About Project GreenShores

Project GreenShores I & II are multiphase, collaborative efforts between various government agencies, private businesses, and community volunteers that utilize living shorelines to restore degraded habitats and protect the coastline in Pensacola Bay, Florida. Project GreenShores has been a success story - the shoreline has withstood multiple hurricanes and continues to thrive. The project’s phases aim to expand this success further, making Project GreenShores a model for future coastal restoration initiatives. The projects’ goals are to revitalize Pensacola Bay by restoring oyster reefs and creating new salt marsh and seagrass habitats.

Project GreenShores I Phase I was completed in 2003 while Phase II was completed in 2007. The living shoreline comprised of breakwaters made from limestone rock and oyster shell and created an intertidal salt marsh area behind the reef in a 15-acre area. Project GreenShores Site II was completed in 2022 and includes constructed marsh mounds and limestone breakwaters. The project resulted in about 9 acres of marsh mound habitat and 2,900 linear feet of new Breakwaters. Marsh mounds were planted with approximately 150,000 marsh grasses, including smooth cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) and black needlerush (Juncus roemerianus). The two completed projects have created almost 50 acres of oyster reef and marsh habitat while reducing erosion and improving water quality by filtering pollutants on the urban shoreline. The living shorelines not only safeguard the coast but also foster a healthier bay by providing critical habitats for fish, shellfish, and other wildlife.

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