De Quattro

Sophia De Quattro
Professor Young
HONO 3215
22 October 2013
Stabilize the Shore
Oceanfront properties are considered to be a telling sign of fortune, highly
demanded in society, and one of the most luxurious places to live. Long Beach Island,
New Jersey has become a hot spot for development over the decades, with countless
developments along the beach. The island is located in a part of the world vulnerable to
hurricanes and is extremely susceptible to erosion along its coastlines, where the majority
of Long Beach residents live. Long Beach is categorized as a barrier island, meaning it
faces Open Ocean and receives full force of storms. With the influx of intensity in storms,
humans must reassess their current stance of home development. A current debate of
shore stabilization in New Jersey has residents all along Long Beach questioning whether
or not to approve easements of their property for a dune project that aims to build up
existing dunes about 22 feet as well as add about 200 feet of beach between homes and
the ocean. While many have agreed to sign the easements, some homeowners still refuse
to comply with efforts to build back the beach. An easement grants the right to use
someone elses land for a specified purpose, so this is not a case of giving up land to
public access. The towns included in the project funding are: Mantoloking, Toms River,
Ocean Township, Surf City, Ship Bottom, Long Beach Township, and Atlantic City.
There is a huge, noticeable rift between the advocates and the holdouts for the dune
construction, which has had long-lasting implications on the communitys well being.

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Individual homeowners should, and must, think beyond the value of their home and unite
as a community to uphold the value of their township.
In modern society, our decisions are persuaded most by how much value it will
bring monetarily. Economically, tourism is a vital income statewidea $40 billion-a-year
industry. The dune project is estimated to cost $1 billion dollars. That is a mere fraction
compared to what New Jersey earns form tourism. Without stabilizing the shore, there
will be huge impacts on tourism. The option is clear. The coast, or what is left of it, must
be protected. With the recent damage and devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, the call
to action is more urgent than ever before. Investing in the beach is a smart decision
beyond just securing the tourism industry. It means the difference of insurance rates as
well. We can look to other counties along Long Beach Island that have taken measures to
protect the land with dune construction. Cape May is one of the few coastal communities
that are prepared for massive flooding. This is because of storm mitigation and dune
building. The town of Avalon, located in Cape May County, has the highest Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) community rating. They receive significant
savings on flood-insurance premiums and own pay approximately 25% lessan overall
$1 million townwide. If other towns hope to restore their communal relation, it will be
through stabilizing the shore.
Shore stabilization dynamics has changed throughout the centuries. At first, many
tactics used were hard stabilizations such as groin and seawall construction. Groins1 are
barriers built at a right angle to the beach that are designed to trap sand. Seawalls2 armor
the coast against the force of breaking waves. They were a temporary fix to erosion
problems along the coast, but it was eventually found out that they do far more damage

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once in place. Beach nourishment, such as dune building, is an alternative to hard

stabilization. Avalon is a town that has resorted to beach nourishment. It has followed suit
from the example put in place by Holland, which has dealt with flooding since the 1300s.
Flooding is a preexisting condition and it is increasingly affecting our lives as more
humans settle along beaches. In the Netherlands, 60% of the country lives in the flood
plains. Fortunately for this country, the government automatically pays for rebuilding
homes and infrastructure. If this were the case in the United Sates, then perhaps there
would not be so much political angst and conflict when it came time to decide on
enacting projects. Funding is long debated for these situations in America, and every
prolonged moment of indecision increases the cost of damage.
Time is money in modern society, and it is in the best interest of Surf City to put
an end to the decades of debate. In return for the approval of easements, there should be a
strict policy to compensate the homeowners, to a limited extent. Determinants of funding
should also adopt policies similar to the Netherlands in order to lessen the controversy
between who is responsible to pay for the damage from flooding.
Approaching a community has a copious amount of issues. It is unusual for an
entire community to unanimously decide on a solution. However, our current
understanding of barrier islands and erosion is limited, and the best solution we can put
forward is the dune project. A storm will hit, there is no question about that, and it is
crucial the properties on the frontline approve the easements to allow The Army Corps of
Engineers to follow through with their plans. The Long Beach Township resident, Ken
Burkhardt, who has refused to approve an easement and said Its my business whether I
sign it or not, (Zernike) epitomizes the entire outlook of holdouts. Burkhardt and many

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other holdouts are not looking towards the common good, and are rather too focused on
their own lives, their own home, and their own oceanfront view. The homeowners who do
not live directly on the frontline are put in jeopardy because a unanimous decision cannot
be made. The Army Corps will not proceed without the permission of all oceanfront
property owners. While this is a courteous notion, there is a time limit to this decision
since Long Beach is hit with harsh storms from hurricanes.
Protection can be provided for everyone with the completion of this dune project.
It is our most effective tactic to date, and the sooner the beach is stabilized, we can move
beyond the petty fights started among members of the community, beyond businesses
denying service to holdouts3. Mantoloking, Toms River, Ocean Township, Surf City, Ship
Bottom, Long Beach Township, and Atlantic City are best off approving the dune
building. They can become like the town of Avalon and the country of Holland, places
that are actively working towards protection for all. It is time to move to an age where the
value in a home is determined by how well it can protect the bodies occupying the home.

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Works Cited
Zernike, Kate. Trying to Shame Dune Holdouts at Jersey Shore. NYTimes. The New
York Times. 4 September 2013. Web. 22 October 2013.
Urgo, L. Jacquelie. Avalon, N.J., and Dutch Visitors Share Coastal-Protection Ideas.
Philly. The Inquire. 5 August 2013. Web. 22 October. 2013.

Photos

1) Groins (in Spain)

2) Seawalls

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3)Anchor Produce Market is an advocate for the dune project and has refused services to
holdouts.