tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23776374480174112102024-02-18T18:31:33.739-08:00Beach PreservationMark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-61392095810521367392011-04-27T11:36:00.000-07:002011-04-27T11:37:09.319-07:00Beach Preservation Has Moved!The Surfrider Foundation has consolidated all of our issue-based blogs into one Coastal Blog. Come check it out at <a href="http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog">www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.surfrider.org/coastal-blog"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 216px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-WNuPvwVxd7E/TbhhV4iqOTI/AAAAAAAAAVo/2M5QbpO_cig/s400/coastal-blog.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5600333165218117938" border="0" /></a>Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-71374616158084671932011-03-24T12:24:00.000-07:002011-03-29T14:46:15.107-07:00Another Crappy Beach<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BWGB4GO0RTw/TYub7FQkKiI/AAAAAAAAAD4/e5Oq79LJMpo/s1600/Topsail%2BBeach%2BShells.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-BWGB4GO0RTw/TYub7FQkKiI/AAAAAAAAAD4/e5Oq79LJMpo/s320/Topsail%2BBeach%2BShells.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5587731202009475618" /></a><br />That's two in as many weeks. This one is in Topsail Beach, NC. Shells are the culprit. What gets me is the cost the town will incur for the cleanup; $22,000. Thanks to Surfrider Foundation's Florida staff person for spotting this one! <br /><br />The sand should have been tested right? What happened? <br /><a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20110315/ARTICLES/110319759/1118/news?p=all&tc=pgall"><br />Full story here.</a>Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-82361559211570131662011-03-17T12:15:00.000-07:002011-03-29T14:46:15.109-07:00Balls of Clay in TexasNo that title is not about a certain type of bravado unique to Texas residents. It is what they got in a beachfill on South Padre Island. We've seen many instances of dredge and fill projects leaving poor quality material on beaches; but never like this, never clay balls.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gwZw9d3vuCA/TYJew-Q2PII/AAAAAAAAADw/f5zu1S1yc2o/s1600/Texas%2BClayball%2BPicture.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gwZw9d3vuCA/TYJew-Q2PII/AAAAAAAAADw/f5zu1S1yc2o/s320/Texas%2BClayball%2BPicture.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5585130683333229698" /></a><br />How would you like it if your local beach turned into this? <br /><br />Read the <a href="http://robnixon.blogspot.com/2011/03/isla-blanca-park-beach-fill-fail.html">full story at a South Padre local's blog</a><br /><br />And many, many more pictures <a href="https://picasaweb.google.com/109507934297377245724/IslaBlancaDredgeAndFill31011?feat=directlink#">here.</a><br /><br />I'm sure the ACOE did the same lengthy feasibility study that is required for such projects. The end result being a foot-tall stack of paper. It gives the impression that every possibility has been studied and every variable has been tested. Yet we still get end results like this. You'd think they tested the borrow area material right?Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-32461740209971553172011-02-28T10:31:00.000-08:002011-02-28T10:38:51.813-08:00Beach Mansion Bailouts in NCGood call tying the construction of groins on the beach to a "bailout" of homeowners. If you're not aware, there is a bill in the NC legislature to loosen the state's decades-old restriction on shoreline structures. The partnership of the John Locke Foundation, a libertarian think-tank, with the NC Coastal Federation is a very interesting combination for sure. But certainly effective in this case.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/02/27/2094702/legislature-should-reject-beach.html">http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/02/27/2094702/legislature-should-reject-beach.html </a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Legislature should reject beach mansion bailouts in N.C.</span><br /><br />From John Hood, president of the John Locke Foundation in Raleigh, and Todd Miller, executive director of the N.C. Coastal Federation, a non-profit dedicated to protecting the N.C. coast:<br />Our country's economic system is based on the belief that the free market is a lot smarter than any government program.<br /><br />If you have a good idea and you think it will make money, you are welcome and encouraged to make a go of it.<br /><br />But if your idea fails, you're not supposed to ask the government to bail you out.<br /><br />That can be hard medicine to take, but it is the only way to prevent people from making more bad decisions and asking the government to bail them out too.<br /><br />That's why taxpayers ought to be skeptical about a bill, Senate Bill 10, that is likely to come up in the N.C. Senate this week.<br /><br />For years, our state has banned expensive structures on our beaches called groins. They are like jetties - big, usually built out of rock and on the beach for decades.<br /><br />The folks who want to repeal the ban say groins are needed to protect private homes from erosion. Scientists and environmentalists say groins don't work and will hurt habitat and other parts of the environment, and could cause increased erosion on down-drift private property.<br /><br />But everyone agrees groins are expensive. A state study put the price tag of building a groin at as much as $10.8 million. Regular maintenance and monitoring can cost as much as $2.25 million per year.<br /><br />And for what? To protect a small number of investors - people who bought homes built on sand.<br /><br />It's hard not to feel sympathy for folks who are trying to beat back the sea to save their beachfront homes. But it should not be the taxpayers' responsibility to bail them out.<br /><br />But that is what a groin is - a multimillion-dollar bailout. Repealing the ban on groins will shift responsibility for a private sector economic decision - buying a home in a high-value but potentially risky area like the beachfront - to the public sector.<br /><br />Think about it: What will happen if beachfront homeowners and builders know that the government can build a groin to protect their home in the event the sands start shifting the wrong way? You got it - they will keep building homes where they don't belong. And they will keep coming back to taxpayers to bail them out.<br /><br />That is exactly what has happened in New Jersey, where the coastline is crowded with groins and other hard structures. Not surprisingly New Jersey also has one of the biggest shore-line "protection" budgets in the country - more than $25 million annually.<br /><br />Taxpayers already pay millions to protect beachfront property. According to the N.C. Division of Water Resources, taxpayers have paid $85.9 million in local, state and federal funds to move sand on to N.C. beaches over the past 10 years - mostly to protect private property owners. We don't need to add to that bill by building groins, which also require regular beach "renourishment."