Surfrider Foundation wins a huge victory for the Campaign to Save Washington's Beaches.
A settlement has been reached between the Washington State Surfrider Foundation, Washington State Department of Ecology and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers relating to the revetment extension in Half Moon Bay, located in Westport, Washington.
The Surfrider Foundation is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit environmental organization dedicated to the protection and enhancement of the world's waves, beaches and coastal habitats through conservation, activism, research and education.
A suit had been brought by Surfrider before the Pollution Control Hearings Board to challenge Ecology's failure to extract a long-term commitment to beach nourishment from the Corps of Engineers. Regular beach nourishment is critical to assure that erosion does not degrade the beach and expose the rock revetment, thereby destroying surfing and other recreational uses in Half Moon Bay. Not to mention the revetment itself requiring expensive & similarly ineffective re-armoring of the shoreline at a future time.
By strengthening the Corps commitment to beach nourishment in Half Moon Bay, we make it more likely that surfers and other beachcombers can continue to enjoy the Bay into the future. The settlement makes long-term beach nourishment an enforceable component of Ecology's commitment to preserve natural sandy beaches.
In addition, the settlement requires the Department of Ecology to improve its Coastal Zone Management program. Making public comment periods and public participation in the planning process more accessible and abundant, these changes will increase public participation in critical decisions affecting the future of Washington's coastline.
Perhaps the biggest victory for Surfrider Foundation, beach-goers and the citizens of Washington State is that the Army Corps has abandoned its plan to place a rock wall along the entire beach of Half Moon Bay. With the expected erosion in the future that has been shown by the Department of Ecology s Southwest Coastal Erosion Study, among others, that misguided plan would have destroyed the entire beach in the Bay, eliminating surfing and even beach walking. Under the current plan, a wave refraction device planned by the Corps will extend northeast from the back of the south Jetty of Grays Harbor, into Half Moon Bay. This device may even enhance surfing, which in recent years has become a source of critical income to the tourist economy of Westport.
The Washington State Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation recognizes that beaches are unique coastal environments with enormous ecological, recreational and economic value.
The Surfrider Foundation further recognizes that beaches are a public resource and should be held in the public trust. As human activities and development in coastal areas increase, the need for preservation of beaches becomes increasingly apparent.
Coastal erosion problems and "hazards" can be created when naturally dynamic coastal processes encounter static human development. So sensitive are natural balances that unforeseen problems can arise whenever humans interfere with marine and littoral systems.
The Surfrider Foundation is resolved to work proactively along with local, state, and federal bodies as well as community constituencies - to promote conservation and responsible coastal areas management, Which avoids creation of new coastal hazards or erosion problems.
The Washington State Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation supports coastal research and science-based management of coastal resources to promote sustainable long-term planning and preservation of all beach/coastal environments, recognizing that every specific case situation must be evaluated in the context of its local setting.
Beaches are often perceived as separate habitats, but in reality are small parts of much larger coastal ecosystems. These systems include watersheds, estuaries and wetlands, and nearshore marine environments. They are dynamic in nature, change on multiple temporal and spatial scales, and are therefore difficult to predict with certainty. The Surfrider Foundation advocates conservation actions to promote long-term beach preservation for the benefit of the public.
Coastal areas that are free of development should be protected via proactive means that do not interrupt coastal processes. These include:
Placement of beaches and beachfront lands in public trust
Establishment of beach setbacks based on current and historical erosional trends
Restoration of natural sediment transport processes in coastal watersheds
In areas where erosion threatens existing coastal development, the Surfrider Foundation advocates appropriate long-term solutions that maximize public benefit.
Landward retreat of structures from dynamic shorelines
Beach nourishment
Primary dune re-construction and construction
Under no circumstances does the Surfrider Foundation support the installation of hard structures along the coastline.
While hard structures protect existing coastline developments, they have been demonstrated to serve no long-term purpose in beach preservation.
For the coast,
Drew Kampion
National Advisory Board
Kevin Ranker
National Board of Directors
-PO Box 1344, Friday Harbor, WA 98250
Phone: (360) 378-2319
FAX: (360) 378-2324
Email: waterman@rockisland.com OR send online mail right now to: Waterman
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Web site: http://www.surfrider.org
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