ABSTRACT
Estuaries support large coastal communities, and development has dramatically increased over the past century along these shorelines and waterbodies, threatening natural habitats. The Indian River Lagoon, along the east coast of Florida, is one of 28 estuaries in the US Environmental Protection Agency's National Estuary Program and was designated as an "Estuary of National Significance" in 1990. Estuarine shorelines in Canaveral National Seashore (CANA) are composed primarily of unconsolidated shell, clay, and sand. Housed adjacent to these shorelines are many of CANA's most important historical resources—numerous significant prehistoric shell middens and wooden built structures. Shoreline hardening was identified as a major threat to marine and estuarine habitats in the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. In early 2013, CANA requested our assistance in deploying a living shoreline at the Eldora State House to prevent any further shoreline loss near this structure.