<br /><br />As the legislature debates the cost of groins, we hope the new Republican majorities in the legislature will see groins for what they are: a beach mansion bailout funded - now or in the future - with our tax dollars.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Choice comment from the site:</span> "After 25 years of one of the most successful beach protection (and taxpayer protection) coastal management plans in any ocenfront state, no Democratic majority has successfully passed a bill to gut this plan, benefit the few at the expense of the many, and have the taxpayers pay for it...until this fleabitten dog of a bill. Even with the previous dominance of prominant and oft-maligned "down east" legislators such as Mark Basnight, our state's Democrats - those alleged "wasters of taxpayer money" - saw how wrong allowing groins and other "hardened" structures was from both an environmental and an economic standpoint. Sadly, it has taken a Republican majority to advance this bill to destroy our coastline and fleece the taxpayers. In fact, this represents a cornerstone of the "New Republican Agenda", which is a shame, really, considering that these "New Republicans" ran on the platform of not wasting tax dollars.<br /><br />The bill does not explitly prohibit tax dollars from being used to build or maintain these groins, it does not establish enforceable standards for what would constitute "negative impacts", it does allow not one, not two, but three groins per inlet, and it does stand in opposition to the findings of just about every scientific expert on hydrology, geology, and shoreline management over the past 25 years.<br /><br />Of course, these Republicans don't consider handing out tax dollars to their cronies and specia-interest buddies to be "wasting" those tax dollars; no, these Republicans see those tax dollars as important "gifts" to those who financed their campaigns.<br /><br />That's not waste...that's theft.Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-31467234719924122452011-02-17T15:50:00.000-08:002011-03-29T14:46:15.111-07:00Dealing with Storm Damage & Preparing for Sea Level RiseSome people think nothing can be done about our original sin of building too close to the coast. They have an "oh-well" attitude and accept beachfill as a fact of life whether they like it or not. <br /><br />Other people are visionaries. They see the future and they see value in protecting public resources for the lowest cost in the long run. <br /><br />This is a great video about thinking ahead, working together, and preserving public resources at the lowest cost to taxpayers. Two things jump out at me about this video. <span style="font-weight:bold;">They started in 1995!</span> It took sixteen years to get to construction but it is doable. The other is that the engineered development (bike path) at the beach failed after three years. <br /><br /><iframe title="YouTube video player" width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/1rPlYNNtXdw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe><br /><br />More at http://surferspoint.org/ and venturariver.org Paul Jenkin, featured in the video, also waged a ten year battle to remove the Matilija Dam thereby freeing the sand that would naturally feed the beaches. So he not only gave the beaches "Room to Move", he is going to provide them with sand as well.Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-72160675236661117372011-02-14T10:20:00.000-08:002011-03-29T14:46:15.114-07:00Lessons from an Unlikely Place - the Passaic River<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NepUwuKguL0/TVlyo-kkjLI/AAAAAAAAADo/Gfv8i0wMkOA/s1600/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-02-14%2Bat%2B1.11.30%2BPM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-NepUwuKguL0/TVlyo-kkjLI/AAAAAAAAADo/Gfv8i0wMkOA/s320/Screen%2Bshot%2B2011-02-14%2Bat%2B1.11.30%2BPM.png" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573612062164421810" /></a><br />We are often asked about the alternatives to beachfill as if there really aren't any. In fact there are quite a few, and we've unexpectedly found many of them all in one place. The <a href="http://www.nj.gov/dep/passaicriver/">report of The Passaic River Flood Advisory Committee </a> <br /><br />Amazingly, piling mounds of material on the banks of the river is NOT one of their recommendations. Yet many of their findings would work equally well on the coast as alternatives to the dredge, dump, and fill regimes. Others of course are unique to this river system. The complete list is below with the points that apply to the coast in bold type. <br /><br />The Advisory Commission's comprehensive plan recommends:<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1) Expanding and expediting floodway buyouts, with State Blue Acres funds and FEMA funds.</span><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2) Encouraging home elevation projects in flood prone areas if acquisition is not an option.</span><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3) Buying undeveloped land for use as flood storage areas.</span><br />4) Improving operation of the Pompton Lakes dam floodgates.<br />5) Initiating de-snagging and shoal dredging efforts to facilitate improved river flows.<br />6) Removing feeder dams to offer flood relief to Pompton Lakes, Wayne and Pequannock.<br />7) State adoption of National Flood Insurance Program regulations to ensure state rules are consistent with local flood control ordinances, and eliminating the risk that FEMA could suspend its flood insurance program in New Jersey.<br />8) Expediting the DEP's permit process to let towns more quickly obtain permits to de-snag and remove river debris, repair retaining walls and remove shoals.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">9) Improving effectiveness and efficiency of county and local emergency response plans.</span><br />10) Enhancing the Passaic River flood warning system.<br />11) Contracting with the National Weather Service to create inundation maps to provide critical information to enable quicker flood projections and greater storm preparedness.<br />12) Enhancing public involvement, information and outreach on flood issues.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">13) Requesting a re-evaluation by the Army Corps of Engineers of the larger potential major engineering projects for long-term flood damage reduction.</span> <br />14) Updating floodplain mapping to eliminate decades-old maps that do not include detailed modeling of floodplains.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">15) Having towns in the Passaic River Basin pursue flood risk reduction changes to their master plans, zoning ordinances and flood prevention ordinances, to guide future development away from floodplains or prevent future development in these high risk flood-prone areas.