Link to the Fall 2008 edition of NCBIWAY, the eNewsmagazine of NC Beach, Inlet & Waterway Association:  http://www.ncbiwa.org/Fall08News.pdf

Time For Change

Editorial - By Mayor Debbie Smith, Chair, NCBIWA

The use of terminal groins to protect the ever-changing ends of our islands has been much debated this past year.  North Carolina has prohibited the use of hardened structures along the ocean shore and inlets for years. Prohibition of hardened structures along the North Carolina coast should not be changed, but inlets create special situations and require special tools, such as terminal groins. It is time for change!

In 2007 the NC Senate overwhelmingly supported (41-8) a bill to allow for the use of terminal groins in NC. In the NC House, the bill was held in committee and never allowed to go to the full House for a vote. Because the bill never emerged from the committee the bill died at the end of the 2008 short session. To cause a change to the law prohibiting terminal groins, a new bill will have to be introduced in 2009.

At present the only shoreline protection measures allowed in North Carolina are beach nourishment, temporary sandbag structures or inlet realignment. Beach nourishment is extremely successful in restoring our beaches but does not stay in place at inlet areas without some structure such as a terminal groin. Sandbags are temporary structures. The Coastal Resources Commission is mandating all sandbags be removed that have outlived their permitted time frames (usually 2-5 years). Inlet realignment is expensive, requires constant maintenance and the results are not as predictable as a terminal groin.

Terminal groins are a proven protective tool without negative environmental impact. Terminal groins are widely used in almost all coastal states as an erosion control measure. There are presently two successful terminal groins in the state of North Carolina. One has protected historic Fort Macon in Carteret County since the mid 1960s. The other protects Pea Island at the base of the Bonner Bridge and was constructed in 1989-1991. Both have functioned as designed and provided protection to these structures.

A terminal groin is not the answer for all inlets, but properly engineered and constructed it can offer the needed erosion protection for a number of NC inlets.

Many environmentalists oppose the use of terminal groins, offering retreat or relocation as the preferred option.

This may have been an economically viable option decades ago but with the present value of coastal land and often limited availability of vacant lots it is not always feasible today. It is not always just a matter of economics; there is an emotional factor in unnecessarily losing a home on the coast that you have enjoyed for many years. It is not just private property that is lost. It is public property, public access and infrastructure that are endangered as well. Decades ago there were not as many roads, public sewers or water systems in place on our islands as there are today. Visit any barrier island and you will see that the ends of the islands are some of the most popular spots for visitors and vacationers. They offer unique opportunities for exploring, fishing, and shelling.

Terminal groins are not large unsightly structures. It is generally a low structure that is built perpendicular to the end of an island, adjacent to the inlet. It traps sand on the ocean beach before it reaches the inlet. Though not designed as a navigation aid, it could benefit the flushing action of our inlets and improve the tidal marshes and nurseries in our backwaters.

It would allow for more public beach for recreational use and wildlife habitat and nesting areas, while protecting the ocean shoreline.

Let us not bury our heads in the sand when it comes to erosion protection. Scientists must develop and communities must implement erosion mitigation strategies that are both effective and affordable. Terminal groins coupled with beach nourishment will provide an integrated approach that should be the foundation of coastal shoreline management.

Increased knowledge of shoreline processes and proven engineered solutions call for new and different protective measures.

IT IS TIME FOR CHANGE!

The NCBIWA Annual Conference for 2008 will take place on Monday & Tuesday, November 17 & 18 at the Courtyard by Marriott Oceanfront Resort in Carolina Beach. The timely theme of the conference is “Shaping The Future of Coastal North Carolina & The Southeast.” An exciting and useful program is in the process of being confirmed and will be announced beginning in September. As usual, networking opportunities will be many and varied.

For Professional Engineers, a certificate for 10.5 Professional Development Hours will be provided on request.

The registration form can be downloaded online and returned by US mail or toll-free fax. Sponsorship information is also available online. For more information send email to conference@ncbiwa.org or call 910-200-7867.

Conference Program

Registration Form

Sponsorship Information

Download the Summer 2008 Newsletter.

2008 Report Card for the North Carolina Coast
Grades from A to D with a C+ Average, and a first for our Report, an I

The 2008 Report Card for the North Carolina Coast issued in May points to the need for reliable, dependable funding to maintain a viable coastal infrastructure to safeguard commercial and recreational assets and to ensure coastal tourism continues to bring its huge economic benefits to the whole state.

