In Orrin Pilkey’s documentary The Beaches are Moving and our readings and lectures, we have encountered several examples of willful neglect and/or ignorance as to the natural behavior of coastal barrier islands and sandy beaches. We have seen the effects of ‘hard stabilization,’ building jetties or groins that preserve sand at one spot but starve it from another, and even the overall policy of allowing hardened structures on beaches, which Pilkey derogatorily refers to as “NewJerseyization.”
Describe, in your informed opinion, one of the most vexing or egregious examples of mismanagement of a beach or barrier island…AND a possible solution or improvement based on our scientific understanding of these systems. (You’re welcome to include any examples (pro or con) of beaches or barrier islands you may have visited, and don’t forget to leave some reactions or responses for your classmates…)