</span><span style="font-style:italic;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-weight:bold;"><span style="font-style:italic;"></span></span></span></span><br /><br />If these solutions are good enough for the State of NJ in the Passaic River Basin, why are they not even discussed for our beaches and coastlines? Quite the opposite is true in NJ. Development has gone wild following beach replenishment making the entire coast even more vulnerable.Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-30273001886664147712011-02-01T15:42:00.000-08:002011-02-01T16:37:20.809-08:00Broad Beach - Boulders as Far as the Eye Can See<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0hs4KYDtH9M/TUimcrPY2cI/AAAAAAAAAT4/qY-erDrS--g/s1600/IMG_1220.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 85px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_0hs4KYDtH9M/TUimcrPY2cI/AAAAAAAAAT4/qY-erDrS--g/s400/IMG_1220.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5568883950817434050" border="0" /></a><br />Last year, the homeowners at Broad Beach in Malibu, CA installed 1.1 mile rock revetment seawall on the public beach. I stopped by this past weekend to see how it's doing, and the results are not pretty. I happened to be there during an extremely low tide, so I could actually get down on a narrow stretch of sand. But it was very clear from the lack of any "dry" sand that during most of the tidal cycle there is literally no beach walk on. <br /><br />Visit the <a href="http://www.facebook.com/#%21/pages/Save-Broad-Beach/319960986658">"Save Broad Beach" page on Facebook </a>to learn more and show your support for freeing this beach.Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-64043179579245978542011-01-18T10:23:00.000-08:002011-01-18T10:46:18.745-08:00Bluff Collapse and Erosion is "Normal"A <a href="http://www.sandiego6.com/news/local/story/Bluff-Collapses-Above-Encinitas-Beach/bnlkZJR8DkOY6-HbfD1WMw.cspx?rss=800">recent bluff collapse in Encinitas</a> reminds gives us an opportunity to look at how we manage an eroding shoreline and what we can expect more of in the future.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.sandiego6.com/media/lib/38/0/9/c/09cf5224-527a-43b7-93c4-3ca4a0d14944/Original.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 410px; height: 307px;" src="http://www.sandiego6.com/media/lib/38/0/9/c/09cf5224-527a-43b7-93c4-3ca4a0d14944/Original.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />It's great to hear City engineer Greg Shields say: "It's been happening as long as the bluffs have been there. It's an ongoing erosion problem that is a natural occurrence, and what you witnessed today was a normal event."<br /><br />He's absolutely right, and is a good reminder that these things happen, they happen all the time, and will continue to happen. It's probably a good idea to not build a house right up next to the bluff. Give the ocean some room, because "<span style="font-weight: bold;">erosion happens</span>."Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-18570402975503754542011-01-06T12:53:00.000-08:002011-03-29T14:46:15.116-07:00Public Money For Private Beaches? NJ Residents Opposed<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TSYsJuLg4nI/AAAAAAAAADQ/f0nLSPLLfQU/s1600/No%2BBeach%2BAccess%2BPhoto%2B3.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TSYsJuLg4nI/AAAAAAAAADQ/f0nLSPLLfQU/s200/No%2BBeach%2BAccess%2BPhoto%2B3.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5559179335562224242" /></a><br /><br />A new poll finds that an overwhelming number of New Jersey residents think beaches that are replenished with public money should be publicly accessible. <br /><br />A whopping 82% of people surveyed say the few inaccessible beach towns should become more accessible in exchange for beachfill money. <br /><br />Story here <a href="http://www.northjersey.com/news/state/010311_Poll_Improved_beaches_should_be_open_to_public.html ">http://www.northjersey.com/news/state/010311_Poll_Improved_beaches_should_be_open_to_public.html </a> <br /><br />But that is not the plan of NJ Governor Chris Christie. His DEP is about to change beach access rules to allow these inaccessible towns to get beachfill money. More from the <a href="http://beachfill.blogspot.com/2010/08/beachfill-meets-beach-accessagain.html">August 2010 blog entry.</a> <br /><br />An Editorial Board agrees with the people of NJ here <a href="http://www.app.com/article/20110104/OPINION01/101050329/Don-t-relent-on-acces">http://www.app.com/article/20110104/OPINION01/101050329/Don-t-relent-on-acces</a>Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-16788208034719492082010-11-22T09:51:00.000-08:002010-11-22T09:59:17.742-08:00Property rights don't outweigh public's right to enjoy beaches -EditorialThe Wilmington Star-News came out with a <a href="http://www.starnewsonline.com/article/20101119/ARTICLES/101119591/-1/news01?p=all&tc=pgall">great editorial piece</a> this weekend supporting the long-standing ban on hardened shoreline structures.<br /><br />"...structures don’t solve the problem; more often than not they shift erosion to another part of the beach."<br /><br />"But during the decades-long coastal building boom, developers and landowners fought to be able to build in places coastal experts warned were erosion-prone. If it was vacant, someone pushed to build there, or to build closer to the water."<br /><br />"Ideally, the ban should remain intact, for our beaches’ sake.<p style="display: block;" class="pagpag2">But if it is to be breached, as now seems is possible, the public must loudly remind the Honorables that the beaches belong to all state residents, not just a fortunate few with a spectacular view."</p>Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-82468160440498780532010-11-17T15:36:00.000-08:002011-03-29T14:46:15.118-07:00Lawyers Screw their Clients out of Sand<h1 class="entry-title"><a href="http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/metropolitan/7295713.html">State calls off big Galveston beach project</a></h1>Last week the TX Supreme Court took some of the teeth out of the Open Beaches Act, ruling that properties that suffer erosion from storms can't be ceded to the public, as was previously the case. The TX General Land Office (GLO), who manages public shorelines, decided that this ruling means the state can't go forward with a large <a href="http://www.beachapedia.org/beach_fill">Beach Fill</a> project because it would now benefit private property. Of course the project would have benefited the very people who brought the original case. <br /><br />"It's kind of ironic that the Pacific Legal Foundation, who supposedly is on the side of property owners, has just screwed the property owners who were going to have a direct benefit from the renourished beaches," Patterson said. He said that without the project, the rapidly eroding beach will put some of those houses in the Gulf of Mexico much faster.<br /><br />So much for unintended consequences.Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-89861749384841828432010-11-04T10:40:00.000-07:002011-03-29T14:46:15.120-07:00San Diego Gets More Than SandBeachfill projects can go wrong anywhere and we should be able to learn from them regardless of their location. I don’t want this blog to only be about projects gone bad in NJ. So, from my friends on the West Coast…<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TNLwcEURvGI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Im5CsLuc1qk/s1600/San+Diego+Mission+Beach+Project+Sign.