NJ Beach Replenishment Developments

[baitstealer]

Good read bucket head thanks for posting. are the jetties still there this winter?

[surferman]

I don't live up where the jetties are but have read that most of them are gone. I can report that the cape may jetties are slowly starting to come back but the fishing sucks compared to what it used to be .

Saw the following article online this week.
http://asburyparksun.com/dougherty-b...g-washed-away/
It would be nice if some of those politicos would listen. However it looks like they have their own agenda. Sand forever should be the new slogan.

[DarkSkies]

Thanks for the thread and all the different opinions.....

One point....without throwing stones at anyone in particular........
When there was time for action on the jetties...when there could have been concessions made......barely anyone in the surf community was listening..........I have been to behind the scenes meetings with the DEP and can tell you when folks are willing to organize in numbers, things can get done.....concessions have been made if you have backing....but there was not enough backing to give the clout that was needed...this despite a tremendous and commendable effort from committed groups like the NJBBA, Joe Pallotto, Surfrider, some of the old farts like Finchaser and his network... and a few others.........

So forgive me if I'm a little jaded now...with all the griping on the internet.....from folks who "did not know".....
This replenishment was published regularly in newspapers, online, on all of the fishing forums.....there was ample opportunity for folks to get involved.... and no real valid excuse for not knowing about it...unless you were a soldier stationed overseas.....

With a turnout of less than 200 for the highly publicized Asbury Park rally.......
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...t-Get-involved!
We fishermen FAILED, dismally.......because of Apathy.......

I'm not worried about who likes me or not....after they read my words here...
The simple fact is...there is a lot of talk about the jetties now....but when it came time for action....pleas were being made....Finchaser himself was on this site and several others pleading with folks to get involved......

And we....as a group....failed to act......in enough numbers to get results, with the exception of the 3 jetties promised to be "saved". That's hardly an achievement when you consider 80% of the Monmouth County jetties had resisted storms and hurricanes for 70 years.

The responsibility for this....as well as the responsibility for lack of cohesive fisheries management policy...sits squarely on the shoulders of the apathetic fishermen out there....

If your ears are ringing when reading this.....yes you might be guilty of Apathy....it's up to each person to ask themselves if they could have done more......

I know I was willing to give my own blood for those jetties.......and willing to get arrested in protesting....how many people can honestly say they would have done that?...if that's what it would have taken....to get someone to listen?...

We are a very different....and much more apathetic...society from when Finchaser and most of the NJ area fishing clubs rallied together in Spring Lake back in the 80's...and whose sheer numbers of protestors.....forced the town to re-visit their draconian night parking ban that discriminated against fishermen.....

So the internet posturing, wailing, gnashing of teeth....sour grapes....now...it's all moot....
When we had the chance to actually make a difference this time......the sad truth is....that most fishermen dropped the ball...or had the attitude

"Let Joe do it...I'm too busy"
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...e-a-difference










OK, too much emotion is in this for me....the sadness I have over the alternate solutions that could have been worked out..is too much...

It's very sad, how many folks seem to say they care now...

but were nowhere to be found, when their bodies and protests were needed at the meetings.....

Food for thought...people....

[DarkSkies]

The last minor thought I had on this, is that in the future, someone will come along, say-
"Well you know, we did rally together on this, the political forces behind it were just too powerful. And sometimes you just can't fight city hall."

That would be an inaccurate statement...and is only true because of the tremendous fishermen Apathy there is in today's society....

If that statment held true all the time...

1. Women would still not be allowed to vote and considered property of their husbands.
2. We would still be in Prohibition.
3. There would not be the equal voting rights that we have today.
4. There would not be laws against discrimination that we have today.

All of the above, started with incensed citizens being mad enough, to take a risk and fight against unjust laws...
One sad observation I have about today's society...is that for many of us....there is just no "fight" inside some of our citizens....and a grumbling acceptance of our impotence as citizens....
And for as long as I live......I hope to never have that attitude that we must accept these major injustices that are wrong....

As I said, you are all welcome to your opinions...feel free to post.....as I have posted mine...

[buckethead]

Agreed dark. We certainly dropped the ball on this one. There's an old joni mitchell song. You don't realize what you have till its gone. I think that applies to people today.

[seamonkey]

My opinion is a lot of it has to do with economics too. Look at the cape may jetties. Our beaches are quite shallow its a lot distance before the water starts getting deep. They took the jetties and took all reasons fishermen have to come to the beach. We don't have a lot of inshore rockpiles or sloughs like you guys do up north. Once those jetties were covered it was a marine wasteland. Now if you want fish your best bet is an inlet or bridge.

