Landscape Management and Native Plantings for the ManMade Beach in Biloxi, MS

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Landscape 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
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http//abe.msstate.edu/csd/
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1994 Biloxi Area Chamber of Commerce asked us
to consider alternatives to conventional storm
drains.
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• There are about 200
• pipes and box culverts along
  the 26 mile beach.

• Pipes are unsightly.

• People get the wrong idea about what
  goes through them.

Was there an alternative?
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Our students thought there was.
Replace the drain with a natural planted area.
Include both marsh and up-beach plantings.
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1995 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
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Concrete pipe was excavated and broken. The
lower section Was plugged.
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Flow was diverted at the break into an
excavated area.
Diverted flow (new pipe)
Original pipe
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The site was planted in 1 day.
Shown here Judy Steckler (Biloxi Area Chamber),
Larry Lewis (Brown
Mitchell Eng.), J.D.
Caldwell (GCRL).
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Students from Biloxi HS
Students from Landscape Architecture
Biological Engineering (MSU)
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We planted marsh vegetation and
Beach plants.
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At the end of the day, it looked pretty good.
Then our education began.
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We were worried about

• the effect of storms on the site

• vandalism by humans

• uncontrollable proliferation of
• marsh plants.

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Our real problems turned out to be

• human error

• beach management practices

• along-shore sand transport.

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During construction, a section of dune
was accidently removed.
Section of dune Removed by accident.
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Storm water flowed into the gap.
It washed sand from up beach down over the
planted site.
half the plants were lost.
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During this time, heavy equipment continued to
clean the beach at the site
fluffing the sand and making erosion worse.
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while natural beach processes piled sand at
the waters edge, filling the pool from that
direction.
Along shore transport
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Things looked pretty bleak
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Then 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.

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The pool began to grow larger and come to life.
Detritus mat
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Pool growth and recovery
Berm
Plant growth plus detritus
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Pool shape and size were dynamic.
It was different every time we returned
(bi-monthly visits).
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Vegetation was resilient.
There were long droughts, but these plants
are adapted for the harsh beach environment.
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Site appearance changed with the seasons.
Browns and grays dominate in the winter.
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Early spring (I think)
Dune repair
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During the growing season.
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Autumn, 1997
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Autumn, 1997
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Autumn, 1997
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With recovery came wildlife, including

• Worms, snails, and other invertebrates,

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• small fish,

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• and the birds that eat them.

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Hurricane Georges (Oct. 1998)
Organic debris (grasses, wood, etc.) covered the
beach.
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The man-made dunes along much of Rt. 90 were
flattened or damaged.
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Shore birds appeared in great numbers
lots of food!
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Our site had some beautiful driftwood washed Onto
the site.
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The plants weathered the storm well.
Roots and some surface parts were intact.
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The organic debris was an opportunity to enhance
organic content at the site.
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But, unfortunately
The site was scraped virtually clear during
the Clean up.
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Since 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.

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And the site is now a local topographic high
point instead of a local low point.
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So 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.

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Potential 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.