A bold vision for a thriving industry built around providing solutions for flooding and sea level rise was unveiled Monday during an event at the Captain Sinclair Recreation Center at Land’s End in Gloucester.
Business leaders, government officials, and media outlets attended the debut of the Coastal Resilience and Adaptation Ecosystem, or “living laboratory,” at the site. Described as a “cutting-edge testing ground for new resilience products and technologies,” the site contains oyster substrate made by Natrx from dredge materials, an innovative septic system by Triangle Environmental, nature-based shoreline stabilization products by several different entities, and marsh plant production by the nonprofit Knott Alone/Hold Fast.
Troy Hartley, director of Virginia Sea Grant, the lead partner in a collaborative effort involving these entities and others, told those present that the Middle Peninsula is currently facing the challenges of sea level rise and land subsidence that other parts o...