That’s the message members of the North Carolina General Assembly, the Coastal Resources Commission and other federal and state leaders received when the North Carolina Beach, Inlet and Waterway Association (NCBIWA) issued its annual grades for the past year’s performance in five key areas of concern.

There’s some opportunity for state leaders to claim bragging rights - the North Carolina Legislature was singled out for its approval of a $20 million Waterfront Access and Marine Industry Fund, scoring an “A” for the category “Public Access to Coastal Waters.”

But in another key category, the state’s leaders were told that we have all but failed to sustain important shallow draft inlets, receiving an unsatisfactory grade of “D” for the low performance, despite individual Herculean efforts by many.

“Some inlets are doing well, others are barely open,” according to the report issued by NCBIWA executive director Harry Simmons.

“Despite strong public support, there is limited funding for dredging.

Commercial fishing and charter boats are most dangerously impacted,” says the report card. Simmons warned that boater safety is at stake, while the coastal economy is exposed to unnecessary economic risks as boaters find transit between the ocean and inland waterways more and more problematic.

For the first time since the association began issuing the annual report card, an “Incomplete” grade was awarded, reflecting the tenuousness of funding, which must be fought for anew each federal budget cycle and which often receives onetime appropriations at the state and local level.

The grade of “I” was given in the category “Beaches.” Performance will be monitored in the months ahead, Simmons explained, before a final grade is awarded by the coastal association which calls itself the “One Effective Voice for the North Carolina Coast.”

“Last year we wrote the next challenge was ‘Stretching scarce dollars by making restored beaches last longer,” says the report. “(The) N.C. Senate passed a bill allowing a terminal groin pilot project to help restored beaches last longer at inlets. Now it’s up to N.C. House to concur and allow this useful tool, not just more sandbags.”

Conceivably, if the House does allow the pilot project to move forward, a final grade in that category could pull the overall average grade this year up from a “C+” to a “B.” The association last year awarded an overall grade of “B-” to elected and appointed coastal stewards.

Senate Bill 599 was passed in the 2007 legislative session to allow the Coastal Resources Commission (CRC) to permit the construction of a terminal groin pilot project to study the use of terminal groins to stabilize beaches adjacent to ocean inlets. The bill mandates that the CRC monitor and evaluate the results of the groin placement.

Terminal groins are structures installed perpendicular to the shore to help control erosion.

The experimental structure would be designed to trap sand and widen the beach to a predetermined width before allowing sand to continue its normal flows either over or around the structure. The result would be a wider, more stable beach and no sandbags. NCBIWA has supported the initiative and notes the Senate’s insistence that the benefits of the groin be weighed against any unforeseen negatives. The bill requires a bond to pay for the removal of the groin and mitigation of any external consequences if the CRC determines that the project falls short in its mission.

“Management decisions regarding sandbags, terminal groins, the Beach Inlet Management Plan, public access funding issues, etc. are all at a crossroads,” said Greg “Rudi” Rudolph, of the Carteret County Shore Protection Office, adding “Good decisions will benefit everyone and enhance natural resources.”

In another important area for the North Carolina economy, the coastal association decided a grade of “C” was in order for maintaining the usefulness of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway as it flows through the state.

Simmons said NCBIWA is supporting efforts to create a Southeastern Coastal Alliance to engage other states in appealing to all levels of government to work together on a regional basis for the benefit of the Southeast’s coastal resources. Such an Alliance could urge the Federal government to continue to shoulder its responsibility in keeping the corridor deep enough to allow continued traffic. The Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway is a recreational and commercial waterway created by an act of Congress in 1919 which runs the length of the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to Miami.

Commercial users pay a fuel tax which is supposed to be dedicated to maintaining and improving the waterway, but the United States Army Corps of Engineers budget has been inadequately funded to perform that function in recent years.

Federal law provides for the waterway to be maintained at a minimum depth of 12 feet for most of its length, but shoaling and shallow water are problems along several sections of the waterway. Reports of four-foot depths in some areas in North Carolina are common.

The waterway carries considerable commercial tonnage; barges haul petroleum, foodstuffs, building materials, and manufactured goods. It is also used extensively by recreational boaters.

In the final grading area, the ongoing battle to maintain public access to beaches, especially for fishermen and other recreational users, has continued, with local governments, sportsmen’s organizations and the courts weighing in.

