Coastal Sustainability and Resiliency through Land Acquisition

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Coastal Sustainability and Resiliency through
Land Acquisition

• NJ Land Conservation Rally
• March 7, 2009
• Presented by Adele Keller Mike Davenport,
  Monmouth Conservation Foundation and
• Jennifer DiLorenzo, Urban Coast Institute,
• Monmouth University

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Urban Coast Institute

• Monmouth University Center of Distinction
• Mission To serve the public interest as forum
  for research, education, and collaboration that
  fosters the application of the best available
  science and policy to support healthy and
  productive coastal ecosystems and a sustainable
  and economically vibrant future for coastal
  communities.

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Urban Coast Institute

• CORE PROGRAMS
• COASTAL LAW AND POLICY
• COASTAL WATERSHED MANAGEMENT
• COASTAL COMMUNITIES AND ECONOMICS
• REGIONAL ECOSYSTEM MANAGEMENT

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Sustainable/Resilient Communities Projects

• Promote ecosystem-based management for coastal
  communities to maintain natural resources for
  citizens to enjoy
• Promote sound planning initiatives to preserve
  natural resources, reduce environmental
  degradation and improve water quality
• Promote projects to increase resiliencyreduce
  flooding and impacts from coastal storms,
  erosion, and sea level rise

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Sustainability Defined

• Sustainability, in a broad sense, is the capacity
  of maintaining a certain process or state. It is
  now most frequently used in connection with
  biological and human systems. In an ecological
  context, sustainability can be defined as the
  ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological
  processes, functions, biodiversity and
  productivity into the future.

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Sustainable Coastal Communities
The most popular definition of sustainability can
be traced to a 1987 UN conference. It defined
sustainable developments as those that "meet
present needs without compromising the ability of
future generations to meet their needs"(WECD,
1987). Robert Gillman, editor of the In Context
magazine, extends this goal oriented definition
by stating "sustainability refers to a very old
and simple concept (The Golden Rule)...do onto
future generations as you would have them do onto
you."
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Sustainability

• Definition Meeting the needs of the present
  without compromising the ability of future
  generations to meet their own needs.(USEPA
  http//www.epa.gov/Sustainability/)
• Sustainable Coastal Communities links two
  important concepts 1) that environmental
  protection does not preclude economic development
  and 2) that economic development must be
  ecologically viable now and in the long
  run.(USEPA http//www.epa.gov/Sustainability/)

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UCI Sustainable Coastal Communities Project

• Community Support and Visioning
• Water Quality and Natural Resource Protection
• Planning for Green Communities through Green
  Teamsplanning for land conservation, energy
  efficiency, water resources protection,
  environmental education
• Open Space is limited in coastal communities and
  all avenues to increase open space are important

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Sustainability

• Community Support and Visioning
• Water Quality and Natural Resource Protection
• Planning to Create Green Communitiesenergy
  efficiency, environmental education, water
  conservation
• Model Planning/Ordinances-Storm drain management,
  Nitrogen Ordinance

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WATER QUALITY MONITORING

• Readings are taken every 15 min and transmit once
  per hour to Monmouth, NJDEP and Stevens
  Institute

• Keyport Harbor, Keyport Yacht Club
• Navesink River, Oceanic Bridge
• Shrewsbury River, Pleasure Bay Bridge
• Shark River, Belmar Basin Marina
• Manasquan River, Daymark 13 ( East of Rt 70
  Bridge)
• Barnegat Bay, Mantoloking Yacht Club
• Barnegat Bay, Seaside Park Yacht Club
• Barnegat Bay, Bonnet Island, Rt. 72

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Resilience

• Definition the ability of a system to respond
  and recover from natural disasters
• Factors influencing community resilience 1.
  natural systems (e.g. wetlands) 2. building
  codes, construction practices, and elevation3.
  wealth, insurance, financial resources4.
  community outreach5. understanding risk

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Resiliency/Sustainability Strategies for Coastal
Communities

• Community Understanding, Support, and Acceptance
• Land Acquisition
• No Adverse Impact
• Model Ordinances1. Fill restrictions2. Lot
  coverage
• Public Education on Sea Level Rise, hazards
  mitigation and planning

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Land Conservation/Acquisition

• Identify and Prioritize coastal land sites for
  the Public Trust, sustainable community and
  resiliency benefits
• Identify sites potential for conservation
  easements, public access, enforcement rights of
  access
• Identify potential sources of funding-public/priva
  te

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Public Trust Doctrine

• By the law of nature these things are common to
  all mankind the air, running water, the sea,
  and consequently the shores of the sea. No one,
  therefore, is forbidden to approach the seashore,
  provided that he respects habitations, monuments
  and the buildings, which are not, like the sea,
  subject only to the law of nations. Justinian,
  Book II

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Public Trust Doctrine (PTD)

• Seas and seashore constitute a common heritage
  and should be open to all
• Incorporated into English Law and the Magna Carta
  strengthened these public rights
• In the U.S. PTD maintains public rights to lands
  under navigable waters and tidelands (all) and to
  the natural resources in them.

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Public Trust Doctrine/Public Access

• While the PTD differs between states, it
  generally limits the rights of ocean front
  property owners below the mean high tide line.
  
• Most states allow free access to the intertidal
  zone for walking, swimming, fishing, sunbathing,
  etc. and generally prevent private property
  owners from excluding the publics access to the
  water below the mean high tide line.

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Public Access Sites/Project
Sea Bright, NJ11 public access points7 have
parking2 have restrooms2 are handicap
accessibleThere is 19,430 linear feet of
shoreline1943 feet between points3238 feet
between points with parking9320 feet between
points w/ parking, restrooms, and handicap
accessibility
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The Public Trust Doctrine todayMU Student
project
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The State as Trustee
Enforcement of the Trust
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Access Sites in Violation of the Public Trust
Doctrine

• No Signage
• Insufficient Parking
• Time limitations
• Spaces shared with residential complexes, shops,
  etc
• No Public Restrooms
• No Food and Drink
• No Trash Receptacles
• No Public Access

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Protect Trust Rights

• Purchase private beach clubs, shore front lots
  (e.g. Takanasee Beach Club, Tradewinds, empty or
  unused lots Monmouth Beach
• Use federal CELCP funds blue and green acres
  funds, TDR, and maritime working waterfronts
  funds to keep public access and preserve public
  trust

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Coastal Zone Management Program

• Reauthorization underway
• Need to increase CELCP (Coastal and Estuarine
  Land Conservation Program) funding

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Contact Information

• Jennifer DiLorenzo
• Sustainable Coastal Community Liaison
• Urban Coast Institute
• Monmouth University
• 400 Cedar Avenue
• West Long Branch, New Jersey 07764-1898
• [phone]
• [phone] (fax)
• jdiloren_at_monmouth.edu
• www.monmouth.edu/urban_coast_institute