Alexandria, VA (May 10, 2023) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Institute for Water Resources (IWR) participated in the kick-off of the project MANABAS COAST (MAinstreaming NAture BAsed Solutions through COASTal systems). The meeting took place March 11-17 in Hague, Netherlands. USACE is an official observer of MANABAS, which is a European Union project aimed at mainstreaming nature-based engineering solutions in the North Sea Regions. Pictured, members of the MANABAS project, to include Bari Greenfeld, USACE-IWR representative, who joined meeting participants on a field trip to the Sand Motor. The Sand Motor is a prototype beach nourishment project completed by the Rijkswaterstaat in 2011. A hook-shaped peninsula was constructed from 21.5 million cubic meters of sand. The sand is being distributed along the coast by natural processes, preventing the need for repetitive nourishment.