From June 23-27th, 2024, TransCoastal Adaptations and Coastal Zone Canada joined forces with the Society for Ecological Restoration – Eastern Canada to host the Nature Based Coastal Solutions and Ecological Restoration Symposium at Saint Mary’s University (SMU). The symposium brought together 170 coastal and restoration practitioners, engineers, natural and social scientists, professors, students, planners, politicians, and Indigenous groups from across Canada and the United States. With 4 field trip opportunities, 3 impactful keynote speakers, and a wide range of presenters and exhibitors, the Symposium was an exciting opportunity to share lessons and successes in the nature-based solution and restoration space across North America.

June 23rd, 2024 - Day 1 (Field Trips)

The Symposium opened with 2 exciting field trips, visiting ongoing coastal climate adaptation projects in the province.

View the Tidal Bore from the Onslow-North River Managed Dyke Realignment and Tidal Wetland Restoration Site

The first trip making its way out from Saint Mary’s University led participants to the Onslow-North Managed Dyke Realignment and Tidal Wetland Restoration Site, outside Truro, Nova Scotia. The Onslow-North River site is an example of a successful managed dyke realignment project, and restored tidal flow to a whopping ~97 hectares of historic tidal wetland! This site is located at the confluence of the North and Salmon Rivers, two macrotidal rivers connecting to the Inner Bay of Fundy. The area was susceptible to flooding, due to high water levels and water patterns that contribute to ice jamming.

This project was initiated by the Nova Scotia Department of Public Works, supported by the NS Department of Agriculture, and Department of Environment and Climate Change, to address the flooding risk in the region, as well as create wetland habitat for fish and wildlife. The Province of Nova Scotia collaborated with CBWES, SMU and Queens University to design and implement a realignment and restoration design, and in 2021, the dyke at the site was breached. The design included building a new section of dyke to protect important nearby infrastructure, removing 3 aboiteaux, levelling large sections of dyke to foreshore level, and excavating tidal channels.

On this trip participants were a guided along the remnant dyke by Dr. Danika van Proosdij (SMU) and Jennie Graham (CBWES), learning about the design and implementation process, the pre and post restoration monitoring program, and about the restoration trajectory of the wetland. Following along the dyke, participants reached the mouth of one of the excavated channels, that, along with the pre-existing drainage ditches, has developed in its 3 years post restoration to a complex network of tidal channels. From here, a view over the developing marsh platform shows the newly establishing halophytic vegetation.

After exploring the site, participants turned back to the river to watch the tidal bore come in, a true Bay of Fundy experience!

To learn more about the Onslow-North River Managed Dyke Realignment and Tidal Wetland Restoration site, visit: https://www.transcoastaladaptations.com/onslow-north-river

Visit the Mahone Bay Living Shoreline and the Better with Bees Program

Following shortly after the bus to Truro, another team led participants to two exciting local projects. The first stop was to CP Allen High School, to visit the student-run Better with Bees Program. With a focus on urban environmental sustainability, CPA's Better with Bees is creating a Wabanaki meadow surrounding a Mi'kmaq Medicine Garden. The club hopes to demonstrate to the community a model for future urban sustainability possibilities. The project will allow communities to see what is possible when native species are at the forefront of environmental planning. Trip participants were able to learn from student members about their efforts in fundraising and designing the garden, how they have engaged with Mi’kmaw communities in Bedford, and how the implementation of native vegetation and bee hives has provided hands-on experience while also contributing to bee conservation efforts.

After some tea and coffee at the garden, participants headed down the South Shore to Mahone Bay, joining Coastal Action and CBCL at the Mahone Bay Living Shoreline. This exciting living shoreline project created 60 m of tidal wetland habitat and vegetated bank along Edgewater Street in downtown Mahone Bay, in front of the Town’s iconic three churches. A collaboration between Coastal Action, the Town of Mahone Bay, CBCL, CBWES and TransCoastal Adaptations at SMU, this project is a key component in protecting the Town of Mahone Bay from flooding and coastal erosion.