“We almost lost a key (beach) access at Wrightsville Beach. But thanks to many, (especially the Wrightsville Beach mayor and council) with some help from Cape Fear Surfriders, #33 was saved. That gain was (largely) offset by lost ORV (Off road Recreational Vehicle) access on the Outer Banks.”

A long-term ORV management plan must be completed by Dec. 31, 2010 under terms of a consent order in Dare and Hyde following environmental groups’ concern over the habitat of piping plovers. Under an interim management plan, night driving has been curtailed and buffer zones have been established. The plan remains unpopular with recreational users.

“North Carolina (beach) access is better than most states, but the need is growing,” according to the report card.

Download the Spring 2008 Newsletter.

Walter B. Jones Memorial Award For Excellence In Local Government Presented to Carteret County Shore Protection Office

Walter B. Jones Memorial Awards for Excellence in Local Government are given to local governments that have inspired positive change in the field of coastal management by developing or implementing principles embodied by the Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA).

In 1990, as part of the reauthorization of the CZMA, the late Congressman Walter B. Jones, father of the current Congressman Jones, provided NOAA with the authority to honor the people and organizations of America for their dedication and outstanding contributions in helping the nation maintain healthy coastal and ocean resources and balance the needs of these resources with human use. At that time, Congressman Jones identified three award categories as particularly important – excellence in local government, excellence in marine and coastal graduate study, and coastal steward of the year. NOAA later added additional categories to recognize the broad spectrum of contributions made by this country’s many motivated, caring individuals and organizations.

NCBIWA congratulates Rudi Rudolph and the Shore Protection Office for this high honor.

Download the Winter 2007-2008 Newsletter.

NCBIWA 2007, The Annual Conference

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Sea Level Rise, But Were Afraid To Ask*
*And Other Timely Topics
By Tom Jarrett, Conference Chair

By all accounts, the NCBIWA annual conference held at the Courtyard by Marriott in Carolina Beach was a huge success. The theme “All You Wanted to Know About Sea Level Rise, But Were Afraid to Ask (and Other Timely Topics)”, attracted over 150 participants including local government officials, state and federal agency representatives, and interested citizens concerned with the future of our coast. The conference was well covered by the media including the Weather Channel, local television stations, and statewide newspapers.

The attendees were treated to a wide variety of talks ranging from the prospects of future climate and sea level change to the impacts of the predicted changes on our coastal economy, storm frequency and intensity, and well being of our coastal development. Rudi Rudolph laid the groundwork for the conference summarizing what in know about past climate and sea level changes and factors that are primarily at work causing such changes. Stan Riggs, Dave Mallinson, and Steve Culver from East Carolina University discussed their research on the impacts ofsea level rise on the Outer Banks and possible future conditions should sea level rise accelerate as some are predicting while Chris Dumas, UNCW, and Paul Bin, ECU summarized the findings of their study on the impacts of global warming on the economy of coastal North Carolina.

Jeff Williams, a marine geologist from the US Geological Survey expressed skepticism that coastal communities would be able to continue to respond to sea level rise using beach nourishment given the limited sand resources available throughout most of the state. He suggested communities should begin to plan for strategic retreat from the coast. Margaret Davidson, Director NOAA Coastal Service Center located in Charleston, SC, who was also the keynote speaker at the Tuesday’s awards luncheon, warned federal funding support for coastal protection projects would become increasingly more difficult to obtain stating “The federal debt is rising faster than the rising faster than sea level.” Steve Dye, Marlowe & Company, echoed this same sentiment predicting a 2008 Water Resource Development Act will not pass until after the November elections if at all.

On a brighter note, John Sutherland, NC Division of Water Resources, discussed the State’s efforts to close the funding gap by describing State grants that are available to help maintain coastal waterways and assist local communities in funding shore protection projects. John also provided an update on the Beach and Inlet Management Plan that just got underway this year. The study is currently in the data collection stage but will eventually develop management strategies and priorities that will assist the State in its future management decisions.

All of the presentations are available online.

Download the Fall 2007 Newsletter.

NCBIWA Executive Director Goes to Washington
By Chris Wagner, Marlowe & Company LLC

Mayor Harry Simmons, Executive Director of NCBIWA, has been spending some quality time in Washington, DC lately. In August and September Mayor Simmons met with a number of outside interest groups to discuss common water resource interests and to help advance NCBIWA’s goals in Washington. Meetings with the National Marine Manufacturers Association, BoatUS, the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Associated General Contractors of America, and the American Public Works Association have been very productive. NCBIWA will be continuing discussions with these groups over the coming months to develop an agenda that improves water resources policy and funding for North Carolina and the nation.

