Researchers have linked the disappearance of seagrass in Florida (thought to be behind this winter’s explosion of manatee deaths in the Indian River Lagoon) to a decades-long decline in water quality. But those working to restore the estuary in Volusia County hope living shorelines can help reverse the trend. "We want to be at the cutting edge of what’s going on in shoreline restoration," said Greg Wilson, chief scientific officer for the Edgewater-based Riverside Conservancy. Living shorelines are designed to replicate the natural layout of an estuary, before homes were built and seawalls routinely installed. Walking from the backyard to the Indian River Lagoon, homeowners would first encounter a row of mangroves, then an intertidal zone where clams are submerged, and an oyster reef beyond that breaks the wave action.