Safe Harbor has developed low-cost and low-impact systems for erosion control, steep slope stabilization, and other environmental solutions.

Click HERE for information about Steep Slope Stabilization

Click HERE for information about Erosion Control

Half-Fence System Protects Habitat

Safe Harbor has begun using the half fence system to comply with Conservation Commission site betterment requirements in Buffer Zones. This system was developed by Dennis Murley at Audubon’s Wildlife Sanctuary in Wellfleet. This represents a low impact, low cost, animal friendly system.

Innovative Conservation of Bio Mass

Safe Harbor has been experimenting with an innovative concept in environmental site management. We have developed new protocols for conservation of  native vegetation (Indigenous Bio Mass) on construction sites. Sarah Matto and Irene Seipt (shown here identifying wetland vegetation) are working with us on this idea that protects vegetation and finances. When construction activity in sensitive environmental area removes indigenous vegetation, replacement vegetation and care are costly. Conservation Commissions want the native vegetation re-established to protect site stability, habitat and for natural erosion control.

Safe Harbor’s concept is utilized to salvage a sometimes significant portion of existing pre-construction vegetation. This biomass is then re-used for post construction habitat restoration. Salvaged vegetation can be tarped for short term storage or heeled in to over winter.

Kevin Rose of Wellfleet uses heavy equipment with the finesse of a surgeon.

Winter ice is driven ashore by Nor’west winds, the prime sand moving wind on Cape Cod.

Unfortunately for a property owner with broken beach steps, tenants walked down slope over the dune vegetation, killing the beach grass. The winter winds came through the open area and created a blow out big enough to put a small house in.

The blow out was growing several feet each week. At the end of February, we measured the opening in the dune at 55 feet wide, 12-20 feet deep and 80 feet from beach to back dune. The foundation posts for the nearest home were 12 feet away.

After consulting with the local Conservation Agent, we had a team set up sand fencing until we had our restoration protocol in place. The fences would slow down the wind. Instead of eroding sand, the wind would now begin depositing sand. That would never be enough.

Careful measurements, planning and site work are critical components. We selected an experienced excavation company (E-Z-Doze It from Wellfleet) with an equipment operator who followed strict access requirements.

Careful flagging and site management provide clear guidelines for the restoration.

We coordinated our restoration work with favorable conditions for replanting beach grass. Early March is perfect but not always balmy.

Sand fencing was re-installed to control wind speed over the restored area. Dennis Minsky, Talilla Schuster, Rachael Sevanich and Meribeth Ratzel take a well deserved moment to admire their efforts. Rachael received Safe Harbor’s Special Recognition Award for her  leadership on this project.

Innovative Solutions for Coastal Redevelopment Projects

A large home in a sensitive coastal area between a harbor and Cape Cod Bay. The new owner is going to build a new home but the resource cannot withstand standard demolition activity.

We immediately considered using our de-construction protocol, to remove sections of the building intact, for demolition on a nearby road.

Wellfleet Architect Alan Dodge and Petra Mandakova, a recent graduate in Architecture representing Safe Harbor, discuss reverse engineering the building’s structure.

Alan Dodge, a frequent Safe Harbor collaborator, identifies de-construction points beneath the building that would enable a crane to remove the structure in sections.

Following through with Mike Winkler of Winkler Crane Services, to go over protocols.  It is raining in this picture but not enough to deter our conversation. Mike is another one of Safe Harbor’s collaborators. We both use innovative approaches to problems.

Seeking Solutions to Shoreline Erosion on Cape Cod

Using satellite imagery and geodetic maps as a tools to track coastal erosion.

Using Topographic maps to evaluate inter tidal sand deposits

Close up of near shore deposits and bottom characteristics.

The placement of adjacent sea walls can redirect wave energy. “End Scour” occurs when wave energy wraps around the end of a sea wall and erodes the adjacent, unprotected beach, such as this one.

The pebbles on this beach indicate erosion of lighter sand.

The sea wall to the south contributes end scour to this property. Southerly wave train turbulence is deflected around the end of the sea wall and creates sand erosion from this beach.

This neighboring sea wall or bulkhead, creates end scour when along shore waves come from the south (to the left in photo) and remove material from the unprotected beach.

In the above photo, waves from an onshore wind come directly onshore, depositing some sand and seaweed as the energy is naturally spent on the sloped beach. Note how the wave energy is being reflected by the sea wall, creating turbulence in front of the sea wall. This contributes to erosion in front of the sea wall.

End scour occurs when this turbulence is directed around the end of the sea wall by southerly waves.

A second sea wall, on the north side of the property may contribute to a lesser degree of end scour from a northerly wind. There will be less erosion from that direction because of protection from the Provincetown end of Cape Cod, visible in the distance.

Petra Mandakova photographs wave driven sand movement in storm conditions.

Onshore winds create shoreline deposition but increase wind driven beach erosion.

A significant portion of this coastal dune may need restoration. Options will focus on sustainability.

Portions of the structures have been contributing to erosion by inadvertently obstructing, accelerating and redirecting wind energy.

Building posts and lattice work obstructed wind. This created acceleration which contributed to greater sand transport or erosion.

The above lattice will be removed. Seven line systems of 24 inch sand fencing will be set in a special pattern to harvest seasonal, windblown sand coming from the west side beach. This system will result in a net gain instead of loss on the ast side of the structures.

Note that the 48″ fencing is cut in half because windblown sand is heaviest in the first 24″ above the surface. 48″ fencing may be appropriate on the ocean side but this lower level fencing can be installed by setting the slats into sand with a rubber mallet.

This is only a partial solution, we are hoping to collect a foot of sand. There will be updates.