In addition, Mayor Simmons also met with the White House Office of Management and Budget. In that meeting he stressed the importance of supporting periodic renourishment and made a strong case for supporting Regional Sediment Management.

Simmons also had the opportunity in early September to testify before the U.S. Access Board regarding their proposed new guidelines to implement ADA standards designed to increase access for people with disabilities to federal outdoor areas, such as beaches that are a part of the federal program. The proposed guidelines are far reaching and unfeasible within the nature of a beach. Mayor Simmons’ comments were well received and NCBIWA and Marlowe & Company will be working with the Access Board to improve upon the guidelines.

Mayor Simmons also made it up to the Hill to visit Congressman Frank Pallone’s (DNJ) office. Rep. Pallone has always been a strong supporter of our coastal treasures and an ally of NCBIWA. He is also the Chairman of the Congressional Coastal Caucus. The topics of discussion at the meeting were Pallone’s bill to reauthorize the BEACH Act (beach water quality) and how to revive the Coastal Caucus in the 110th Congress.

Download the Summer 2007 Newsletter.

NCBIWA Receives Triad Foundation Grant
by Terry Calhoun 

A grant from a foundation established by the family of the late Roy H. Park, an American media giant with ties to North Carolina, will be used to help promote the outreach efforts of the North Carolina Beach, Inlet and Waterway Association, it was announced recently by the Foundation and NCBIWA executive director Harry Simmons.

The Triad Foundation, a charitable trust managed from Ithaca, N.Y., awarded $10,000 to NCBIWA to provide general support during 2007, “specifically to help broaden the organization’s educational capability, especially with statewide media outlets,” according to the citation accompanying the grant.

The Triad Foundation is one of several endowments from the estate of Mr. Park, who rose from a Dobson (NC) tenant farm family to eventually found Park Communications, Inc., a media consortium which controlled 21 radio stations, 7 television stations (including WNCT in Greenville, NC) and 144 print publications. Park acquired dozens of mostly medium-sized newspapers in 24 states and the company’s market reach was estimated at one quarter of all American households.

An NC State University graduate, Park settled in Ithaca in the 1940s at a time when his focus was on public relations. A high point in that initial career came after he paired the Grange League Federation with noted food critic Duncan Hines to found Park-Hines Foods, the company that introduced Duncan Hines Cake Mix. When that fledgling company was acquired by Procter and Gamble in 1956 Park moved on to P&G as a senior executive.

By the time of his death in 1993 Park was listed by Forbes Magazine as the 40th richest man in the United States and had been honored with the North Carolina Award, the state’s highest civilian honor. The Triad Foundation, which is chaired by Roy H. Park, Jr., principally funds graduate fellowships at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communications and the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University, in addition to marine and tropical ecology and medical and scientific research.

“NCBIWA is grateful to The Triad Foundation for its generous support and will commit the award to the goal of communicating to all the people of North Carolina the story of our coast’s immense social and economic value,” said NCBIWA board chairman Rick Catlin.

Download the Spring 2007 Newsletter.

2007 Coastal Local Governments Winter Meeting

Local government leaders from coastal North Carolina came away from the North Carolina Beach, Inlet and Waterway Association Winter Meeting supplied with considerable information about the challenges facing the state’s ocean resources. But the local officials also came away with many questions about where the financial resources will come from to face those challenges.

The North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores was the site of the February 22 and 23 meeting, with Mayor Joan Lamson of Pine Knoll Shores and NCBIWA Executive Director Mayor Harry Simmons opening the two days of presentations from scientists, engineers and state officials.

The local leaders paid particular attention to regulatory changes anticipated from the various divisions of the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources sure to affect development in their coastal counties and municipalities. The group heard from Dr. Jeff Warren of the NC Division of Coastal Management on the future of vegetation lines and state-mandated building setbacks and an alternative view from Spencer Rogers of NC Sea Grant with the legal considerations of those requirements reviewed by Mack Paul of the law firm Kennedy Covington.

