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22 THE DAVEY BULLETIN | November/December 2023 EXPERTISE Native Shorelines, a Davey company, designed and installed 1,246 linear feet of QuickReef ® living shoreline at The Ocean Club in Indian Beach, North Carolina. QuickReef ® is made from the same chemical compound as oyster shells, which attracts oyster spat and provides a nursery for them to flourish. They teamed up with nonprofit North Carolina Coastal Federation (NCCF) to collect field data for The Ocean Club living shoreline site plan. Worth Creech, director of innovation and logistics, Native Shorelines, managed the installation, and was assisted by Grainger Coughtrey, project coordinator. Living shorelines are an environmentally superior option for shoreline erosion compared to traditional seawalls as they provide marine life habitats and promote biodiversity, explained Creech. "They also absorb and attenuate wave energy instead of reflecting wave energy, so there is no flanking erosion," he added. Creech said the weather and tides dictate how long a project takes to complete. "For this project, the wind shifted out of the north and was relentless, unexpected, and unseasonal. This causes us to pause and wait for a barge to arrive as the water level makes it too deep for us to install the normal way," Creech said. Mary-Margaret McKinney, director of coastal restoration, Native Shorelines, managed the project and oversaw the Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA) A 'LIVING SHORELINE' PROTECTS AGAINST EROSION, PROVIDES WILDLIFE HABITAT This photo of a QuickReef ® living shoreline project installed on an island in North Carolina shows what The Ocean Club in Indian Beach project is expected to look like after it has been in place for 18 months. We want to personally thank you and let you know how awesome the new living shoreline turned out at The Ocean Club. Your design and installation were spot on, and we have received multiple compliments from the owners about the process as well as the results. From laying the first slab until the last one was placed, your teams were knowledgeable, communicative, respectful, hardworking, and a pleasure to have working on the property. The proactive effort to protect the lawn, splash pad and marsh areas from the heavy equipment was outstanding. Your friends at The Ocean Club Indian Beach, North Carolina QuickReef ® bricks are made of limestone marl, or calcium carbonate – the same material as oyster shells – and are 30 inches long, 10 inches wide, and weigh 100 pounds. They were invented by Worth Creech and Mary-Margaret McKinney of Native Shorelines, who joined Davey one year ago through the addition of Restoration Systems, a Davey company. The living shoreline installation at The Ocean Club took less than 30 days; however, the permitting was a one-year process. major permitting process assisted by Morgan Rudd, project coordinator. "This was the first CAMA major permit we have obtained for a living shoreline in North Carolina as it was over 500 feet, which was a big milestone for us. We were able to learn the interagency coordination process," McKinney said. Oysters colonized on the pictured QuickReef ® brick 30 to 60 days after installation. "In addition to oysters, the QuickReef ® living shoreline creates a habitat for fish, crabs, oysters, clams, and mussels, and a variety of other marine life," Worth Creech said.

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