The Living Shoreline implements 3 elements: rock sills, tidal wetland habitat, and a vegetated bank, to create a hybrid nature-based solution for protecting the area. The design for this project builds off the conceptual designs from CBCL’s Flood Prevention and Shoreline Enhancement Plan (2016). The project was completed in the summer of 2022, and the shoreline planting was supported by a suite of volunteers. The shoreline has since withstood harsh winter storms, and hurricanes, and is a point of pride for residents of the Town!

To learn more about the Better with Bees program, visit: https://betterwithbees.ca/

To learn more about the Mahone Bay Living Shoreline, visit: https://www.mahonebaylivingshoreline.com/

June 24, 2024 - Day 2 (Plenary sessions)

Welcoming Remarks

We kicked off the symposium with an introduction to our host organizations (Dr. Danika van Proosdij – SMU, Dr. Jeremy Lundholm - SER-EC, Dr. Phil Osborne – CZC), and a welcome to Saint Mary’s University, from the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research, Dr. Adam Sarty.

To set the stage for this full day, Dr. van Proosdij invited attendees to reflect on how far nature-based solutions have come – we are seeing the uptake of NbS globally, from international guidelines, to on the ground projects, to consideration by regulators, NbS are no longer a fringe idea. The NBCS-ER Symposium 2024 presents an opportunity to reflect and share, learn from mistakes, and look to the future of nature-based solutions, and ecological restoration!

Keynote Speaker

Dr.  Donna Marie Bilkovic – Centre for Coastal Resources Management, Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William and Mary (VIMS)

Our first Keynote address of the week was from Dr. Donna Marie Bilkovic, who shared insights on “The evolution and future of nature-based coastal protection”. Dr. Bilkovic is a professor at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, William & Mary, and serves as the Assistant Director of the Center for Coastal Resources Management (CCRM). Her research centers on the ecological and sociocultural benefits of nature-based shoreline protection, the resilience of coastal habitats, the impact of shoreline alterations on fish communities, and the sustainability of marshes and their ecosystem services

Dr. Bilkovic began with a brief history of shoreline protection in the Chesapeake Bay area, and the beginnings of the consideration of living shorelines in the area, with the first projects being implemented in the 1970’s, with lots of trial and error. This early adoption has helped to build a catalogue of projects, and highlighted the effectiveness of living shorelines, and the suite of ecosystem services they support. Over time, with the weight of evidence in support, including valuation efforts, there has been a shift in policy in US Shoreline Policy, in support of more nature based solutions.

But there are still questions to answer and improvements to make. From questions around implementation, such as building materials and application methods for different coastlines, to considerations of unintended consequences, there is still a ways to go. Dr. Bilkovic concluded with 3 important elements as we look to the future: Coordinated governance, interdisciplinary collaboratives, and strong science and research.

To learn more about Dr. Bilkovic’s work, visit:

• www.vims.edu/ccrm/

• www.AdaptVA.org

Plenary Talks:

June 25, 2024 - Day 3 (Plenary Session, Expo)

Day 1 Review

The second day kicked off bright and early with a short review of the first day of discussions from our Symposium chairs. One theme that emerged was the importance of balancing tradeoffs and competing objective, such as priorities vs. risk, short vs long term sustainability, erosion vs natural sediment supply, etc. It is important to identify the right metrics for prediction and evaluation. Additionally, we must remember the importance of language and how we engage. Sometimes projects do not go according to plan, and we must both reflect on the process and stages that led us here, and be prepared to move forward with flexibility. Finally, an emphasis on the need for multi-disciplinary and collaborative approaches, and coastal regulations that align through the levels of government – to better protect our coastal regions, we need clear pathways to work through conflicting coastal challenges.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Line Rochefort - Université Laval, Peatland Ecology Research Group (PREG/Gret), Co-chair Society for Ecological Restoration eastern chapter.

Our second keynote speaker was Dr. Line Rochefort, presenting “The management of peatlands in Canada: Status, restoration options, challenges and how SER-EC can contribute”. Dr. Rochefort is a professor at Université Laval, holds a Research Chair in Ecosystem Restoration and is the director of the Peatland Ecology Research Group. Her research focus is the study of bryophyte ecology in northern disturbed ecosystems, of which a great part of her career has focused on the biology of Sphagnum mosses, which led her to become a leader in peatland ecological restoration. She is additionally a Co-chair for the Society for Ecological Restoration – Eastern Chapter.

