Glenn Gurley: Welcome to our last Town Meeting... Can anyone tell us what today is?

Baskerville Kids: Earth Day!

Beaufort Middle1: What have you done for Earth Day?

Baskerville Kids: Hi Beaufort Middle - we are cleaning up the schoolyard.

Beaufort Middle2: That's great.

Baskerville Kids: What about you?

Beaufort Middle1: We are studying about the earth.

Baskerville Kids: Cool!

Baskerville Kids: YES!

Mrs. Jones's Class: yes

Lange: Definitely

Beaufort Middle1: yes

Beaufort Middle2: Do you know anything about Blackbeard.

Dr. Lundie Spence: I met Blackbeard once while paddling in Teach's Bay in Ocracoke. He was a ghost without a head!

Baskerville Kids: Neat!

Dr. Lundie Spence: How many of you have seen Cape Hatteras Lighthouse?

Baskerville Kids: Only our teacher

Mrs. Jones's Class: Several of my students have.....

Beaufort Middle2: Half of us have seen the lighthouse.

Beaufort Middle1: Several of us have seen the Lighthouse

Beaufort Middle2: We are near the Cape Lookout Lighthouse.

Dr. Lundie Spence: I am holding a small model of the lighthouse in my hand. The original was built in 1870, 1300 feet from the ocean. Now it is almost in the ocean. It is being moved in June. 

Baskerville Kids: For the protection of the beach's future, it is best to move the lighthouse.

Beaufort Middle1: Build a wall to protect the Lighthouse.

Beaufort Middle2: Build a wall to protect it

Mrs. Jones's Class: My students say, "let's move it..."

Mt. Pleasant Elemen: There are 19 students here who think we should move it

Lange: What are the problems with moving it?

Baskerville Kids: Cost, planning, but it is worth the cost and effort to move.

Beaufort Middle1: No, it could be damaged.

Beaufort Middle1: Why do you think we should move it?

Baskerville Kids: It is an historical landmark, and we think it is valuable to our state's culture.

Beaufort Middle1: It already has a crack in it.

Mrs. Jones's Class: My students feel building a wall would be dangerous... it might break

Baskerville Kids: The scientists have put lots of sensors on it to keep track of cracks.

Dr. Lundie Spence: Scientists have proved that NC barrier islands are migrating. Thus the beach is moving to the West. Buildings like the Lighthouse are in the path of this natural move. If we build a wall, the ocean comes to the wall and we lose the beach.

Baskerville Kids: We studied about how sand has to move naturally - migration.

Beaufort Middle2: yes, but it was originally there and we shouldn't move it but protect it.

Baskerville Kids: Beaufort Middle 2, maybe when they originally put the lighthouse there, they didn't know about island migration

Dr. Lundie Spence: Actually Baskerville, even George Washington knew about the move and he built lighthouses up to 1500 from the edge. They weren't meant to last forever.

Beaufort Middle2: What are the structural dangers of moving the lighthouse?

Beaufort Middle1: How would you move it?

Dr. Lundie Spence: The lighthouse is being moved 2,900 ft from where it is. It is now being lifted on a rail and the base cut away.

Lange: Are they building a new base to support it at the new location?

Baskerville Kids: We saw all the images of the granite foundation being cut with the diamond cable saw.

Mt. Pleasant Elemen: Can you tell us how long will it take to move the lighthouse?

Glenn Gurley: Can you compare the cost of these two options?

Baskerville Kids: Sure - 20+ million to move at least; much less to build wall

Dr. Lundie Spence: A well known chimney moving company is in charge of the lighthouse. It is being moved like the space shuttle--very slowly.

Mrs. Jones's Class: We've just gotten attached to the lighthouse as a special symbol of North Carolina

Baskerville Kids: Good Point, Mrs. Jones' Class!

Dr. Lundie Spence: The cost of the lighthouse to maintain it where it is more expensive than the move. And, big storms can still damage it even with seawalls and groins.

Baskerville Kids: The move is smartest, then, for long term.

Lange: Will building a wall around the lighthouse affect only the beach near the lighthouse, or will it affect beaches to the north and south of the lighthouse area?

Dr. Lundie Spence: Building a seawall or groin (a large wall extending into the sea) will cause erosion to increase on either side. What does that mean for the beach or more interestingly for the motels to the north?

Mrs. Jones's Class: Perhaps the lighthouse is more important then a hotel or motel.

Shaw Univ.: Shouldn't developers on the seashore have to absorb any damages by storms or erosion on their own?

Baskerville Kids: This is the issue we looked at - public or private ownership, custodianship, and responsibility? - Good point, Shaw

Lange: Baskerville - what did you decide? Public or private?

Baskerville Kids: We think structures at the beach should be built at the builder's own risk; fully knowing that they may lose with the natural shift of the sands. Everyone should have access to beach areas.

Dr. Lundie Spence: Shaw, good question. NC has a policy of no hard structures on the beach. Only beach nourishment (adding more sand). So far, costs are paid for by the county, state and/or federal government. Any beach nourished with public money is open to the public--we keep the beach. But it is expensive. And, scientists have discovered we don't have enough sand in the nearshore sea to nourish all beaches. What should people with beach houses or Lighthouses do?

