The Pensacola Bay Living Shoreline Project is a multipart, large-scale living shoreline to be constructed within the lower Pensacola Bay System along exposed shorelines around Naval Air Station Pensacola and near the entrance to Bayou Grande. The project will recover important coastal habitats historically found within the system including submerged aquatic vegetation (SAV), saltmarsh, oyster reefs, coastal grasslands, dunes, and sandy shoreline. Habitat improvements will directly benefit finfish, mollusks, crustations, and coastal bird species. The overall project is expected to create 71 acres of emergent marsh, establish 16 acres of rock/oyster reef break waters, provide for natural recruitment of up to 50 acres of SAV, and develop 34 acres of new sandy shoreline. Project will directly combat losses in historic coastal habitats caused by urbanization, shoreline hardening, and sea level rise. Construction will occur at three main project locations surrounding the naval installation (White Island, Sherman Inlet, and Magazine Point). Each of the three sites has experienced significant shoreline retreat. Shoreline retreat at Magazine Point and Sherman Inlet has put critical naval infrastructure at risk.
