A New Partnership Aims at Strengthening Coastal Communities

Coastal communities need more than well-intentioned projects – they need pathways to real solutions. Woods Hole Group is dedicated to helping communities ensure that their shorelines are resilient, safe, and beautiful for generations to come.

Our latest collaboration is sparking new innovations throughout New England.

Resilience Through Community

Woods Hole Group is proud to partner with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC), and The Stone Living Lab on the 2026 Living Shoreline Planning Series.

The program will provide up to 10 New England-based coastal communities, Tribes, and non-profit organizations with free training and technical assistance to help teams explore, identify, and develop conceptual designs for a living shoreline project.

Living Shorelines: Natural Solutions Building Coastal Resilience

What is a Living Shoreline?

A living shoreline is a nature-based method for stabilizing a shoreline and protecting it from erosion. Living shorelines are also referred to as “green” or “soft” shorelines. Unlike traditional “hard” shoreline stabilization techniques, such as concrete seawalls, living shorelines are made of natural materials like plants, sand, rock, or oyster shells.

Because they incorporate natural elements, living shorelines provide environmental benefits including habitat for fish and wildlife, and filtering water pollution. Overtime they become more stable as plants and root systems grow.

2026 Living Shoreline Series

Through 5 online learning-facilitation sessions and 1 in-person site visit, Woods Hole Group and project partners will provide subject matter expertise to help conceptualize projects that reduce erosion and coastal flooding while increasing resilience, habitat value, and public access to the shore.

The Living Shoreline Planning Series includes:

• Development of an industry-standard conceptual design and associated project narrative for a living shoreline project.
• An inventory of stakeholders to engage in future phases of the project and an initial outline for how they will be engaged.
• An opinion of cost estimate and anticipated maintenance and monitoring requirements for the selected living shoreline project.
• Improved understanding of how to scope and discuss living shoreline projects with representatives from regulatory and permitting agencies, as well as with engineers and project consultants, positioning participants to apply for future funding opportunities.

Breaking the Cycle

Too often, communities are stuck in cycles of vulnerability, overwhelmed by assessments and conceptual plans that never come to fruition. Through Woods Hole Group’s partnership with NROC, TNC Massachusetts, and The Stone Living Lab, we hope to aid in breaking that cycle, turning BIG PLANS into sustainable realities by providing the right tools for the job.