Developing a social norm for natural shorelines

Across the Salish Sea, the restoration of shoreline processes and habitats will depend in large part on the choices made by private property owners. San Juan County’s 400+ miles of marine shoreline provide diverse nearshore habitats that are critical to the recovery of the ecosystem of the Salish Sea. Using a combination of countywide science, community and neighborhood outreach and site specific technical assistance, Friends of the San Juans (FSJ) leads local efforts to identify, develop and implement armor removal projects at priority sites. FSJ’s efforts are helping protect intact shorelines and restore degraded habitats and processes. Over time FSJ’s landowner engagement strategy aims to alter the social norm away from hard armoring to natural shorelines. An overview of successful methods including applied research to prioritize sites, neighborhood and individual shoreline property owner engagement strategies, communication tools will be shared. A case study approach will be used to share multiple on-the-ground armor removal project examples, with an emphasis on lessons learned and application to other areas. Example video shorts from multiple armor removal projects, including restoration time lapse and human interest elements, will also be shared