Frankly, I should've run away from another Port Jefferson controversy, but beaches are important to Long Islanders. . . . Yesterday, Defend H2O broadcasted an email in response to an article about the Bluff, and several weeks prior, one of Quality Parks volunteers reviewed the Village of Port Jefferson as a park resource. |
To begin, the volunteer's overall observation was: "The Village of Port Jefferson's website is really just all marketing and contains information about;What to do' in Port Jeff in regards to activities and what not do do in regards to laws and codes ... it's not very environmental at all!"
She responded, "I took a look at the second site about the Port Jefferson-East Beach Bluff project. This Project sounds like it would be really helpful and I hope the permits get approved asap. It sounds like there is a need for this wall that can help with protecting the shore from future possible tragedy by stabilizing the beach and shoreline."
Defend H20 said, "There is no middle ground: save the beach or the beach house. Or in this case a tennis court. Monumental changes are underway and only through strict adherence to forward-looking coastal policies will we be able to protect at-risk coastal resources—the beaches, bluffs, dunes and tidal wetlands which define Long Island and enrich our coastal lifestyle."
"Natural shorelines across the region are being transformed by hardening. While regulatory protections exist in law, due to lax permitting, exemptions and variances regularly issued at the state and local level, stone and steel is fast becoming dominant features on LI shorelines. And the death knell for walkable beaches and critical habitat. The beach or the beach house? The choice should be clear."
Kevin's response: "I read your volunteer’s assessment and it’s wrong. The sill height seawall will not stabilize the beach, just the opposite. It’s intended to blunt wave energy and retain bluff sediments. Inevitably, reflected wave energy off the wall will narrow the fronting beach where it’s impassable at high tide. And cutting off sediment supply from the bluff will eventually adversely effect not only the fronting beach, but updrift and downdrift beaches as well. They’re saving the tennis courts by sacrificing the beach."