Organizations in Broward County have long recognized the importance of restoring dunes as part of protecting the community and beach nourishment projects.

The goal of the Youth Environmental Alliance (YEA)—a community-based education and restoration non-profit organization—is to create a 100% continuous dune line with native vegetation on the beaches of Broward County and beyond.

Reclaiming Our Coastline (ROC), a program funded by the Community Foundation of Broward, organized large groups of volunteers; to plant and restore miles of vital coastal dunes along the shoreline in South Florida

The actual work is a volunteer- based strategy, utilizing a public, private, people, partnership (PPPP)

Youth Environmental Alliance is a 501c3 non-profit located in Broward County. YEA started restoring dunes in their community in 2013 and were awarded a competitive National Fish and Wildlife Federation (NFWF) grant to further support their work in 2014. In 2016, YEA partnered with HandsOn Broward to create Project Reclaiming Our Coastline (ROC).

HandsOn Broward has a large volunteer base; and this partnership increased restoration projects from four per year to an average of 20 per year. In 2018, with funding from a NFWF Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant, Project ROC partnered with more organizations and entities in Broward County and expanded south into Miami-Dade County.

Volunteers for Project ROC are recruited through online calendars and promotion as well as public outreach at schools and events by each of the organizations and agencies involved. Volunteers include public school students, general community members, corporate employees, and government officials. Since June of 2016, Project ROC has engaged 3,542 volunteers to complete 61 restoration projects and plant over 250,000 native plants (including sea oats, salt marsh grasses, and mangroves). In total, eight acres of coastal habitat has been restored in locations like Hollywood, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, and Deerfield Island Park.

Youth Environmental Alliance is a 501c3 non-profit located in Broward County. YEA started restoring dunes in their community in 2013 and were awarded a competitive National Fish and Wildlife Federation (NFWF) grant to further support their work in 2014. In 2016, YEA partnered with HandsOn Broward to create Project Reclaiming Our Coastline (ROC).

HandsOn Broward has a large volunteer base; and this partnership increased restoration projects from four per year to an average of 20 per year. In 2018, with funding from a NFWF Five Star and Urban Waters Restoration Grant, Project ROC partnered with more organizations and entities in Broward County and expanded south into Miami-Dade County.

Volunteers for Project ROC are recruited through online calendars and promotions as well as public outreach at schools and events by each of the organizations and agencies involved. Volunteers include public school students, general community members, corporate employees, and government officials. Since June of 2016, Project ROC has engaged 3,542 volunteers to complete 61 restoration projects and plant over 250,000 native plants (including sea oats, salt marsh grasses, and mangroves). In total, eight acres of coastal habitat has been restored in locations like Hollywood, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, and Deerfield Island Park.

Sand dunes serve an important purpose by protecting beachfront property and inland areas from coastal water intrusion. They are able to absorb the impact and protect inland areas from high energy storms and act as a resilient barrier to the destructive forces of wind and waves while at the same stabilize the beach.

Once a part of the vast expanse of the Everglades wetlands, Broward County, Florida was first thought by settlers to be uninhabitable. Draining wetlands and building near the coastline made population increases possible. Today it is home to over 2 million people, and the 24 miles of beaches include cities like Fort Lauderdale, Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, and Hollywood. But the area is increasingly vulnerable to the effects of sea level rise and extreme storm events due to climate change.

A 2019 report by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) classifies 21.3 miles of the Broward County coastline as critically eroded. Since the 1960’s, the beaches have been managed through ongoing beach nourishment projects to protect the shoreline. Historically, these projects have favored restoring broad beaches for recreational purposes without much attention to the restoration of dunes.

Because sand dunes populated with native vegetation act as natural buffers that protect the shoreline and adjacent properties from the effects of sand inundation or erosion, extreme storm events, and sea level rise, Broward County has committed to increasing the presence of dunes from 60% to 80%, making dune restoration an essential part of coastal resilience and the beach nourishment process.