This project will remove a problematic bulkhead in Eld Inlet directly across from Frye Cove County Park. The bulkhead is made from eco-blocks that is 110 long and encroaches onto the beach by 35. The bulkhead is about 6 tall and limits potential forage beach spawning habitat and juvenile refuge. There is a bluff located at the site that would naturally provide LWD and beach sediment and recruitment. The existing bulkhead does not offer habitat advantages for any estuarine species.
This project will remove an encroaching bulkhead and associated fill material behind the eco-blocks and restore the beach. A softer natural approach will be utilized to armor the toe of the bluff. There is a multi million dollar home above the bluff (set-back from the beach). The Frye Cove shoreline and project area is listed as a high priority for restoration activities. The existing landowners are interested in improving the shoreline habitat but still need to protect their home.
A boulder and LWD toe will be installed to create and increase the beach diversity while protecting the bluff from severe erosion and wave action. These softer approaches are recommended by planners and biologists as alternatives for abandonment. The largest ecosystem benefit for this project will be to remove the footprint of the bulkhead and restore the beach ecosystem for forage fish and salmonids. The project will provide direct and indirect benefits for fish due to its close proximity to fresh water streams.
