Title: Landscape Management and Native Plantings for the ManMade Beach in Biloxi, MS
1Landscape Management and Native Plantings for the
Man-Made Beach in Biloxi, MS
T.P. Cathcart P.O. Melby Mississippi State
University C. Moncreiff J.D. Caldwell Gulf
Coast Research Laboratory
2http//abe.msstate.edu/csd/
31994 Biloxi Area Chamber of Commerce asked us
to consider alternatives to conventional storm
drains.
4- There are about 200
- pipes and box culverts along
the 26 mile beach.
- People get the wrong idea about what
goes through them.
Was there an alternative?
5Our students thought there was.
Replace the drain with a natural planted area.
Include both marsh and up-beach plantings.
61995 Biloxi Area Chamber and DMR Provided
funds to create one site.
Sand Beach personnel broke a pipe, plugged the
lower part, and diverted flow to an area to be
planted.
Sea Wall Rt. 90
Mississippi Sound
7Concrete pipe was excavated and broken. The
lower section Was plugged.
8Flow was diverted at the break into an
excavated area.
Diverted flow (new pipe)
Original pipe
9The site was planted in 1 day.
Shown here Judy Steckler (Biloxi Area Chamber),
Larry Lewis (Brown
Mitchell Eng.), J.D.
Caldwell (GCRL).
10 Students from Biloxi HS
Students from Landscape Architecture
Biological Engineering (MSU)
11We planted marsh vegetation and
Beach plants.
12At the end of the day, it looked pretty good.
Then our education began.
13We were worried about
- the effect of storms on the site
- uncontrollable proliferation of
- marsh plants.
14Our real problems turned out to be
- beach management practices
- along-shore sand transport.
15During construction, a section of dune
was accidently removed.
Section of dune Removed by accident.
16Storm water flowed into the gap.
It washed sand from up beach down over the
planted site.
half the plants were lost.
17During this time, heavy equipment continued to
clean the beach at the site
fluffing the sand and making erosion worse.
18while natural beach processes piled sand at
the waters edge, filling the pool from that
direction.
Along shore transport
19Things looked pretty bleak
20Then the system began to right itself
- We replaced the dune section.
- Beach maintenance with heavy
- equipment cleaning was reduced.
- Surviving plants began to recover
- and spread.
- Natural recruitment (and some replanting)
- filled bare spots.
21The pool began to grow larger and come to life.
Detritus mat
22Pool growth and recovery
Berm
Plant growth plus detritus
23Pool shape and size were dynamic.
It was different every time we returned
(bi-monthly visits).
24Vegetation was resilient.
There were long droughts, but these plants
are adapted for the harsh beach environment.
25Site appearance changed with the seasons.
Browns and grays dominate in the winter.
26Early spring (I think)
Dune repair
27During the growing season.
28Autumn, 1997
29Autumn, 1997
30Autumn, 1997
31With recovery came wildlife, including
- Worms, snails, and other invertebrates,
32 33- and the birds that eat them.
34Hurricane Georges (Oct. 1998)
Organic debris (grasses, wood, etc.) covered the
beach.
35The man-made dunes along much of Rt. 90 were
flattened or damaged.
36Shore birds appeared in great numbers
lots of food!
37Our site had some beautiful driftwood washed Onto
the site.
38The plants weathered the storm well.
Roots and some surface parts were intact.
39The organic debris was an opportunity to enhance
organic content at the site.
40But, unfortunately
The site was scraped virtually clear during
the Clean up.
41Since then
- Weve discovered that more plants survived
- than we initially thought.
- We have had 1 replanting.
- The site appears to be bouncing back,
- yet again.
42And the site is now a local topographic high
point instead of a local low point.
43So far, on this project, we have seen
- Vegetation planted at the site has shown
- remarkable resilience despite significant
- natural and man made stressors.
- The site has been accepted and embraced by
- local residents.
- The broken pipe / pool outlet does not appear
to require any more maintenance than its
conventional counterparts.
44Potential advantages of natural beach areas
- a viable alternative to the unsightly
conventional storm drains - an attractive method to provide variety to the
26 mile bare man-made beach - a method to employ biological engineering to
stabilize the beach sand - a method to increase abundance and biodiversity
of wildlife on and near the beach and - (potentially) a site for employment of best
management practices for reduction of NPS
pollution.