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Our Shifting Eastern Shore A wilderness of concrete carpets the Atlantic coast from Boston to Norfolk, a sprawling megalopolis of some 35 million people. Yet even in the midst of intense urbanization, a few rivers, forests, and fields manage to survive; and so do numerous species of waterfowl and endangered raptors such as peregrine falcons, bald eagles, and ospreys. All along the coast, estuaries and wetlands provide nurseries for fish and shellfish, reminders that the Atlantic fisheries were once among the richest on the continent. Sea turtles nest on the barrier beaches along the southeast coast; manatees dodge powerboats in the waters of Florida. This region's problems are as varied as its natural bounty. Poorly planned development spreads out over wildlands, and shorelines are cut up for beach homes and resorts, limiting public access and destroying fragile barrier beaches and wetlands. Pesticide and nutrient-laden runoff from farms and suburban lawns contaminate waterways and aquifers. Highways built to serve the growing population fragment natural areas and farmland; increased auto traffic adds airborne pollutants to an already overburdened ecosystem. Loggers--especially in New Brunswick, Maine, and the southeastern coastal states are clearing thousands of acres of trees for pulp and timber, replacing the complex biology of living forests with tree farms. Oil companies plan to exploit the 200-mile-wide Exclusive Economic Zone set up by the federal government along the coast; the shipping of oil and chemicals through coastal waterways invites catastrophe. As Aldo Leopold taught us, the first step is to save all the pieces. The Sierra Club is working to preserve what biological diversity remains along the Atlantic coast by protecting open space, seeking corridors to connect existing protected areas, and winning new wildlife refuges. The wetlands of the coastal region are an essential resource, and the Club has been battling to save them from being drained and developed out of existence. The state of Maine, for example, is trying to build a bulk-cargo port on Sears Island that would destroy the island's rich wetlands--a project the Club is actively campaigning against. In Florida, the Sierra Club has been fighting to free the Kissimmee River from its concrete tomb. As part of the largest wetlands restoration in U.S. history, Congress has recently allocated $300 million so that the Army Corps of Engineers can undo the damage it has done to the Kissimmee. The best way to stop suburban sprawl is to make cities more livable, so the Sierra Club is working with urban designers and planners, fighting unneeded highway projects and promoting rail travel. Club activists are supporting energy efficiency and conservation as alternatives to the construction of another round of power plants (Virginia alone has given permits to more than two dozen new coal-fired facilities) and to projects that would drain distant water sources to assuage the thirst of the coastal cities (such as the proposed pipeline from the Mattaponi River to Newport News, a water grab that would fuel even more sprawl in Tidewater Virginia). The abundant land that astonished the first European explorers can still be glimpsed here, if sometimes only through a haze of pollution. The great challenge is to restore the ecological integrity of the Atlantic Coast Ecoregion, so that future generations will have an equal opportunity for wonder. Contact: Photo copyright © Michael P. Trent; used with permission. Up to Top |
