Protecting an eroding shoreline: the evolution of management response

Sandy Hook. New Jersey, was used by the US Army until 1970 for coastal defence installations at the entrance to New York harbour and as an ordnance proving ground. Since 1970, Sandy Hook has been managed by the US National Park Service as a part of Gateway National Recreation Area. An important problem which managers of both institutions have had to face is the instability of the narrow neck of the spit. The high rates of erosion which have predominated at the neck have jeopardized the overland access route to the facilities at the northern end of the spit, and both Army and Park Service managers have taken steps to alleviate the problem. A breach in the neck in 1896 led the Army engineers to construct a seawall to close the breach and to protect the access road. Over the next 30 years, several projects were undertaken to extend the length of the seawall and to reinforce the structure. The Park Service managers are currently facing the same problem, although the focus of erosion has been transferred northward. The National Park Service has chosen a more dynamic solution to the problem in accordance with their objectives for this eroding area. This study demonstrates that the protection approaches selected for use by the managers of both institutions were a function of differing objectives. In addition, the study provides an example of how management decisions made in the past influence present management actions.