Small Town News

Nearly 800 volunteers plant beach grass

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Effort stabilizes restored coastal sand dunes

Nearly 800 volunteers endured chilly temperatures to plant more than 150,000 stems of beach grass on restored dunes along four miles of coastline between Broadkill Beach and Fen-wick Island. The beach grass planting event, which was held this year on March 26, is Delaware's largest annual volunteer effort to stabilize restored sand dunes along Delaware's coast.

"Stabilizing sand dunes has proven effective in protecting our coastal properties from flooding and intense storms," said Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Control Secretary Collin O'Mara. "Delaware's shoreline stabilization program of beach nourishment, dune construction, and grass planting makes a tremendous difference in protecting lives and property."

Volunteers spent three hours planting Cape American beach grass on sand dunes at four beaches - Broadkill, Cape Hen-lopen, Bethany and Fenwick Island - in areas particularly hard hit by nor'easters and other storms.

Following the completion of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers beach nourishment project in Bethany Beach in early March, almost 500 volunteers planted about 100,000 units of beach grass along Bethany's dunes that were newly constructed by DNREC.

Beach grass helps to build and stabilize dunes by trapping windblown sand. As the grass traps the sand, it builds the dunes higher and wider, which makes them more protective of the structures behind.

Sand dunes are essential for protection against flooding and damaging storms.

When sand dunes are destroyed, storm waves can rush inland, flood properties and put lives at risk. Dunes stabilized by beach grass absorb wave energy and act as major sand storage areas which replenish sand to eroded beaches during a storm.

"Since our beach grass planting event was introduced in 1989, more than 5 million stems of beach grass have been planted on Delaware's ocean and bay beaches," said Jennifer Wheatley, environmental scientist with DNREC's Shoreline and Waterway Management Section and coordinator of the event.

"Our thanks go out to the many volunteers who return every year to help plant the dunes."

This year the towns of Bethany Beach and Fenwick Island and the Broadkill Beach Preservation Association promoted the event to their communities and helped with organization.

The Delaware Mobile Surf Fishermen and various businesses donated refreshments and also helped make the event a huge success.

For more information, contact Jennifer Wheatley at 302-739-9921 or go to DNREC's web page on Beach Grass Planting: http://www.swc.dnrec.delaware. gov/Shoreline/Pages/Beach-GrassPlanting.aspx.

"STABILIZING SAND DUNES HAS PROVEN EFFECTIVE IN PROTECTING OUR COASTAL PROPERTIES FROM FLOODING AND INTENSE STORMS.

DELAWARE'S SHORELINE STABILIZATION PROGRAM OF BEACH NOURISHMENT, DUNE CONSTRUCTION, AND GRASS PLANTING MAKES A TREMENDOUS DIFFERENCE IN PROTECTING LIVES AND PROPERTY."

DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL

RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENTAL

CONTROL SECRETARY

COLLIN O'MARA





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