendrickson, would like to invite you to voluntarily participate in an survey as part of their research project “Coastal rivers as unrecognized winter fish habitat: surveying habitat use in Pensacola and Perdido bays estuaries” through the Perdido & Pensacola Bays Estuary Program. They aim to survey members of the community living near the Pensacola and Perdido Bay Estuaries that use the area’s waters for recreation. This survey will gather data on community members’ knowledge surrounding potential changes in the area’s seasonal fish communities.
The survey will take approximately 20-30 mins to complete. Participation will remain confidential, all responses are anonymous, and you can quit the survey at any time.
You will be asked a series of questions in this one-time survey concerning your recreational activities (fishing, boating, etc.) and knowledge concerning presence of local fish species throughout the year. Questions asked will cover how long you have lived in the area, whether or not you engage in fishing or other recreational activities, and if you have captured or seen Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) in the area.
You must be 18 years of age or older to participate in the survey.
If you would like to participate in the survey please use the link below! If you have any questions please contact Zoey Hendrickson at zhendrickson@disl.org.
| | Share Your Story with the Pensacola Environmental Oral History Project | | |
Have you been impacted by pollution in the air, water, or soil? Do you have a story to share? Share your story with University of Florida Gulf Scholars and the Samuel Proctor Oral History Program as part of the Pensacola Environmental Oral History Project's History Harvest!
Oral history is a powerful community-building tool and research method. By sharing your experiences, you’ll help build a deeper understanding of the impact of pollution on our day-to-day lives.
Interviews will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at One Palafox Place, 3 W. Garden Street Suite 210, Pensacola, Florida, 32502.
These interviews will be archived in UF’s Digital Libraries, contributing to a growing body of knowledge about pollution in the region.
| | Community Grant Program Highlight | | |
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Living Shorelines for Fisheries Habitat in Pensacola Bay, Florida
University of South Alabama
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Drone imagery of Project GreenShores I
Credit: Baker Lab, University of South Alabama
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Dr. Ron Baker and his team at the University of South Alabama have been busy conducting underwater video surveys at Project GreenShores I and II, and Deadman’s Island. Building upon their previous studies, they plan to quantify fish community composition, probability of encounter, and density within restored habitats and adjacent control sites. Their project's goal is to quantify the enhancement provided by living shoreline restoration by comparing fish populations in these areas.
Their findings will be shared on an interactive website that was developed for a previous Community Grant and will include multi-year monitoring results at Project GreenShores I and II and add the new Deadman’s Island site. Users can explore aerial imagery, identify different habitats, and take a virtual snorkel by watching underwater videos showcasing fish communities.
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May 21, 2025
Finance Sub-Committee Meeting
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM CT
Board of Directors Meeting
1:30 PM - 3:30 PM CT
Santa Rosa County BOCC Council Chambers
6495 Caroline St., Milton, FL 32570
The meeting agenda will be available on our website a week before the meeting date.
The March 26th meeting minutes will be sent in next month's newsletter.
| | Fertilizer should NOT be applied if heavy rainfall is anticipated. | | Left Image: Seagrass in turbid water with high algal growth.
Right Image: Bright green seagrass in clearer water with less algal growth. | | |
If you choose to use fertilizer in your yard, it's important to remember best practices for fertilizer application to keep our waterways healthy. You should not apply fertilizer if heavy rainfall is anticipated, otherwise you are washing your money down the drain–literally!
Heavy rain washes your recently applied fertilizer off your lawn and into storm drains, eventually ending up in our bay systems. The added nutrients from fertilizer can cause a slew of problems for our waterways, such as increased algal growth.
To keep our bays (and your wallet) happy, make sure to check the forecast before fertilizing your yard - or consider skipping fertilizer altogether! Click the button below to learn more about smart fertilizer use.
| | Thank You to Our Estuary Advocate Donors | | |
It’s no secret that the business of the Gulf Coast is — the coast!
Whether it’s protecting our community from hurricanes, drawing tourists to our pristine waterfronts, or creating the quality of life that makes this a great place to live, a healthy coast and watershed is the bedrock of our community.
You can help by supporting our efforts financially, and your gift can be matched by state and federal grant programs that restore and protect our waterways.
We are thankful to our Estuary Advocates for helping to fulfill our mission of restoration, education, and monitoring.
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$10,000 Guardian of the Gulf
Estuary Advocates
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$2,500 River Giver
Estuary Advocates
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$1,000 Creek Keeper
Estuary Advocates
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Please add us to your "safe sender" list to ensure these emails reach your inbox.
Newsletter submissions must be sent to info@ppbep.org by the 1st of the month.
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