New guide is the manual to ‘Dune it Right’

Update 7/19/2016: There is now an updated version of the Dune Manual available at njseagrant.org/dunemanual

FORT HANCOCK — Backed up by the latest research, best practices for dune restoration have changed dramatically in 30 years, which is why the New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and its partners wants the Jersey Shore to Dune it Right.

The last manual providing instructions about how to restore dune ecology was published by the USDA Plant Materials Center in the 1980s, and much of that advice is obsolete.

At the time, the key to dune restoration was American beachgrass.

“We see people planting Ammophila breviligulata — beachgrass — everywhere,” said Dr. Louise Wooton, of Georgian Court University at a recent outreach workshop on dune restoration and storm surge.

Beachgrass is still vital to dunes, but more emphasis is being placed on the diversity of plant species, but also of the grass itself. Nearly all the grass in dune restorations is from one Cape Cod-based variety, according to research by Dr. Michael Peek . Researchers say that needs to change if the dunes are to become more resilient.

With support from the NOAA National Sea Grant Office,  New Jersey Sea Grant Consortium and its partners are correcting and updating those instructions through the Dune it Right Manual, published on njseagrant.org.

Dr. Amy Williams of Stevens Institute of Technology will present Dune it Right at the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association later this month. Click here to learn more.

The manual is a living document written by researchers and extension agents at William Paterson University, Stevens Institute of Technology, Georgian Court University — all NJSCG members — and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Materials Center at Cape May who have had dune and beach research funded by the consortium.

Coastal experts wrapped-up a round of workshops aimed at developing an understanding of storm surges and dune restorations last month. The latest round was the second time this year that workshops were held to publicize the dune manual and update stakeholders about the latest best practices and research in dune management and restoration.

Here’s a breakdown of some recommendations:

• Don’t plant beachgrass in rows, attempt to plant in circles instead.
• Try to plant beachgrass
• Know the habitats: Dune ecology changes rapidly going inland. What one species likes on the primary dune, isn’t necessarily going to work for them on a secondary dune.
• In built out communities, treat yards and garden spaces as secondary dunes or maritime forests, and select native plant species that thrive in back dune environments.
• Make dunes diverse environments. Don’t just plant one species of plant.

The first round in the spring were aimed specifically at government officials who might be managing public dune restorations. seminars were held in each of the state’s four coastal counties.

The second round, one held in Cape May and the second held in Surf City on Long Beach Island were open to the general public.

Dunes, and their protective power, were proven to be a vital assest to beach communities during the onslaught of Hurricane Sandy. Communities without dune protection, by and large, fared much worse if they had no protection. The protective power of dunes is, in part, why dunes and beaches are considered to be the Garden State’s most valuable ecosystem.

Intense development along the Jersey Shore and the heavy use of the beaches by humans has reduced most of the dunes and the ecological services they provide, especially wrack lines, secondary dunes and maritime forests.

This has been done to make the beach “clean” and easy to access, experts said.

State and federal parks and reserves, and a few communities like Avalon in Cape May County Bradley Beach in Monmouth County are exceptions.

“Bradley Beach made a committment in the 1980s to build dunes,” Wooton told the crowd at Long Beach Island. “For 30 years, without any major storms they may have looked pretty silly, but than Sandy hit and they don’t look silly anymore.”

The Dune It Right manual can be downloaded at by clicking here.