CoastWatcher

Paid Consultants Threaten Beaches

By Orrin H. Pilkey
Durham

North Carolina’s beaches face a lot of problems, including overdevelopment, rising sea level, rapid erosion rates, and a paucity of beach-compatible sand for beach replenishment. But the biggest threat to our beaches may be coastal engineering consultants.

The Bower Seawall, proposed for the town of Gualala, along the Mendocino Co. coastline in Northern California, would have adversely impacted sensitive bird and fisheries resources as well as public access at the mouth of the Gualala River in order to protect the backside of a supermarket. Read the rest of this entry »