Look at the dollars and the groups. Tourists spend millions in each county for the summer. Even hunters have the NRA which has millions of dollars to stick up for them. Ask fishermen to cough up a few dollars for lobbying and research and they won't! I read where the SSFFF was having trouble getting guys to ante up with donations. How hard is it to understand if you don't give them money your fish limits will be cut by NOAA? Some guys just dont get it or are cheap basstards. Whatever.

[seamonkey]

Interesting points I just read in another thead posted here on Sandy and the future. What do you guys think?



Over the past 25 years the Army Corps has routinely replenished the New Jersey coastline, dumping some 56 million cubic meters of sand - the volume equivalent to about 22 Great Pyramids of Giza - along 85 kilometers of shore in an attempt to stave off the Atlantic Ocean.
"But that's only temporary; it'll get washed away," Pilkey says.
"What do we have, 3,000 miles [4,800 kilometers] of barrier island shoreline on the North American coast?
We can't nourish them all to somehow try to keep them all in place. There aren't the resources."

Many people believe sand dunes are the answer to saving barrier islands. Dunes have value, Psuty says, "but all too often they're given the role of savior, which they are not. In reality, the dunes are there because sand is being transferred inland."

Even in Mantoloking, with its reinforced dune, there's a high probability of failure. Why? Development. "That first row of prime properties typically force the dunes to be rebuilt too close to the water to ever last in the waves," Psuty says. Even a big dune with a long steel sea wall within it is vulnerable because it's placed where it's inherently unstable. Psuty thinks that the surf will probably start undermining the sea wall in a few years, tops.

In recent years the Army Corps seemingly has recognized the drawbacks (and futility) of both hard structures and soft beach nourishment, and has bet that some shorelines, particularly on the bay side of the barrier islands, can best be defended by so-called living shorelines, featuring restored wetlands, submerged plants, and oyster reefs. One researcher calls living shorelines a "travesty," while another likens the approach to "putting green lipstick on a pig." Some others reluctantly note that the concept, which for the first time at least considers the welfare of the natural ecosystem, constitutes something of a step forward.

Although the peril to the Jersey Shore is much less dire, the storm surge threat to the East Coast is sufficiently severe that last year the US Department of Housing and Urban Development asked experts to spotlight novel ways to fend off the next big storm. One idea was to build artificial barrier islands "of sand and stone" to further protect the coast, a testament to humanity's dueling natures: perseverance versus stubbornness.

Jersey Shore dwellers must know that, in truth, they surf the crest of a colossal swell of wind-blown sand that is being swept slowly and surely inland. And just like any wave, this westerly one will ultimately break and disappear.
http://www.hakaimagazine.com/article-long/letting-go-paradise

[jigfreak]

Although the peril to the Jersey Shore is much less dire, the storm surge threat to the East Coast is sufficiently severe that last year the US Department of Housing and Urban Development asked experts to spotlight novel ways to fend off the next big storm. One idea was to build artificial barrier islands "of sand and stone" to further protect the coast, a testament to humanity's dueling natures: perseverance versus stubbornness.

You have to be sh***ing me. Yeah those barriers used to be called jetties and now the a**holes from the ACOE wiped them all away. Wonder how long before the jetty country towns get breached in the future.

[buckethead]

Another jab at the ACOE, this time in the national media. Seems what they started is not working, and may not be funded for the next decade like Rep Pallone claims.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video/#!/o...n-NJ/363307031

[njdiver]

DEP COMMISSIONER MARTIN CRITICIZES DREDGING CONTRACTOR?S PLANS TO SUSPEND BEACH AND DUNE CONSTRUCTION ON LONG BEACH ISLAND


http://www.nj.gov/dep/newsrel/2015/15_0120.htm

[plugcrazy]

"I share in the deep disappointment at Great Lakes' decision to leave LBI and our critical beach replenishment project half-completed, subject to the winter weather and storm surges common this time of year," said Congressman Frank LoBiondo (NJ-2). "In close communication and coordination with Commissioner Martin, local mayors and the Army Corps, I have made clear on several occasions to Great Lakes' leadership of my immense frustration at this self-serving business decision that leaves the residents and properties of LBI at risk.

"I will continue to press the importance of finishing this project as planned, ensuring adequate winter storm protection and ample time to plan for the summer tourism season."


"Federal beach nourishment and resiliency projects are essential to projecting our shore communities and preserving our coastline, which is why it is disappointing that sections of Long Beach Island may be left unfinished for some winter months early next year," said U.S. Senator Cory Booker. "I continue to work with Senator Menendez, Congressman LoBiondo and other elected officials to impress upon the Army Corps to work with the contractor to ensure that its contractual obligation to have work completed by Memorial Day is met."


^^^^Check this out, from the article njdiver linked -
No comments from Pallone. Hmmm. Doesn't that sound strange? Or is he only concerned when Long Branch and Deal, the towns that funnel the most money to his campaign, are involved?

