Findings

Big Picture

FINDING: Identifying and solving beach health problems requires looking at the big picture.

Natural systems don't recognize state or local boundaries. The 2004 report by the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the 2003 report from the Pew Oceans Commission stressed the need for an ecosystem approach to solving problems effecting the coast and the ocean. Erosion of barrier islands is a concern in Massachusetts, Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and Texas. Inadequate public access to the shore is a problem in many locations. Water quality is an issue for Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, and all the states that hug the Great Lakes shores. The same can be said for the states surrounding Chesapeake Bay and Long Island Sound. Exploring issues and treating problems in isolation can lead to incorrect or incomplete solutions, as well as missed opportunities.

Looking up and down the coast, as well as inland, will be necessary to solve our water quality and beach erosion problems. Water quality solutions are facilitated by looking at entire coastal watersheds. Erosion problems are best addressed by considering all historical sources of sand to a littoral cell and barriers to sand transport within the cell.