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Wildlife Commission and Coastal Federation Complete Boating Access Project on Chowan River EDENTON, N.C. (Aug. 3) — The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission and N.C. Coastal Federation this Friday will put the finishing touches on a $75,000 project to stabilize and restore the shoreline at the Edenhouse Bridge boating access area on the Chowan River near Edenton. Staff from the Wildlife Commission’s Engineering Services Division and Coastal Federation will work together to plant 3,600 wetland and riparian buffer plants at the Edenhouse Bridge boating access area, marking the completion of a larger project to renovate this access area in Chowan County. The Wildlife Commission has operated this boating access area for more than 40 years. Deterioration of the wooden bulkhead necessitated the renovation, according to Tom Covington, a facilities engineer with the Commission. “When it came time to renovate it, we wanted to design something more environmentally friendly than a typical bulkhead and also create something that would be a showcase boating area for the public,” Covington said. “Everyone driving across the Highway 17 Bridge will see it.” The Coastal Federation supported the project through cost-share funding and technical guidance to create an environmentally friendly “living shoreline” to help control erosion and stabilize the bank. “We replaced the failing seawall at the site with a ’living shoreline,’ which includes a stone sill backed with wetland plants and native buffer vegetation,” said Tracy Skrabal, senior scientist with the Coastal Federation. “Living shoreline projects demonstrate environmentally sound approaches to erosion control and exemplify the commitment of the Coastal Federation and Wildlife Commission to preserve water quality by restoring coastal wetland areas.” Through grant funding provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Community-Based Restoration Program and the Restore America’s Estuaries Program, the Coastal Federation provides cost-share funding to selected projects that demonstrate effective alternatives to bulkheading and rip-rap for erosion control, while preserving or restoring important estuarine resources of wetlands and riparian buffers. |