Tom Reeder of the NC Division of Water Quality discussed upcoming changes to coastal stormwater management and control requirements before the conference wrapped up with a panel discussion on the possible impacts of the proposed new state stormwater rules. Sitting on that panel were Dave Inscoe of the Carteret Economic Development Council, John Langdon, Carteret County manager, Randy Martin, Morehead City manager, home builder Joe Tarasco and NC Coastal Federation director Todd Miller.

Tom Jarrett of Coastal Planning and Engineering’s presentation urging state regulators to take a new look at the benefits of terminal groins to forestall erosion, especially in areas abutting inlets, was also a subject of much conversation.

Other presentations focused on abandoned vessels and debris in coastal waterways (Judy Hills of the Eastern Carolina Council of Governments), waterfront access (Dr. Michael Voiland, study committee chair from NC Sea Grant), the state and federal funding environment (John Morris of the NC Division of Water Resources and Paul Ordal of the Washington lobbying firm Marlowe and Co.), coastal insurance issues (Rodney Kemp of Chalk and Gibbs in Morehead City), and coastal governments and sea level rise (Dr. Courtney Hackney, chairman of the NC Coastal Resources Commission).

NCBIWA chairman Rick Catlin offered comments concerning the organization’s goals and strategies, asking attendees to come to a decision about funding the remaining components of an economic study of the value of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway in the state.

Informal discussions on meeting topics continued at a networking reception at the aquarium Thursday night hosted by the towns of Pine Knoll Shores, Atlantic Beach, Indian Beach, and Emerald Isle.

Sponsors of the annual meeting also included Progress Energy, North Carolina’s Electric Cooperatives, Kennedy Covington, Coastal Science and Engineering, Coastal Planning and Engineering, Inc., Kirkman Whitford Brady and Berryman, Chalk and Gibbs, Coastal Transplants, Emerald Isle Realty, First Citizens Bank, Local Government Federal Credit Union, Marlowe and Company, LLC, Sound Bank, Town of Oak Island.

Download the Winter 2006-2007 Newsletter.

Soldout! The 2006 Annual Conference
“Managing Coastal Sediment” confab hits all-time records

Nationally prominent scientists, engineers and researchers joined with North Carolina’s unified coastal advocacy organization November 13 and 14 at Courtyard by Marriott at Carolina Beach to update one another and the public on the issues presenting challenges to those whose lives and livelihoods depend on the effective stewardship of vital coastal infrastructure.

A highlight of the two-day annual conference of the North Carolina Beach, Inlet and Waterway Association (NCBIWA) was an update of an ongoing research project to determine the economic impact of recreational boating. That study begun in the spring of 2005 is being conducted by a team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Appalachian State University in Boone.

The packed house also heard from representatives from the United States Army Corps of Engineers and from the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources (NCDENR), as well as a contingent of inlet and waterway stewards from Florida.

The condition of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (AIWW) which connects near-coast North Carolina with other Eastern states to provide commercial and recreational transport lane was a key focus of the 2006 conference.

Federal government abandonment of its historic role as the maintainer of the waterway led conference attendees to consider other options for funding critically needed dredging to keep the waterway, and inlets that provide access to the waterway from the open Atlantic, open and operational.

The economic study organized by UNCW chancellor emeritus Dr. James Leutze is expected to show the value of not only commercial but also recreational boating to coastal and surrounding counties and to gauge the potential for user-based fees to return the waterway to vitality.

Results of the Leutze study will be released in early 2007. The majority of the funding for the research came from the local governments organized by NCBIWA, with participation from North Carolina Sea Grant and NCDENR. Preliminary reports shared with the group at the November 13-14 meeting illustrated the results of surveys of boaters to determine how much a typical crew spends on fuel, lodging, launch fees, food and other provisions as they cruise the state’s inlets and waterways. Reports also showed what boaters told researchers about their willingness to pay an additional boat licensing fee, a fee increase which would be dedicated to waterway and inlet maintenance.

Dr. Jim Herstine and Dr. Chris Dumas of UNCW presented their update to the conference. Other researchers leading the project are Dr. Woody Hall and Dr. Ed Graham of UNCW and Dr. John Whitehead of Appalachian State University.

Using on-site survey teams, the study has collected and compiled information from approximately 1,500 boaters at Coinjock, the Great Dismal Swamp, Belhaven, Oriental, Beaufort/Morehead City/Atlantic Beach area, Swansboro, Scotts Hill, Wrightsville Beach, Carolina Beach and Southport.