A softer approach for softer shorelines: non-regulatory measures to foster shoreline stewardship

This presentation will give an overview of a local government’s work to build stewardship education within an island community to protect its shoreline while simply bolstering basic regulation. Overcoming an attempt at shoreline regulation that left an island community resistant to protect its shorelines, planning staff will tell the story of the Islands Trust working with community to develop viable approaches to protecting shoreline ecosystems on Thetis Island. Overhauling priorities to focus on incentive- and education-based approaches, the local government served as a pilot area for the Green Shores for Homes project to explore the possibilities and limitations of non-regulation approaches to shoreline protection. The focus on learning about shoreline types as outlined in the Green Shores for Homes program has fostered a real interest from homeowners to learn more about the coastal processes taking place on their waterfront properties. From rocky beginnings to a tide-turning on-site workshop to our first Green Shores for Homes variance application, this presentation highlights the successes and lessons learned in trying a non-regulatory approach to shoreline stewardship. Keywords: shorelines, education, regulation, governance, local government, outreach, engagemen