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TNLwcEURvGI/AAAAAAAAAC0/Im5CsLuc1qk/s320/San+Diego+Mission+Beach+Project+Sign.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535751256977554530" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Mission Bay in San Diego was to be dredged for navigation and the material was to be used as fill on a local beach. But the project met with an unexpected, unknown element. Namely, the stuff on the bottom of the Bay! Everything from old tires to event older beer cans were being sucked off the bottom of the bay and onto the beach. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TNLxoXoTxQI/AAAAAAAAAC8/A60Wie6y9wo/s1600/San+Diego+Tire.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TNLxoXoTxQI/AAAAAAAAAC8/A60Wie6y9wo/s200/San+Diego+Tire.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535752567831905538" border="0"></a><br /><br />See the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/surfridersandiego/sets/72157625202042496/">full slide show here</a> in case you forgot what the Bud Light logo looked like ten years ago, what the Coors logo looked like 20 years ago, and what the Pepsi logo looked like 30 years ago. <br /><br />It gets worse, when confronted with the “objects” appearing in the sand, the Army Corps and the contractor guaranteed local elected officials that a person would monitor the slurry coming out of the pipe. <a href="http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/survival/article_7ac754ea-dd7e-11df-bffc-001cc4c03286.html">According to this article,</a> that didn’t work out so well. <br /><br />But anyone who has seen these pipes gushing the sand and water slurry would know there is no grabbing beer cans or whatever out of them while in progress. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TNLzk4FY7aI/AAAAAAAAADE/oAEjOgcebyA/s1600/San+Diego+Collection.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TNLzk4FY7aI/AAAAAAAAADE/oAEjOgcebyA/s200/San+Diego+Collection.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535754706847591842" border="0" /></a><br /> A small collection of items found in with the beachfill.<br /><br />More media on this issue. <br />http://www.10news.com/news/25471772/detail.html<br />http://obrag.org/?p=26170<br />http://www.voiceofsandiego.org/survival/article_566931f2-dcb3-11df-b31b-001cc4c002e0.html<br />http://aquafornia.com/archives/34668Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-10746560437656950032010-09-17T11:46:00.000-07:002010-09-30T14:05:43.355-07:00The Weather Channel on BeachfillThis is a big complex issue and two minute attempts to convey it to the public often fall short. However, I think the Weather Channel did a really good job here for such a short segment. <br /><br /><iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/15161573?byline=0&portrait=0" width="540" height="309" frameborder="0"></iframe>Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-81366516393834516032010-08-23T10:49:00.000-07:002010-09-30T14:05:43.358-07:00Neighbor Against Neighbor on Long Beach IslandLong Beach Township, NJ, on Long Beach Island, has posted the names of property owners that have not signed their easements to relinquish their property allowing the replenishment project to go forward. Unfortunately, the Township did not learn from the Borough of Harvey Cedars, also on Long Beach Island, where neighbor was pitted against neighbor and things got ugly. A "Mob Rules" mentality took over the pro-replenishment crowd and it got to the point that non-easement signers were afraid to go out to the store.<br /><br />See the website http://longbeachtownship.com/<br /><br />The list of homeowners is not buried somewhere on the site. It is right on the homepage, under the smiling picture of the Mayor.<br /><br />This news story mentions residents sitting down and "talking" to these holdouts in the near future. I am not hopeful that will go smoothly. More here http://www.app.com/article/20100818/COMMUNITY/8180313/Taxpayers-groups-to-invite-easement-holdouts-to-meeting<br /><br />The truth is there are hundreds of people in Long Beach Township who have not signed their easements, but the town is focusing on these few because they plan to replenish a small section of town first. In fact the NJ DEP changed their beach access rule in 2007 specifically for Long Beach Township which has four non-contiguous sections of town on one island. Instead of requiring signed easements for the whole town before a beachfill was possible, the state decided a string of signed easements in a given section was enough for replenishment in that section.<br /><br />Without attending the meeting I can tell you what they are going to talk about. Here are people's main problems with the easements.<br />1) They are permanent.<br />2) They are assignable<br />3) They make you give up the rights to part of your property but you still pay taxes on it and you still have liability on it.<br /><br />What's sad is that despite everything you've heard, there is no written requirement by the Army Corps to obtain permanent easements. Temporary ones have been used before in other Army Corps projects. Saddest of all is that the whole project could have been configured so that easement were not necessary or they were easily obtained.Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-76120741836617447812010-08-20T18:28:00.000-07:002010-09-30T14:05:43.360-07:00NJ Gov's Plan - Make Taxpayers Pay Twice<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TG8svBitTXI/AAAAAAAAACE/Ea8kY9HzdMc/s1600/NJ+Gov+Christie.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 164px; height: 164px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TG8svBitTXI/AAAAAAAAACE/Ea8kY9HzdMc/s320/NJ+Gov+Christie.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507670055676890482" border="0" /></a>NJ Governor Christie wants the taxpayers of NJ to pay twice. NJ taxpayers (and every taxpayer in the country for that matter) have already paid to build a beach and protective dunes in Atlantic City. These dunes protect the pubic infrastructure of the boardwalk, and the private property landward of it. But Christie's DEP wants to lower the dunes so people can see the ocean. That's when you'll pay twice. When the ocean over-tops these dunes in a storm, your tax dollars are going to clean up the mess. The Press of Atlantic City covered the effort to lower the dunes today, complete with secret meeting between DEP officials and local legislators.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_fa325fcc-abd8-11df-bf2b-001cc4c002e0.html">http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_fa325fcc-abd8-11df-bf2b-001cc4c002e0.html</a><br /><br />This author lives in a town where dunes block the ocean view from much of the boardwalk. Our dunes were built by the town, at the town's expense. They were not built by the Army Corps when tens of millions of dollars were spent filling our beaches. Go figure. We've lost much of our view, and yes crazy people want to lower the dunes and get the view back. Those people did not live here in 1992 when the December Nor'Easter destroyed the boardwalk. Not damaged: destroyed. There were no dunes.