newsobserver.com | Seawall up for vote in Senate

I received this letter which has been sent to the N&O in response to this article.
newsobserver.com | Seawall up for vote in Senate
We read your 23 May article "Seawall up for vote in Senate" with interest. We are very tired of the Coastal Engineer community condemning everything while offering nothing constructive. They say we'll have beaches for generations if we do nothing - this is simply not true - our coastline is no longer natural, it is developed, and unless we are willing to relocate every home and business within 25 miles of the coast that will not change. While we have no opinions about the two instances in the article, we do suggest, as an example, the state's no-groin policy has caused more harm than good around Oregon Inlet, the beaches to the north, and the Bonner Bridge.

The coastal engineering community is becoming irrelevant because they offer no realistic options to state and local governments to these questions:

• How can we realistically protect our coastline, environment, economy, and communities?


• What should be the vision for 5, 10, 20, 25 years from now?


• What options should the state be pursuing to achieve that vision?

We need a viable coastal policy that addresses reality in a way that will preserve our coastal way of life for generations to come.

/signed/
John & Annette Ratzenberger
Nags Head, NC, 27959