[VSdreams]

Another jab at the ACOE, this time in the national media. Seems what they started is not working, and may not be funded for the next decade like Rep Pallone claims.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/video/#!/o...n-NJ/363307031

Unbelievable. If the army corps was a company they would be bankrupt. There seems to be no accountability.

[njdiver]

^^^^Check this out, from the article njdiver linked -
No comments from Pallone. Hmmm. Doesn't that sound strange? Or is he only concerned when Long Branch and Deal, the towns that funnel the most money to his campaign, are involved?

Long Beach is not part of his constituency.

[VSdreams]

I was wondering about that too, thanks for posting.

So, if you're a congressman that is concerned with the "citizens" in your state and what problems they face, usually the problems don't have boundary lines. Poverty and crime spill over from one county to another. I believe its the same with drugs like heroin. Why should beach replenishment be any differrent? The government makes a master plan for the whole NJ coastal area. Why would a congressman NOT speak up about it? Bingo, it's not part of his constituency. To me that shows that they only care about being elected and votes. And the issues are less important than the votes. I really hate some of these two faced politicians. My .02.

[storminsteve]

I wonder if any of this news exposure will cause them to re-visit their stance that one size fits all. The sand stuff does not work, that's clear. Chances of them ever admitting that publicly are very small though.

[DarkSkies]

A lot of good points were made here, people.

Some folks seem to think the Public Trust Doctrine is a supreme weapon to be used by all fishermen no matter what our behavior is towards the folks who live in these areas.

Granted, I have met the angry, elitist, self-entitled homeowners.
I have also made friends with some along the way, and thus been sometimes granted access not available to others. All because I try to see every conflict, from different sides, and try to understand why someone would want to block fishermen access.

I fully support Andrew Chambarry, and agree that anyone who can, should try to funnel outside legal business his direction as a way of saying thanks.

However, I have been up and down the Coast fighting these access battles the past decade, and have learned a few things...
1. In many cases fishermen or visitors to beaches cause bad reps by selfish behavior.
2. No one is more entitled to beach access than anyone else. I feel we should all have equal access.
3. However, some folks have forgotten how to talk to each other, to communicate respectfully.
4. A key case coming into play now is the Amagansett Beach fishermen access, in a place known as "truck beach". I believe that case will become as important in the annals of recent beach access history, as Brookhaven, LI was.
http://stripersandanglers.com/Forum/...Shoreham-Beach!
5. We all need to understand the political climate in any situation. I have ranted about Mr Pallone's hypocrisy several times. However, sometimes there are many factors in the political landscape that we may not be aware of.
6. Fighting or rallying against an issue that has public support, is difficult, but not impossible. It's the people who can make the difference, but also you need key people behind the scenes.








Please don't lose sight of the fact that bodies are needed at these meetings. If you count on Joe or Pete to do it we will lose. Fishermen are one of the worst organized and motivated groups I have been involved with in all my years of activism. In my experience, the real change happens with groups of folks who are motivated to show up and work for it, no matter what the cost in terms of time invested.

Unfortunately, this is lacking in fishermen groups today.
More accurately, it's probably evidence of shift in society's mores overall.

I apologize for the words seeming so harsh here, but honesty is important.
If all we do is complain on the internet, nothing gets accomplished.
For awhile I got disillusioned with fighting for fishermen access, because of all the apathy and bad behavior/selfishness I encountered.
I still have some fight left in me, and am hoping that some of you folks reading this do as well.
If not for you, think of your children, and their children, who will benefit from our effort, or suffer from lack of it.

Thanks for reading...and please continue to post updates and attend meetings. Remember, your voice counts in person, not on the internet.

[fishinmission78]

More money to waste
12-25-15 www.nj.com

Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ) kicked off the final phase of a massive beach replenishment project from Sea Bright to Manasquan last week. Unfortunately, that project, like others before it, is bad news for surfcasters as it will fill in structure and cuts that attract fish to the surf. The popular Phillips Ave. jetty will be notched, though the original six jetties to be notched were reduced to three after negotiations with anglers.

Despite the ecological damage involved, there was no way to stop the project involving $86,722,210 in Sandy aid federal funding as broad beaches are important to Shore communities. In the long run, future northeasters will probably restore some of the damage done and may even uncover some of the jetties being buried.

[surferman]

I belong to surfrider.org. Found this pretty cool article last week detailing a lot of what happened up there in jetty country.
http://www.beachapedia.org/State_of_...J/Beach_Access

[cowherder]

Very well written and detailed. Thanks for sharing.

[hookset]

Saw a crane at Manasquan. I thought they were done with the replenishment there. Or is that damage control from the noreaster. Anyone know? thanks