<br /><br />I'd love to be able to see the ocean as a drove down Ocean Ave here. I can't. I'd love to be able to see the waves as I drove down Highway 12 in the Outer Banks. I can't. But don't lower those dunes for my view. I know they provide something far more valuable than a view.<br /><img src="file:///Users/johnweber/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/moz-screenshot.png" alt="" />Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-37595121991967628512010-08-19T19:21:00.000-07:002010-09-30T14:05:43.363-07:00Beachfill Meets Beach Access...Again<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TG3nRC4IurI/AAAAAAAAAB8/3UOyPKlqS4k/s1600/No+Beach+Access+Photo+2.jpg"><br /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TG3m14HQhlI/AAAAAAAAAB0/EMev5VH1WKQ/s1600/No+Beach+Access+Photo+1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TG3m14HQhlI/AAAAAAAAAB0/EMev5VH1WKQ/s320/No+Beach+Access+Photo+1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507311732614268498" border="0" /></a>The NJ DEP is planning to overhaul the current beach access rules in a way that makes beach replenishment a much greater possibility in many places. <a href="http://www.state.nj.us/dep/cmp/access/pa_rule_draft_100816.pdf">Proposed rule here.</a> Let’s be frank, much of the Jersey Shore is easily accessible. But there are a handful of towns that purposefully limit access and another small group of towns where access is limited by geography or the way the town was laid out. In either case, access could be improved especially if the towns got something they really wanted out of it. That something is beach replenishment money.<br /><br />At least that is how it worked the last time the beach access rules were overhauled – just a few years ago. The rules declared that access meant more than just a path to the beach; it meant parking, it meant some amenities like bathrooms. The current rules set specific standards for these things and allowed flexibility and exceptions to all of them. Best of all they tied these standards to state beach replenishment funding. So towns that really did not want outsiders on their beach and that really did not want to add parking places could keep the status quo. They just weren’t going to get public beachfill money. And towns that desperately wanted the beachfill money but had to take down a few “No Parking” signs and ask the local Wawa to provide a public restroom in order to get it had good motivation to do so. It seemed fair enough.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TG3nRC4IurI/AAAAAAAAAB8/3UOyPKlqS4k/s1600/No+Beach+Access+Photo+2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/TG3nRC4IurI/AAAAAAAAAB8/3UOyPKlqS4k/s320/No+Beach+Access+Photo+2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5507312199360101042" border="0" /></a>Of course there was a lawsuit (more on that later) and an election. <br /><br />The rules proposed by Chris Christie’s DEP do not couple beach replenishment funds and beach access. The proposed rule on beach entryways for example would revert to the US Army Corps of Engineers standard which is one every half mile. The current standard is one every quarter mile (with exceptions where not practicable.) <br /><br />The current rule has towns adopt ordinances declaring public beach access points as conservation easements. The proposed rule asks the town to submit a Public Access Plan, which is voluntary. There is no penalty to the town if they do not. There is no penalty to the town if the plan they submit has no real public access, and worst of all, by eliminating all the standards for access, DEP will have no power to compel them to alter their Public Access Plan. <br /><br />Towns that don't meet the current standard of an access point every 1/4 mile, but do meet the Army Corps' standard of an access point every 1/2 mile are essentially getting the green light for beach replenishment soon. <br /><br />However, this is not a done deal folks. The public comment period is coming. Stay tuned for how to speak your mind.Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-79865060390229970322010-05-12T10:46:00.000-07:002010-09-30T14:05:43.365-07:00Missing - 3 Year Old...Beachfill<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/S-rwS9MAvAI/AAAAAAAAABM/Pvd3HN3VA8I/s1600/Surf+City+Erosion.png"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 114px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/S-rwS9MAvAI/AAAAAAAAABM/Pvd3HN3VA8I/s320/Surf+City+Erosion.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5470448905848142850" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size:130%;">Missing: Three to four year-old beachfill. </span><br /></div><span style="font-size:130%;">Missing From: Surf City, NJ.<br />Missing Since: Winter 2010.<br />Features: Light, sand-colored<br />Distinguishing Marks: Unexploded ordnance<br />Last Seen: Possibly traveling south during one of the many Nor'Easters this winter. </span><br /><span style="font-size:130%;">Traveling With: Typically associates with Members of Congress and large amounts of taxpayer money.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-size:180%;">If you see this sand, please call the Army Corps at 215-656-6515.</span><br /><br />This picture above is not of a badly eroded beach that desperately needs beach replenishment. It is a picture of a beach that <span style="font-style: italic;">was </span>replenished just a short time ago in the winter of 2006-2007 at a cost of roughly $5 Million. They dredged up unexploded ordnance (bombs and fuses) with it, and the cleanup cost about $25 million.<br /><a href="http://http//www.pressofatlanticcity.com/news/breaking/article_2c5360e0-559a-11df-9d2e-001cc4c03286.html">More </a>from the Press of Atlantic City.Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-4517085557876494332010-04-04T10:52:00.000-07:002010-04-04T10:53:44.963-07:00LA Times: Southern California beach erosion is worst in a decade<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-04/53057889.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 630px; height: 420px;" src="http://www.latimes.com/media/photo/2010-04/53057889.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-vanishing-beaches2-2010apr02,0,2223726.story">http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-vanishing-beaches2-2010apr02,0,2223726.story</a><br /><br /><br /><br />...In January and February, powerful swells, high tides and strong winds swept away tons of sand from the coastline, stealing as much as 30 to 40 feet of beachfront at some locations.<br /><br />In the month or two since the El Niño-driven storms, coastal communities -- Laguna Beach, Malibu and Manhattan Beach among them -- have worked to patch the damage by making repairs and trucking in fresh sand, but some worry whether nature will return the sand as it has in the past.