Dr. Rochefort began her presentation with an overview of the state of peatlands, nationally and globally, including the drivers of peatland degradation, such as agriculture, mining, and hydroelectric reservoirs. There has been extensive loss of wetlands globally, and with approximately 119 million ha of peatlands, Canada has a responsibility to protect our peatlands. Dr. Rochefort emphasizes that regions where peat has been extracted stay bare – we need to find a way to reintroduce and restore these areas. The research and development of the Moss Layer Transfer Technique (MLTT) was a novel method to restore moss and peatlands, and the services they provide. The next challenges are to shift the mindset around moss restoration for broader peatland restoration, as well as the general mindset in Canada around open pit mine restoration, where salinity may affect moss growth.

The co-chair for the Society of Ecological Restoration Eastern Chapter wrapped her presentation with a focus on the future goals for the SER-EC. She highlights the import of not working in silos, but rather sharing among disciplines and ecosystems, and the goals of the SER-EC to share and explore the commonalities between the included regions. There is also an opportunity to work collectively to determine ecosystem restoration thresholds, beyond which we should not pass. Dr. Rochefort’s final note, for the goal of educating and engaging around peatland restoration and ecosystem restoration as a whole was to go where the users of the landscape are.

To learn more about Dr. Line Rochefort’s work, visit:

• https://chapter.ser.org/easterncanada/

• https://www.gret-perg.ulaval.ca/en/

Plenary Talks

NBCS-ER EXPO

Following an excellent second day of presentations, Symposium participants and members of the public gathered for the Expo, a chance to explore posters, our amazing sponsor booths, and network with colleagues. The Expo was opened with a few words from the President of Saint Mary’s University, Dr. Robert Summerby-Murray. During the Expo, students and researchers presented an amazing and diverse assortment of research and case study posters. Posters covered topics such as: restoration site case-studies, program overviews, applied research (blue carbon, wave attenuation, etc.). Additionally, the Expo provided an opportunity for attendees to open dialogue with our valued sponsors and exhibitors. The booths present at the Symposium represent organizations that support Nature-based Solutions and Ecological Restoration projects through funding, equipment, consultation and expertise, and capacity-building, and are important contributors to coastal adaptation nationally.

Following the Expo, students and early-career participants gathered at Garrison Brewing, for the SER-EC Early Career Networking and Social Event, sponsored by CBWES.

Our Valued Sponsors

June 26, 2024 - Day 4 (Plenary Sessions)

Day 2 Review

And just like that, our final day of presentations was underway, with a reflection on the day before from the co-chairs. Introduced with our presentation from Dr. Line Rochefort, and reinforced through the days presentation was the theme of persistence – it takes time to achieve success, and their may be some failures and lessons along the way. With this, it is important to consider carefully the design-life of our restoration and coastal adaptation plans, and whether we are simply addressing the problems today and pushing decisions down the road. The day two presentations focused substantially on Canada’s many peatlands and high-energy cobble coasts.

Keynote Speaker

Dr. Larissa Naylor - University of Glasgow

Our final Keynote address for the week was from Dr. Larissa Naylor, “Harnessing ‘windows of opportunity’ to improve coastal climate resilience: from greening grey solutions to intergenerationally just adaptation”. Dr. Larissa Naylor is a Professor of Geomorphology and Environmental Geography at the University of Glasgow, who works at the interface of geomorphology, ecology and engineering and applies this to address ecological and climate change challenges facing society. She has shaped climate change, marine, flooding and planning policies and climate change adaptation action plans, including co-leading a chapter in US Corps of Army Engineers International guidelines on Natural and Nature-based Solutions for managing coastal flooding and erosion.

Dr. Naylor began her presentation with an acknowledgment and celebration of women in STEM, and her journey through academia to her work today. Dr. Naylor then moved into the important movement of changing our practices, and how we can move from grey to green in our infrastructure. Participants were given an outline of how Integrated Green Grey Infrastructure (IGGI), can green the grey, and the process of its initiation and implementation in the UK, from cost-benefit analysis to proof of design and acceptance within policy and regulations, to its eventual implementation in projects such as the creation and use of Ecotile.

