Workshop – Living Shorelines

Caraquet / Cocagne
Ongoing partnership between organizations on the east coast of New Brunswick to offer hands-on workshops entitled : Living Coasts, a natural method to manage coastal erosion.

The Acadian Peninsula Regional Services Commission (APRC), the Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group, the Shediac Bay Watershed Association and Vision H2O of Cap-Pelé and Beaubassin-Est have partnered again this year to offer two hands-on workshops:

Caraquet – Tuesday, August 24, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Hôtel Super 8, 9 avenue du Carrefour, Caraquet, NB
Cocagne – Thursday, August 26, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., Cocagne Marina, 130 Marina Street, Cocagne NB.
Cost: $20.00

NB. Maximum of 50 participants per workshop. Registration on facebook.com/gddpc. And facebook.com/csr4pa

The hands-on workshops will be presented by Rosmarie Lohnes of Helping Nature Heal. This Nova Scotian entrepreneur uses nature’s materials, advanced scientific principles and ecosystem restoration expertise to restore vegetation and stabilize shorelines. “The Living Coasts approach is done manually with as little mechanical intervention as possible and helps protect coastal and waterfront lands from erosion exacerbated by climate change,” confirms Rosmarie Lohnes.

By sharing this expertise in the province of New Brunswick, coastal property owners, contractors and organizations working in the environmental sector will be able to apply this expertise in their operations. “The goal of the Living Shoreline approach is to change the use of seawalls, riprap and other fixed structures to protect our shorelines and coastal areas from erosion,” says Benjamin Kocyla of the Acadian Peninsula Regional Services Commission.

The hands-on workshop, one in Caraquet and one in Cocagne, is based on the workshops conducted in 2020 in Pokemouche and Shediac. The workshop will begin with a discussion on the methods related to the Living Shores approach. The workshop will continue with a practical application of natural shoreline stabilization techniques by participants. Participants will also learn about the types of plants and planting methods suitable for coastal sites.

“By proposing a solution that uses and mimics nature, we are encouraging the conservation of a natural environment, the maintenance of the local ecosystem and its biodiversity,” says Rosmarie Lohnes. “With this approach, we are maintaining New Brunswick’s shoreline and riverfront landscapes which are an irreplaceable ecological and economic asset for the province,” adds Serge LaRochelle, program coordinator for the Pays de Cocagne Sustainable Development Group.

This initiative is made possible by the New Brunswick Environmental Trust Fund, the New Brunswick Wildlife Trust Fund, Nature NB, the New Brunswick Environmental Network, and the Cocagne Rural Community.

For more information:

Acadian Peninsula / Caraquet Region: Benjamin Kocyla, Acadian Peninsula Regional Services Commission
Telephone: 506-727-7979 Email: benjaminkocyla@csrpa.ca

Southeast / Cocagne Region: Serge LaRochelle, Groupe de développement durable du Pays de Cocagne, 506-576-8247; gddpcserge@bellaliant.com, www.ecopaysdecocagne.ca