Concern for the Barrier Islands

To the Editor:
As I prepare to graduate from Penn State University, I find myself thinking, “What kind of world am I going to be living in 10 years from now? What kind of world will my kids be growing up in?” I can’t help but be concerned.
I recently did some research on the construction of development upon barrier islands and what I learned was staggering. A barrier island is a strip of land that can be hundreds of miles wide or a few feet; it essentially serves as a natural barrier between the ocean and the shore. Millions of these wonderful little natural barriers hug every major coast of our world. Not only are they diverse and complex ecosystems, comprised of a delicate and important dune system, they serve a purpose. They protect the shore from storms. And what are we doing? We’re destroying them by building hotels and condos and beachfront homes.
Why should we care? It’s happening here. The majority of the New Jersey shoreline is along barrier islands. Cape May is a barrier island. When we build on barrier islands, we are subjecting ourselves to danger; barrier islands often feel the worse effects of storms, and flood barriers just don’t always do the trick. They didn’t during Superstorm Sandy. In parts of New Jersey, the entire surface of the barrier island was covered with water.
We all know the figures – billions of dollars of property damages. I can’t sit back quietly and watch as we continue to develop along barrier islands. Something has to be done.
I understand it is a stretch to ask the entire town of Cape May to pack up and leave the island. But, in the future, we should all be aware of the repercussions that development has on the environment. We are ruining habitats, and we are interfering with a natural barrier that wants to protect us and other valuable living things. Let’s be mindful of this next time we break ground for a new beachfront structure.