Dr. Naylor then turns to closing the science-practice gap, and to how the practice of Greening the Grey can help us adapt to climate change. To do this well, we need to adjust our mindset from the coastline to the dynamic coast, and reform our relationship to coasts. The Dynamic Coast project is working to improve evidence and awareness of coastal change in Scotland, and supporting decision-makers. Dr. Naylor additionally gives an excellent overview of ongoing and successful initiatives in the UK, including Glasgow/GALLANT (Glasgow as A Living Lab Accelerating Novel Transformation), MAGIC (Multi-scale Adaptations to Global Change, Impacts on vulnerability in Coastal areas), RACC (Resilient Anthropocene Coasts and Communities), and the Coast-R Network.

Dr. Naylor summarizes her presentation with the following points. Climate change is moving fast, and we need to be smart about our dynamic coasts. Land-based adaptation pathways will be key in the coming years, and remember that nature-based solutions can achieve wins for both us and nature!

To learn more about Dr. Larissa Naylor’s work:

• https://www.ukcoastalresilience.org/

• https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/ges/staff/larissanaylor/

• Shifting Sands Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/shifting-sands-adapting-to-climate-change/id1370098098?i=1000541205377 

• NewScientist Podcast: https://www.newscientist.com/podcasts/92-cop26-week-1-special-from-glasgow-first-earthlings-to-go-interstellar-genetically-engineered-microbes-for-our-cells/

Plenary Talks

Closing Remarks and Student Awards:

And just like that, presentations complete, the Symposium came to a close! Dr. Danika van Proosdij ended the event with a review of the discussions that emerged from the Symposium.

• Reinforcement of the need for genuine and meaningful collaboration with the Indigenous stewards of this land.

• Growth takes time: it can be frustrating but environmental change is a long process. We must keep going, and support our collaborative partnerships, sharing lessons and working to overcome hurdles together.

• Story-telling is vital. We are the leaders and experts, but need to focus on sharing the information, and fostering;

• Hope. This Symposium showcased not only new and exciting work and projects, but the early career leaders and researchers who are the future.

With our closing remarks, it was also time to announce our student presentation winners. The NBCS-ER Symposium was full of so many amazing student oral and poster presentations, across a variety of disciplines and industries. Thank you to all of our student participants, and to our Student Judging Committee, who worked to listen to an evaluate all presentations, to award both our general symposium awards, and the SER-EC awarded, Berger prize for “Women in Restoration”.

Berger Prize for Women in Restoration:

Poster: Abigail Dickinson - Response of the marsh snail Melampus and ribbed mussel Geukensia to salt marsh restoration in a Northumberland Strait salt marsh.

Oral: Emily Baker, Surf and Turf - Using stable isotopes to characterise marine and terrestrial energy sources of invertebrates found in the restored habitats of a coastal barrier spit in northern New Brunswick.

https://chapter.ser.org/easterncanada/2024/07/15/2-winners-for-the-berger-prize-women-in-restoration-2-gagnantes-pour-le-prix-berger-femmes-en-restauration/

NBCS-ER Symposium Awards:

1st Place Student Oral Presentation: Marina d’Avdeew - NBS are a matter of Scale: limits and opportunities to their development on the French North coast.

2nd Place Student Oral Presentation: Makadunyiswe Ngulube - Comparing the provision of ecosystem services of an anthropogenically modified salt marsh to a natural salt marsh.

1st Place Student Poster Presentation: Mythri Vallabhaneni - Differential Impacts of pH and Acid Type on Seed Germination and Seedling Growth: Implications for Acid-Impacted Environments.

2nd Place Student Poster Presentation: Luana Cemin - The importance of canopy composition in driving forest-floor bryophytes’ ecosystem functions in the Acadian Forest.

June 27, 2024 - Day 5 (Field Trips)

To wrap up three days of amazing presentations, our closing day included two more rainy field trips!

Visiting Managed Dyke Realignment Sites in the Chignecto Isthmus

The first trip was off bright and early to head to the Chignecto Isthmus, to visit 2 managed dyke realignment sites, the Beaubassin Research Station, and overlook the Missaguash River from the Beaubassin and Fort Lawrence National Historic Site lookoff.

