TransCoastal Adaptations has partnered with the Stewardship Centre for British Columbia to bring Green Shores training to the Maritimes.
Green Shores training helps to promote understanding of Green Shores as a framework for nature-based solutions. The training also helps build capacity among both shoreline practitioners and individuals with a general interest in shoreline ecosystem protection.
There are three levels of Green Shores training offered. Level 1 introduces participants to the Green Shores program, including its rationale, benefits, and application. Level 2 offers more in-depth information about how to apply the Green Shores credit and rating systems to shoreline management projects. Level 3 is intended for shoreline practitioners who want to be formally recognized as a Green Shores Approved Professional.
Green Shores Training in the Maritimes: Notes from the Field
In November 2021, 16 people from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick took part in Green Shores Level 1 and 2 training at Saint Mary’s University. The diversity of their career background speaks to the adaptability of the Green Shores program: participants included urban foresters, civil engineers, asset management specialists, students, wetland coordinators at NGOs, and government climate change specialists. The training sessions also served as a networking opportunity between government, academics, NGOs, and industry, which was appreciated by many participants. At least two collaborative project proposals for shoreline design have already been submitted from connections formed during the training sessions.
Over the three days, a little over half the time was spent in the classroom. There, trainees learned about the Green Shores program, got a crash course in geomorphology and coastal erosion, and worked in groups on evaluating public park and home shoreline plans.
The field visits were the highlight of the course for most participants despite the cold, windy, and rainy Maritime November weather. In Level 1 training, participants applied their newly gained skills for the first time at Conrose Park in Halifax in torrential rain, where they worked in groups to plan a Green Shores design to slow heavy erosion at the site.
Level 2 training included an excursion to homes along the Northwest Arm for trainees to create home shoreline designs. Home shoreline design offered a more in-depth approach to Green Shores, since the trainees had to consider existing gardens, docks, boat access, public right of ways, and residential aesthetics in their designs.
The final day’s field excursion took place in Point Pleasant Park where the rough waves called for a greater focus on shoreline processes and how nature-based solutions can attenuate wave action. Point Pleasant Park was an excellent site for the excursion because it has numerous beaches with differing slopes and a variety of rock sizes. The Point Pleasant afternoon concluded with creating a design for a park area that took into consideration erosion, rising sea levels, vegetation, public use, and historical importance.
Are you interested in signing up for Green Shores training?
Visit our Green Shores training webpage to learn more about Green Shores sessions in the Maritimes. For more information about the Green Shores program, visit the Stewardship Centre for BC’s Green Shores website.