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LBI Municipalities
Beach Cleaning Procedures
ALO - sent the following letter on January 16, 2001, to all six municipalities:
Dear Mayor [Commissioners],
The Alliance for a Living Ocean would like to propose a change to beach cleaning procedures. Presently, many beaches are raked on a daily basis during the summer months, or periods of tourism use. They are "cleaned" on the middle and high tide areas, not raked at the water's edge. However, this procedure is carried out on all public access beaches. None of these are left natural for birds and other inhabitants to partake of the washed up clams, crabs, etc., or for humans to observe and enjoy a natural beach environment.
Razor clams, mollusks, moonsnails, dog whelks and various types of worms, all may be found burrowing into the sand above the tide. Horseshoe and other crabs, sponges, sea grasses and the skeletons of bryozoan colonies contribute to the joy of studying "life" at the water's edge. Sea life becomes almost non-existent toward the middle of the ocean lessening with increasing distance from land. (Seashore Life Between the Tides by William Crowder).
ALO is proposing that a section of the beach be left natural, or perhaps not raked on a daily basis, allowing a more natural setting to develop. There is evidence that tidal zone inhabitants use shells and sea grasses as a refuge from wave shock. Many do not like exposed places. Daily raking eliminates these hiding places and a multitude of finds for the "beachcomber".
We love our beautiful beaches and understand the liability involved if dangerous objects should be present. Thus we encourage each person to practice Adopt-A-Beach habits. We do not wish to impact on anyone's "place-in-the-sun", however, so much of our native wild places have been eliminated. Might we not better serve our LBI guests by showing them a living, dynamic shoreline? Is it really necessary to be spotless? Conserve and respect tide line dwellers, give them protected, equal space, between the tides, if only for a few days.
The result will be collective memories of the true sights, sounds and smells of a barrier island.
Thank you for your attention.
Towards Clean Water,
Joan Koons, President, Board of Trustees
[Ship Bottom responded, "All municipalities clean areas other than water's edge - they will continue to do so." ALO wishes to hear from you on this issue.]
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