NEW JERSEY'S BEACHES: On Shifting Sands - Brief Article

E: The Environmental Magazine, Sept, 2000 by Jim Motavalli

Tourism brings in $12 billion annually to the New Jersey shore. In Sandy Hook, Dery Bennett's stand against beach replenishment has put him at odds with the business community, which sees the sand as vital to its busy tourist season. Real estate lobbyist Ken Smith calls Bennett "a lousy misanthrope" for opposing more coastal development, and Bennett returns the volley by labeling Smith "a shill for the real estate industry." Is agreement likely in the face of such polarization?

Climate scientists predict that sea level in New Jersey could rise an additional two feet in the next 100 years, with predictable havoc wrought on that priceless real estate. Chances are, people will retreat to higher ground, but then come back to rebuild with federal help. But the time is fast approaching when we may have to abandon all those beautiful homes, beach clubs and resort hotels, because they're built on rapidly shifting sands. CONTACT: American Littoral Society, (732)291-0055, www.alsnyc.org; New York/New Jersey Baykeeper, (732)291-0176, www.nynjbaykeeper.org.

JIM MOTAVALLI is editor of E and author of Forward Drive: The Race to Build "Clean" Cars for the Future (Sierra Club Books/Random House).