<br /><br />The sand loss is a familiar phenomenon.<br /><br />Shifting sand is part of a natural cycle that happens each year. Each spring, potent storm surges pull sand from the beaches out to sea. Over the summer, gentler waves gradually push it back ashore.<br /><br />Periodically, beach cities throughout Southern California try to make up for the so-called sand deficit by pumping the material in from offshore.<br /><br />Global warming and sea rise are contributing to the deterioration of beaches in the long term, scientists say, but those forces are not to blame for this spring's dramatic changes.<br /><br />It's the exceptional level of damage this year that has been cause for alarm.Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-53445208824914298862010-03-19T08:32:00.000-07:002010-09-30T14:05:43.368-07:00Beach Fill: Fleecing of AmericaAn interesting piece on NBC about beach fill (nourishment). Be sure to let the second video load, as it contains some extra raw video from the interviews. I particularly like (or dislike) Harry Simmons' (president of ASBPA)quote: "Retreat is unamerican" apparently he thinks we're at war with the ocean.<br /><br /><object width="420" height="245" id="msnbc602da"><param name="movie" value="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=10,0,0,0"><param name="FlashVars" value="launch=35919637&width=420&height=245"><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true" /><param name="wmode" value="opaque" /><embed name="msnbc602da" src="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/32545640" width="420" height="245" FlashVars="launch=35919637&width=420&height=245" allowscriptaccess="always" allowFullScreen="true" wmode="opaque" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"></embed></object><p style="font-size:11px; font-family:Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: #999; margin-top: 5px; background: transparent; text-align: center; width: 420px;">Visit msnbc.com for <a style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;" href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com">breaking news</a>, <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032507" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">world news</a>, and <a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3032072" style="text-decoration:none !important; border-bottom: 1px dotted #999 !important; font-weight:normal !important; height: 13px; color:#5799DB !important;">news about the economy</a></p>Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-76763982468131783592010-02-03T16:09:00.000-08:002010-09-30T14:05:43.370-07:00DIY Dunes in Long Beach Township, NJ<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/S2oQkG0z5bI/AAAAAAAAAA8/1aGq6XKvQLk/s1600-h/IMG_0424.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 238px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/S2oQkG0z5bI/AAAAAAAAAA8/1aGq6XKvQLk/s320/IMG_0424.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5434174112869377458" border="0" /></a>Long Beach Township, NJ passed an ordinance recently requiring oceanfront homeowners to repair damaged dunes like these if they are on private oceanfront property. But there is a catch. If you signed the construction easement for the beach replenishment project, the town will fix the dune damage themselves, as they always have. <br /><br />The unanswered question is will these Do-It-Yourself homeowners have to get permits from the state DEP to legally enter and manipulate the dunes? Oceanfront homeowners typically wait 5 months for a CAFRA permit when doing any work on their homes. The new ordinance says the work needs to be done in 15 days. Hmmm. <br /><br />Imagine 25 homeowners all hiring different contractors wielding bulldozers in a mad rush to fix their dunes in two weeks. Sounds like a disaster waiting to happen. <br /><br />More here <a href="http://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/ocean/article_4cdf75a4-07a4-11df-a7d9-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story">http://pressofatlanticcity.com/news/press/ocean/article_4cdf75a4-07a4-11df-a7d9-001cc4c002e0.html?mode=story</a>Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-75395533812376963162010-01-15T09:48:00.000-08:002010-09-30T14:05:43.372-07:00Beachfill and Eminent Domain - Perfect together<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/S1CuCYXV-SI/AAAAAAAAAA0/gsUqeuTNAUw/s1600-h/IMG_1165.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/S1CuCYXV-SI/AAAAAAAAAA0/gsUqeuTNAUw/s320/IMG_1165.JPG" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5427028906904779042" /></a><i><div style="text-align: center;">Would you give up this piece of property voluntarily, without compensation?</div></i><div><br />Things are getting ugly on Long Beach Island New Jersey where in order to do a beach replenishment project, the Army Corps requires a construction easement to do the work. Sounds simple enough, but there are a few catches. The State of NJ has asked all oceanfront property owners on LBI for a permanent easement. This easement would take away ownership, but the homeowner would still have liability and the homeowner would still have to pay taxes on the property. Furthermore, the easement wold be transferable meaning an entity that may not even exist today may someday own this easement (Boardwalk Authority anyone?).<div><br /></div><div>Understandably, a lot of people won't sign these easements. One town, Long Beach Township is taking drastic measures and introducing an ordinance that would take the property via eminent domain. It is all sad and unnecessary considering similar projects in North Carolina asked homeowners for temporary easements.</div><div><br /></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times; font-size: medium; "><blockquote type="cite" style="margin-top: 5pt; margin-bottom: 5pt; "><div><div><div><div><div><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; "><a href="http://www.app.com/article/20100113/COMMUNITY/1130304/Beach-easement-holdouts-to-pay---one-way-or-the-other" style="color: blue; text-decoration: underline; ">http://www.app.com/article/20100113/COMMUNITY/1130304/Beach-easement-holdouts-to-pay---one-way-or-the-other</a></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0.5in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; "> </span></span></p><table class="MsoNormalTable" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="600" style="width: 6.25in; margin-left: 0.5in; "><tbody><tr><td valign="top" style="padding-top: 0in; padding-right: 0in; padding-bottom: 0in; padding-left: 0in; "><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 12pt; "><span style="font-family:Verdana;font-size:78%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: Verdana; color: black; ">January 13, 2010</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:180%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 18pt; color: black; ">Beach easement holdouts to pay — one way or the other</span></span><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:78%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 7.5pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; "><br /></span></span><i><span style="font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; font-style: italic; "><br />By NICHOLAS HUBA<br />Staff Writer</span></span></i><span style="font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; color: black; "></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">LONG BEACH TOWNSHIP — In the continuing fight to acquire the easements needed for the federally-funded beach replenishment project, the township is aiming to make homeowners who have not signed over the easements pay for repairs to the beaches in front of their homes by toughening an existing ordinance adopted in the 1970s.