Coastal Erosion

Figure Eight Island wants to have your cake and eat it too. While pursuing a terminal groin injury on the North Carolina coast, full steam ahead, the Islanders have been slow paddling a beach renourishment project that might scuttle the groin proposal if implemented too fast according to coastal observers.

Last year a Figure Eight Island/ Rich Inlet project was described in the Federal Register 07-848. A public hearing was held March 1st 2007 in Wilmington and written comments were received until March 29th, 2007. According to the Army Corps of Engineers not much has occurred since. The sense of urgency that propelled an end run by the NC Senate around coastal regulations prohibiting groins would evaporate if legislators knew that Figure Eight Island was actively engaged in beach renourishment.

It's bad enough that the Home Ticks are getting their claws into the transfer tax issue, which they have no business being involved with. But now their cousins, the Sand Fleas, are pushing to change years of effective public policy. Coast developers are leaning on the legislature to pass legislation that will allow hardened structures on beaches and inlets - the first step toward building sea walls in front of luxury beachfront properties.

And in case you're not aware, hardened structures on one part of a beach cause accelerated erosion on other parts of the beach. In other words, they're destructive and stupid. The NC Conservation Network is asking sane people like us to contact our representatives to stop Senate Bill 599.

The work shenanigans of the sprawl lobby NC Senate have reached an all time low this year. It's hard to imagine, but it looks like things could get even worse.