The White Ribbon was designed to perform a very specific task – to reduce the erosion associated with storm-driven waves while allowing for normal waves to pass over the structure and continue to build the beach as occurs naturally with these smaller daily waves. With its emphasis on effects over form, there is little to appreciate visually by the structure itself – a series of submerged ridges of stone – instead, its value comes with what it provides over/with time. The White Ribbon was designed to work and not been seen, at least not in a glaringly obvious way. Instead, it adds to the special experiential character of the landscape by appearing as a ghostly shadow beneath the water under just the right light, or as a line of breaking waves (hence the name White Ribbon) offshore where they do less damage. The Illinois Department of Natural Resources has installed informational signage at the site to describe what is happening offshore since the intervention is essentially invisible. To date, the project has remained stable, even though it was designed to slowly shift like the landscape around it (nothing lasts forever) and has proven to provide valuable fish habitat to an otherwise monotonous sandy substrate ecosystem. In this way, the project, in an attempt to preserve the beach ridge habitat, has created new aquatic habitat – essentially protecting habitat with habitat.