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">The ordinance calls for all beachfront homeowners to be responsible for the maintenance of the dunes in front of their homes and if not completed within 15 days, the township will do the work and then bill them.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">"If they are not going to allow the state and Army Corps to have access to the property, then they are not going to allow us," said Mayor Joseph Mancini. "A similar ordinance has been on the books for 39 years and we are now cleaning it up."</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">Mancini said by the not signing over their easement, the homeowner also is denying the township the right to fix any erosion issues that come up.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">"If they don't sign the easement and their porch is hanging off into the ocean, they have not granted us access to the property and it's their responsibility to get it fixed," Mancini said.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">The proposed changes to the ordinance come on the heels of the township officials saying they would go as far as using eminent domain to acquire the needed easements.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">Under the proposed plan, Long Beach Township would get three appraisers to determine the value of a property, and then the township would move on with the eminent domain process from there, Mancini said. He said he hopes to have the ordinance introduced in the coming weeks.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">The township needs to acquire the easements for the beach replenishment project. The Army Corps of Engineers will not start any work until all of the easements have been signed over. The corps currently is overseeing the project in neighboring Harvey Cedars.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">The aim of the replenishment project is to increase the size of both the beach and the dunes.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">Township Attorney Richard Shackleton said the ordinance is similar to one that was adopted in Surf City.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">"If they are not going to give the Corps access, then they are not giving us access," Shackleton said.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right: 0in; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; margin-top: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; "><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:85%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial; color: black; ">A public hearing on the ordinance is scheduled for 4 p.m. Jan. 22 at the municipal building, 6805 Long Beach Blvd.</span></span></p><div class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-top: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; margin-left: 0in; font-size: 12pt; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; color: windowtext; text-align: center; "><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;font-size:100%;color:black;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; color: black; "></span></span></div></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div></div></div></div></div></blockquote></span></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> </div></div>Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-18395996400587969312009-12-15T11:55:00.000-08:002010-09-30T14:05:43.374-07:00Sand Bypass Experiment - Sort Of<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/SyfrgvD6PcI/AAAAAAAAAAc/QZYbCiU0pmg/s1600-h/IMG_0468.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/SyfrgvD6PcI/AAAAAAAAAAc/QZYbCiU0pmg/s320/IMG_0468.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415556024557518274" /></a><br /><div><!--StartFragment--> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" mso-bidi-;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">When we first heard of a plan to dredge sand from the bottom of the Navesink River and put it on the beach in Monmouth Beach, NJ we were skeptical about the quality of the sand.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Any time sand is taken from the bottom of a river there should be an abundance of caution. Thankfully there is no industry along this river and no known potential sources of pollution. Still, we think the sand should be tested; it is cheap relative to the cost of the project.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">On numerous occasions unexpected items have been dredged up.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We don’t want those unexpected items to be toxins or harmful bacteria.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" mso-bidi-;font-family:Georgia;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" mso-bidi-;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Typically, the State or the Army Corps will test the material for its composition and grain size only.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">They never test for toxins if they find the material to be 90% sand.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">(No one has ever explained what that other 10% is allowed to be.)</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" mso-bidi-;font-family:Georgia;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/Syfr8yj9VwI/AAAAAAAAAAk/E2QXY6SJ18I/s320/IMG_0465.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415556506533582594" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" mso-bidi-;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Interestingly, the sand is being brought via pipeline </span><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">over land</span></i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> to its intended beach.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">It is very similar to a sand bypass system that we have advocated as an alternative to large beachfill projects for years.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">In this case a pipeline is takes sand off the river bottom, brings it across the narrow barrier spit of Monmouth Beach, under State Highway 36, and over the seawall. The pipe runs down the seawall to the south and discharges on the ocean side, about midway down the wall.