Coastal Storms, Wetlands and You

Written on: March 14th, 2016 in Education and Outreach

By Brittany Haywood, DNREC’s Wetland Monitoring and Assessment Program

Winter storms and nor-easters brought excess rainfall, rough seas, and unseasonably high tides to Delaware this winter, highlighting the value of nature’s first line of defense against coastal storms; wetlands. Up and down Delaware’s coast, roadways were made impassable due to rising seas, buildings were battered by winds and water, and dunes and boardwalks were washed away by angry waves.

But don’t’ fret, there is hope in minimizing the effects of storms on your property: Protect, Preserve and Restore Wetlands! Wetlands have the innate ability to store flood waters, buffer storm surges, and prevent erosion. Did you know that peak floods can be reduced up to 60% in watersheds that contain 15% wetlands(NOAA Digital Coast)?

There are multiple things you can do to protect and preserve wetlands:

Plant native species of trees, shrubs and flowers. For help with plant selection please visit the University of Delaware Cooperative Exentsion
Use living shoreline techniques to stabilize your shoreline instead of hardened structures.
Avoid wetlands if you are building structures or landscaping
Volunteer with a local group to help maintain wetlands. For example: Beach Grass Planting – March 19, Jennifer.Luoma@delaware.gov
Pick up all litter and dispose or recycle in appropriate trash containers
Report illegal activities such as filling, clearing, or dumping in a wetland to the DNREC complaint hotline 1-800-662-8802
Learn More With:
- Wetlands 101 Videos
- WMAP Blog
- Wetland Connection, this quarterly e-newsletter
- Request our staff to visit your classroom or meeting by calling 302-739-9939
- Attend the biennial Wetlands Conference