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| This is what is left of the beach to the north of Sharp Park golf course. |
Greetings Surfriders and Friends,
Last month our two beach preservation campaigns suffered setbacks. For Sharp Park, the Coastal Commission unanimously voted to approve the pumphouse renovation project. As we noted in prior posts, renovating the golf course and its infrastructure will eventually lead to an effort to enlarge the seawall. Given the sorry stat of Pacifica's northern beaches, it is hard to understand the approval of this permit. Check out the photo above to see what is at stake. Suffice to say, we will continue to fight for beach preservation at Sharp Park.
On the Sloat front, we were dealt a loss over the vote on sand mining at the Bay Conservation and Development Commission meeting. The agency approved the permits that will allow major sand extraction from SF Bay. The good news is that the Commission is more fully aware of the scientific data showing a strong correlation between sand mining and the loss of sand coming out to our beaches. BCDC acted well in mandating a large pool of money to be used for additional research on this issue.
In summary, while both votes did not go our way, we did force decision-makers to consider the impacts of these projects on our beaches. Both agencies know that enhanced coastal erosion and sea level rise are coming our way; and that proactive steps will be needed to mitigate the damage. Superstorm Sandy has taught all of us that there is a a hefty price to pay for policies of denial, delay and half measures. Rest assured, we'll keep working for sound decision making that protects our beaches.
Thanks for checking in!
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| Rodeo Lagoon in Marin: This what a restored Sharp Park wetland could look like. |
