Access to the Waterfront: Issues and Solutions Across the Nation (PDF; 5.57 MB)
Source: Maine Sea Grant College Program, University of Maine
From press release:

Fishermen forced off the docks in Alabama. Waiting lists for moorings in Massachusetts. Public paths to the beach blocked in California. Commercial waterfronts eclipsed by private residences in Maine. Coasts transformed by condominiums in North Carolina. Marinas and boat ramps crowded in Florida. These scenes are not featured on the postcards of today, yet they are real and they are happening all around the U.S. coastline, according to a report released today by Maine Sea Grant.

The report, Access to the Waterfront: Issues and Solutions Across the Nation, contains the results of a survey of over 140 coastal managers and extension agents conducted by Maine Sea Grant, Hawaii Sea Grant, the National Sea Grant network and Coastal Zone Management programs. The survey found that access to and from the ocean is a challenge in many communities. With nowhere to swim and nowhere to land, recreational, commercial, and industrial users of the coast are competing for access, placing pressure on America’s shorelines as a tide of demographic and economic change sweeps through coastal towns, harbors, and communities.

Respondents to the survey cited multiple reasons for these changes, including increasing population and development, rising coastal property values, declines in fishing and other industries, and shifting land ownership patterns. Resulting pressure on remaining public areas and infrastructure also means increased pressure on fragile coastal habitat, and coastal managers have limited resources to address these challenges. Disasters like hurricanes magnify and exacerbate conflicts, as detailed in a special section of the report about access issues in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 26th, 2007 at 8:18 pm and is filed under Environment. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.