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" mso-bidi-;font-family:Georgia;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" mso-bidi-;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">We have long maintained that a sand bypass system could be a less expensive solution in many areas of the Jersey Shore. Namely, areas where there is an abundance of sand on a wide beach not too far away from an eroded area. The idea is to pump the sand from one to the other as opposed to pumping from </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" mso-bidi-;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">offshore, or from the <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">bottom of a river. Think Sandy Hook; very wide to the north, narrow to the south.</span><span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Or Long Beach Island where the beaches are a half mile wide in Barnegat Light, and nearby Harvey Cedars has very little beach at all.</span></span></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" mso-bidi-;font-family:Georgia;"><o:p><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;"> </span></o:p></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_uNZK34w-ifY/SyfsT5kVp2I/AAAAAAAAAAs/X-6USdkVw6k/s320/IMG_0467.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415556903551215458" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=" mso-bidi-;font-family:Georgia;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:medium;">Let’s hope this sand bypass-ish experiment works, and we see more of this in the future.</span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p><p class="MsoNormal"><br /></p> <!--EndFragment--> </div>Mark Rauscherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13994197014362874603noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-51771049711270109342007-06-21T19:36:00.000-07:002008-11-12T19:52:47.676-08:00Life and Death in the Sandy Shadows of Coastal Armor<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEakG8eG7Tvtxs0a2vLhGMUTKHrjAQJgm2-oa2Y2cW9-x4vQfoiE5cDDtkziRlu29Tv75qeTuLL5SsTwtIO6VJI2n20i0EFWKZJDb4FG5EjiSfShlS0lq_y1CCIcPM1QQo0cscq9UrffA/s1600-h/Beach_Hopper_Web.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEakG8eG7Tvtxs0a2vLhGMUTKHrjAQJgm2-oa2Y2cW9-x4vQfoiE5cDDtkziRlu29Tv75qeTuLL5SsTwtIO6VJI2n20i0EFWKZJDb4FG5EjiSfShlS0lq_y1CCIcPM1QQo0cscq9UrffA/s320/Beach_Hopper_Web.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5078712444972722258" /></a><br /><a href=http://independent.com/news/2007/jun/21/life-and-death-sandy-shadows-coastal-armor/?print>Photo by Paul Wellman</a><br /><br />When seawalls are constructed on an eroding coastline they cause the beach to narrow through a process known as <a href=www.surfrider.org/seawall>passive erosion</a>. Not surprisingly this compression of the beach ecosystem squeezes out the intertidal zone. The result?....<br /><br />Fewer macroinvertebrates (we call them beach fleas or beach hoppers). It turns out these little guys play a critical role in food web of beaches by devouring kelp that washes ashore and by providing a food source for birds.<br /><br />Jenny Dugan, a researcher at UCSB, has measured and quantified this effect. She found that:<br /><br /><font color=grey>Shorebirds were more than three times more prevalent in non-armored beaches. Those with sea walls yielded significantly fewer macroinvertebrates as well as intertidal zones — the middle area between the high- and low-tide points on a beach — that were 47 to 67 percent narrower that those of their “unprotected” counterparts. Basically, what Dugan’s research proved was what many a beachgoer has long suspected or at least detected: The beaches in front of sea walls are different. </font><br /><br />Read more in this great article from the Santa Barbara Independent: <br /><a href=http://independent.com/news/2007/jun/21/life-and-death-sandy-shadows-coastal-armor/>Life and Death in the Sandy Shadows of Coastal Armor</a><br /><br><br /><br><br>Chad Nelsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17020103336319370855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-53295204144056887022007-05-31T15:09:00.000-07:002008-11-12T19:52:47.795-08:00Grunion Indicator of Beach Health?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi902KX3H9FYNu8qupA_Se4LH8-c-Rhyphenhyphenfb8kaVLzHUSJJFKCJCWYIVOEptKAYI3hhMRJQqERQHT3bU6n_QafNKhy-ew3jBNI20Zl-ijg96GMijK0Ts-aO-f0peWk_1uAnSzzgAKQft0ACk/s1600-h/curr-grunion280.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi902KX3H9FYNu8qupA_Se4LH8-c-Rhyphenhyphenfb8kaVLzHUSJJFKCJCWYIVOEptKAYI3hhMRJQqERQHT3bU6n_QafNKhy-ew3jBNI20Zl-ijg96GMijK0Ts-aO-f0peWk_1uAnSzzgAKQft0ACk/s320/curr-grunion280.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5070852939923316530" /></a><br /><br /><font size =1>SEAN DuFRENE / Union-Tribune<br />A grunion dug into the sand to lay her eggs. Little is understood about why the tiny fish choose certain beaches for their spawning.</font><br /><br />Are Grunion, those near mythic fish who come up on the sandy beach to spawn at high tide in the early hour mornings, a possible indicator species for the health of west coast beaches? How sensitive are they do the beach quality? Will beach fill projects impact their ability to successfully spawn or limit their habitat? Or will it provide new beaches and increase their success?<br /><br />Do steep beaches cause them problems?<br /><br />If the sand is too fine or course will they impact their ability to spawn?<br /><br />Will the sharp corners of angular sand imported for beach fill be a factor?<br /><br />Scientists at Palomar College and Pepperdine want to know.<br /><br /><a href=http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/science/20070531-9999-lz1c31grunion.html>Read here to learn about research on these fascinating fish.</a>Chad Nelsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17020103336319370855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377637448017411210.post-74118893805292828102007-05-19T16:12:00.000-07:002008-11-12T19:52:47.951-08:00Out of Sand?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8Wry_Riu5rfFJIElchzx_RUqa__70CggLnMiXWM35db7pYigXqNaUPFF4NPe70QEZBznPv1kC-64cVfKg_u5F01bWGa3rio6X5YGJ_NOVZmH7G2aRo9PraL28jXFXN4YLL8RZGYEUJo/s1600-h/bahamas_etm.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV8Wry_Riu5rfFJIElchzx_RUqa__70CggLnMiXWM35db7pYigXqNaUPFF4NPe70QEZBznPv1kC-64cVfKg_u5F01bWGa3rio6X5YGJ_NOVZmH7G2aRo9PraL28jXFXN4YLL8RZGYEUJo/s320/bahamas_etm.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5066416964075571474" /></a><br /><br />Sand banks in the Bahamas - a source of sand for Miami?<br /><br />Miami Beach is running out of sand. Justified concerns about <a hred=http://www.floridasportsman.com/confron/0504144/> impacting local reefs</a> have limited their options and they already lost a <a href=http://www.surfrider.org/blogger/2006/06/treasure-coast-south-florida-victory.asp>"sand war" </a> when they tried to "borrow" sand off of Fort Pierce last year. <A href=http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0516/p01s03-ussc.html>They are now looking to the Bahamas as a possible source.</a>Chad Nelsenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17020103336319370855noreply@blogger.com0