Nature is pleased with simplicity. And ~Isaac Newto nature is no dummy. n
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Toward a Sustainable Future:
Monarchs on native Seaside Goldenrod
By Dr. Lenore Tedesco, Executive Director of The Wetlands Institute ustainability focuses on meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Environmental sustainability is one of the three pillars of sustainability along with economic and social sustainability. Seven Mile Beach faces significant challenges in the quest for sustainability that can balance community values with the realities of the 21st century. Island communities by their very nature have limited resources and in a rapidly changing world, the stresses on natural resources and island infrastructure are becoming ever more apparent and acute. Seven Mile Beach is really nothing more than a sandy ridge that was built up above the ocean over the past 10,000 years or less. It is extremely susceptible to the whims of the sea and storms. The very things that we all love about Seven Mile Beach and our island communities, place significant limits on the ability of these communities to remain sustainable into the future. The boroughs of Avalon and Stone Harbor have taken several steps that help move toward sustainability by adopting
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Landscaping that is designed to capture runoff.
and promoting practices that strengthen the island communities and lessen the stresses that the island way of life has on our natural resources and built environment. There is a lot more to do and it’s important that our residents and property owners become literate in sustainability issues and their role in contributing to the achievement of sustainability. It is my hope that these “beach-read articles� can help with this education and also provide concrete steps that you can take to become part of the solution. In this article, I will focus on water management at the individual-lot level and suggest approaches that can also benefit wildlife. One significant problem for the sustainability of Seven Mile Beach is managing flooding and protecting the freshwater supply. The fresh-water supply on barrier islands is especially vulnerable to rising seas. Low-lying island streets flood with saltwater dozens of times each year even on sunny days; the result of rising seas. Storm intensity and frequency has measurably increased, bringing saltwater flooding as well as flooding by rainwater. Rainfall in New Jersey has increased 4-6 inches since the 1950s and this raincontinued on page 46
Seven Mile Times
August 2020
s e ve nm ile t im e s .c o m