A group of military and government leaders has endorsed an initiative to protect the one million acres of salt marsh that stretches from North Carolina down to northeast Florida. Salt marshes are sinewy channels of coastal grasslands known for their ability to protect coasts from flooding and storm surge during heavy rain events and hurricanes.
In September, 2020, as Hurricane Sally battered Florida’s panhandle with a deluge of rain and high winds, some locals said their living shorelines were their best defense against the area’s storm surge. Instead of a hardened seawall aimed at protecting shores from erosion, living shorelines use vegetation and other natural elements like oyster shells to