EWN Videos

In Motion

Watch videos that highlight EWN’s projects, collaborations, and news. The people who are moving EWN forward share their ideas and projects that are advancing practice and nature-based solutions to deliver economic, environmental, and social benefits.

Engineering With Nature® Toolkit

Since its inception in 2010, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Engineering With Nature® (EWN) initiative has made significant progress in developing and applying practical methods that demonstrate the benefits of an ecosystem approach to infrastructure development and operations.

As a result, EWN features are increasingly being considered as an important component of coastal flood protection and dredged material management strategies. As the incorporation of Natural and Nature-Based Features in USACE projects has become more frequent, the need to accurately and efficiently model and test project designs has also increased. However, hydrodynamic numerical modeling of these features can be a time-consuming process, with limited guidance available on how to execute this workflow.

To solve this challenge, researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center have developed the EWN Modeling Toolkit, a series of tools that enable more timely and accurate modeling of EWN features.

EWN® Supports White House Executive Order 14072

Executive Order 14072 takes multiple actions designed to tackle the climate crisis, make our nation more resilient to extreme weather, and strengthen local economies, including focusing considerable attention and federal effort on nature-based solutions. Watch the video to learn more about the executive order and the role USACE will play in enacting it.

Engineering With Nature® Remote Sensing Technology

The USACE Engineering With Nature® (EWN) program uses remote sensing methods to help practitioners plan projects that align natural processes and engineering capability for greater benefits. Remotely sensed data can reveal changes over the life of a project to quantify benefits and communicate project outcomes. USACE spends billions each year to alleviate the effects of sea-level rise on coastal marsh and barrier islands that provide engineering and environmental function. Incorporating EWN principles into these projects often produces more efficient and sustainable benefits for communities while accomplishing the mission.

ERDC Strengthens Dune Systems from Future Storms

When dunes break down during a hurricane, they might get a second chance to protect the coast. We’re partnering with the USACE Mobile District and the University of Southern Mississippi to study how material washed ashore can be collected and used to strengthen new dune systems during future storms.

Island Erosion and Restoration

Long-Term Function of Coastal Islands Derived from Engineering With Nature® Efforts

Regardless of their size, islands play a critical role in providing valuable habitat, recreation opportunities, and coastal protection by reducing erosion and wave energy to nearby shorelines. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is restoring and creating islands through the beneficial use of dredged sediment, which is increasing habitats and protecting nearby shorelines. The restoration of Swan Island provides a unique opportunity to quantify and evaluate island performance and use the data to inform future monitoring and adaptive management strategies.

Tyndall Air Force Base Coastal Resilience Study: Recipient of the UK Environment Agency’s International Excellence Award

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and its partners received the U.K. Environment Agency Flood & Coast International Excellence Award for the Tyndall Coastal Resilience Study. The study focused on rebuilding Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, as an Installation of the Future in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael, a Category 5 storm, which damaged the base and surrounding area in October 2018.

Quantifying Storm Protection Benefits of Coastal Mangroves

During extreme storms, mangroves offer a natural fortification against flooding and coastal erosion by reducing wave energy and trapping sediment. Hoping to better understand and maximize these benefits, researchers from the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center and the U.S. Naval Academy are collaborating to learn more about how to most effectively use mangroves to reduce coastal damage caused by waves. This will enable USACE Districts and the nation to make educated decisions and optimize designs that will better protect our coastal communities.

Sediment Distribution Pipe Technology: Advancing EWN Principles

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and its Engineer Research and Development Center are currently conducting R&D to operationalize technology that separates sand from mud while it’s being transported in the discharge pipeline of an operating hydraulic dredge. The enhanced placement method will eliminate, or significantly reduce, the subsequent re-handling of the sediment and often exorbitant associated costs of that process. These improvements will be based on two key Engineering With Nature® elements, using science and engineering to produce operational efficiencies and using natural processes to achieve maximum benefit.

Celebrating Ten Years of Engineering With Nature® Practice and Collaboration (Short – 2 Minutes).

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering With Nature® (EWN) initiative is celebrating 10 years of enabling more sustainable delivery of economic, social, and environmental benefits through infrastructure. The overarching vision for the initiative is to foster an approach where nature and human engineering are partners in infrastructure development. The strong relationships and collaborations built with partners around the world have fueled EWN’s progress over the past decade. Some of EWN’s partners share their greetings and congratulations on the 10th anniversary of EWN.

Celebrating Ten Years of Engineering With Nature® Practice and Collaboration (Full Length – 15 minutes ).

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Engineering With Nature® (EWN) initiative is celebrating 10 years of enabling more sustainable delivery of economic, social, and environmental benefits through infrastructure. The overarching vision for the initiative is to foster an approach where nature and human engineering are partners in infrastructure development. The strong relationships and collaborations built with partners around the world have fueled EWN’s progress over the past decade. Some of EWN’s partners share their greetings and congratulations on the 10th anniversary of EWN.

What is EWN?

Dr. Todd Bridges, the National Lead for the EWN initiative, explains the four major elements of EWN.

Download video (mp4, 240 MB)
Transcript (PDF)

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