|
|
||
|
Search Archive | |
 |
 After the channel between two islands in Dry Tortugas National Park closed because of natural sediment movement, NPS Geologic Resources Division staff evaluated possible management alternatives. Analysis resulted in a decision to leave the natural sand isthmus in place. Julia Brunner Rebecca Beavers
Back to Chapter 4: Marine and Coastal Resource Protection Articles A new era for marine resource protection at Dry Tortugas and the Florida Keys By Brien Culhane, AICP Coral reefs in American Samoa: A practical approach to monitoring By Peter Craig Evolution of coral reef monitoring at Virgin Islands By Jeff Miller USGS science for coastal national parks By Rebecca L. Beavers Other Developments Award-winner Profile - Dr. Charles Roman honored Damage assessment process bears fruit |
 |
 By Julia Brunner and Rebecca Beavers Citizen demands regarding the coastlines of the United States are both extensive and contradictory. Americans want miles of undeveloped shoreline for walking, bird-watching, and spiritual renewal, in addition to wide beaches to protect coastal homes and cities from hurricanes and the rising sea. These goals require naturally functioning ecosystems, including the natural movement of sand. Yet, citizens also want the benefits of engineered coastlines, such as reliable navigation channels, fiber-optic cables, and oceanside roads. As the manager of more than 7,300 miles of shoreline and one of the largest federal land managers of coastal areas, the National Park Service strives to protect park resources despite these competing demands. In 2001 the newly formed coastal team within the NPS Geologic Resources Division addressed these issues, providing individual parks and centralized offices with scientific information, technical expertise, and policy analysis. Many of these modern-day challenges beset Cape Hatteras National Seashore, North Carolina. In 2001 the national seashore continued to steadfastly oppose a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers plan to build mile-long jetties on either side of Oregon Inlet, a major navigation channel within the seashore. Intended to enhance the local commercial fishery by restricting sand flows into the inlet, the jetties, at a cost of $100 million, would harm wildlife such as piping plovers and sea turtles, diminish public recreation, and cause massive erosion at the seashore. Along with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, fishery experts, geologists, and economists, the National Park Service has long opposed this proposal. In 2001 the Corps of Engineers released the final supplement to the environmental impact statement on this project. With the assistance of the Geologic Resources Division and the NPS Southeast Region, the national seashore persistently and persuasively voiced its concerns throughout the year to the Council on Environmental Quality, the General Accounting Office, the Corps of Engineers, and the Department of the Interior. The fate of the project is unresolved, but the seashore’s unflagging resistance may play a crucial role in the final decision. Meanwhile, the Geologic Resources Division examined mechanisms for decreasing damage to park resources and values caused by non-NPS dredging and disposal activities in coastal parks. To date, the National Park Service has not fully supervised or, in some cases, even known about these activities. In 2001 the Park Service began to significantly increase its role in planning and execution of such operations to better protect park resources. Occasionally, parks may consider dredging to maintain navigation channels, provide access to cultural resources, and improve water quality. At Dry Tortugas National Park, for example, a channel dredged during construction of Fort Jefferson filled with sand and closed in December 2000. Division staff evaluated this site in 2001 and recommended that the park allow the channel to remain closed rather than fight natural processes through an intensive dredging operation. In the past year, division staff also researched the National Park Service’s ability to protect coastal resources from the negative impacts of laying fiber-optic cable across park coral reefs. Digging of trenches and drilling of tubes for the cables increase siltation, which deprives living coral of light and oxygen. Improperly secured cables can also damage coral. Despite these problems, telecommunication companies are laying thousands of miles of cable around the world and have applied to coastal parks for right-of-way permits. In the course of assisting War in the Pacific National Historical Park in addressing such an inquiry, the Geologic Resources Division found that the National Park Service’s statutory, regulatory, and policy mandates give the bureau the undisputed authority to protect park coral reefs from such activities. From urban coastal parks such as Golden Gate National Recreation Area to rural units like San Juan Island National Historic Park, coastal areas face an increasing array of challenges. By applying a higher level of technical and policy expertise to coastal issues in 2001, the National Park Service furthered its fundamental purpose of preserving for future generations the natural resources in its care. |
|||
|
This material is from Natural Resource Year in Review--2001, published by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, in May 2001 (publication D-2255) /YearInReview/yir/yir2001/04_marine/04_5_brunner.html Last Updated: |