The Converse Marsh managed dyke realignment and tidal wetland restoration site is located outside Amherst, NS, on the Nova Scotian side of the Missaguash River. Initiated by the Province of Nova Scotia, this site was restored in 2018 to address significant erosion, and increase protection for nearby historic sites, transportation routes, and private land, and was further funded through Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Wetland Conservation Fund. This project realigned a small section of dyke, raised a section of adjacent road, and breached the existing dyke, restoring ~15 hectares of tidal wetlands. Tour participants were led by Dr. Danika van Proosdij along the realigned dyke to the now decommissioned dyke, and eventually out to the growing mouth of the excavated channel. The tour also gave participants a view of the adaptive management at the site – a wattle fence and matting implemented at the toe of the new dyke to address erosion.

On the way to the Aulac restoration site, participants were able to stop for a quick break at the Beaubassin and Fort Lawrence National Historic Site lookoff, to walk along the guided path, explore the plaques describing the Acadian and Mi’kmaq history in the area, and view the landscape from a higher vantage.

At the Aulac Restoration site, participants were joined by Dr. Jeff Ollerhead (Mount Allison University), to explore the trajectory of the Aulac Marsh, as well as visit the Beaubassin Research Station. Projects initiated in partnership by Ducks Unlimited Canada, Irving Oil, and Acadia University, this restored salt marsh, and the research station support students and researchers, in a wide range of wetland and coastal research.

Finally, after a long day persevering through the mud and the rain, our happy (and tired) participants began their journey home (with a quick stop at the Masstown Market for some local goodies).

To learn more about the Converse Marsh: https://www.transcoastaladaptations.com/converse-marsh

To learn more about the Making Room for Wetlands Project: https://www.transcoastaladaptations.com/making-room-for-wetlands

To learn more about the Aulac Marsha and the Beaubassin Research Station: https://iwwr.ducks.ca/beaubassin-research-station/

Minas Basin Restoration Site Tour and Plant ID Workshop

The last trip of the week was hosted by the SER-EC, and provided free for student participants. This trip led participants through an optional classroom salt marsh plant ID workshop, as well as a tour around a  variety of salt marsh restoration sites around the Minas Basin.

The well attended workshop was led by Plant Ecologist and SER-EC Co-Chair Dr. Jeremy Lundholm (CBWES) and introduced students to a variety of the plant species seen in Bay of Fundy tidal wetlands. Following the classroom workshop, participants board the final bus, and headed out towards the Minas Basin. The first stop on the trip was to the St. Croix site. This tidal freshwater wasteland was restored in 2009, through a dyke breach. Following St. Croix, the team headed over to downtown Windsor, for a quick coffee break and a view of the Windsor Marsh.

The next stop was to the Belcher Street Marsh, a brackish managed dyke realignment and tidal wetland restoration site on the Jijuktu’kwejk (Cornwallis River). Initiated by the NS Department of Agriculture, CBWES realigned and restored Belcher Street Marsh in 2018. The project was funded by the Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada’s Coastal Restoration Fund and is part of the first iteration of the Making Room for Wetlands Project. The site underwent a rapid revegetation following the reintroduction of tidal waters, with less than 5% bare ground visible within 4 years. This site is unique in its design, in the inclusion of a living shoreline, composed of inverted rootwads, matting and planted salt marsh species. Since its initial breach, the Belcher Street Marsh has been thriving, with a network of channels developing and with elevations keeping up with the rate of sea-level rise. This site is an example of how nature-based solutions may be implemented into dykeland management, better protecting dyke infrastructure, accommodating and enhancing the important agricultural lands behind it, and restoring important tidal wetland habitat!

After departing Kentville, the participants visited the final site on the list – the Kingsport Salt Marsh. This marsh is an excellent example of a mature and established marshland, and is an excellent “classroom” to explore the diverse wetland vegetation of the Minas Basin. On the way home, the group stopped in the small town of Port Williams for a quick stop for a snack and to warm up at Wayfarer’s Ale, overlooking the Jijuktu’kwejk.

To learn more about the Belcher Street Marsh: https://www.transcoastaladaptations.com/belcher-street-marsh

To learn more about the Making Room for Wetlands Project: https://www.transcoastaladaptations.com/making-room-for-wetlands