Shaw Univ.: Move in to higher inland plots

Baskerville Kids: We read that Figure Eight wanted to dredge sand but Shell Island would suffer further...

Dr. Lundie Spence: Shell Island Resort was built near an inlet, which can and has migrated very quickly. Therefore, there is a channel near to the Resort and new beach at Figure Eight. But the middle of Figure Eight Island is eroding faster than the end.

Lange: It sounds like figure Eight and Shell Island both want their islands to survive, but each island had to be careful that the measures they take don't damage the other's shore.

Dr. Lundie Spence: Lange, one idea for Shell Island is to dig a new channel for the inlet through the new sand spit on Figure 8. This would hurt salt marshes for a while, but may solve the problem. If you owned the land on the new spit, would you let someone cut a channel through it? For the sake of the Resort and people who own the condos? You would be paid.

Lange: Glenn, it would be more appropriate for you to answer that question, since you just lost your house to public highways…I would be more likely to allow someone to cut a channel through my land if they gave me the same amount of land at another location.

Baskerville Kids: How many schools/students think shell island resort should be saved?

Mt. Pleasant Elemen: There are 15 students who say leave the resort alone

Mrs. Jones's Class: Baskerville kids... we did not vote on Shell Island in particular...but we did debate the issue of "Bedrooms vs. Beaches".... The outcome was to save the beaches on most point of view papers....

Baskerville Kids: None of us thought Shell Island should be saved except Jesneka, who played the role of a apartment owner.

Dr. Lundie Spence: Beaches in NC erode (or islands migrate) at different rates, depending on storms and their locations. Beaches in the northern Outer Banks erode faster (up to 12 ft per year) than southern beaches (less than 3 ft). The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse should last at least 50 years or more. Depends on rising sea level rates and hurricanes.

Lange: If NC beaches erode up to 12 feet per year, how long will it take for Beaufort to disappear into the sea?

Dr. Lundie Spence: Towns like Beaufort (south of Cape Hatteras) won't experience the erosion found at Shackleford Banks or Cape Lookout. But they will experience changes due to rising sea level. A good discussion is what should Beaufort do? Move, build walls (be like the Netherlands)--this is a real problem and many people are trying to decide. Barrier Islands are going to show change more and more.

Beaufort Middle1: We couldn't exactly move all of Beaufort because it is a historical site.

Beaufort Middle2: Would a bulkhead be enough to stop it?

Dr. Lundie Spence: Beaufort, yes, a bulkhead (sort of like you already have) could stop it? It is an engineering issue and money. Are any of you going to be coastal engineers?

Beaufort Middle1: If we do nothing, what would happen to Beaufort in 50 years?

Dr. Lundie Spence: Get a topographical map of your area and check the elevation above sea level. If the sea rises 10" in 50 years (high estimate), what areas will be threatened?

Beaufort Middle1: We are only a few feet above sea level

Lange: I would assume that most of you at Beaufort will be alive in 50 years. Is Dr. Spence saying this issue WILL affect you?

Beaufort Middle1: Yes, we won't be able to live here because of the erosion.

Lange: Many of you could be part of the historical committee that works on saving some of the landmarks...which will you choose to save from Beaufort?

Dr. Lundie Spence: Question to the inland students--do you think rising sea level and moving islands will effect you?

Beaufort Middle1: Not anytime soon.

Baskerville Kids: It would be so far in the future.

Beaufort Middle2: We have to go to class now. Thank-you everyone for the questions and answers that were presented today. Thank-you Dr. Spence for your time. We enjoyed it.

Lange: I remember reading about putting tires, Christmas trees, etc. into the water to create artificial barriers...does that actually work?

Dr. Lundie Spence: Tires and trees build sand dunes that are barriers to acute erosion (like that caused by hurricanes), but they do not help long term or chronic erosion.

Mrs. Jones's Class: Are the mountain and piedmont regions expressing opinions about the beach erosion and lighthouse issue?

Dr. Lundie Spence: Inland areas help pay for beach protection and Federal Flood Insurance for home/resort protection through taxes. So they are involved.

Mrs. Jones's Class: How do our representatives in Raleigh feel overall about this problem... are they concerned?

Dr. Lundie Spence: Our representatives are very concerned and need to hear opinions from people like you. They represent us.

Mrs. Jones's Class: Do you get the feeling that MONEY/TAXES will determine the final outcome of the Outer Banks?

Dr. Lundie Spence: I really believe that good education and understanding of the natural systems are also valuable determinants of the outcome. That is why your interest is so important.

Mrs. Jones's Class: So many needs in our state.... I wonder if the beaches of NC will be a top priority.....

Lange: I can see e-mail going to state legislatures from each of today's participants after this discussion :-)

Mrs. Jones's Class: Lange..... YESSSSS..... email the representatives.... I agree...

Baskerville Kids: we will try to e-mail some representatives.

Glenn Gurley: We have looked at the endangered sites at the coast... are there other sites in North Carolina... other situations?

Dr. Lundie Spence: Glenn, we have many threatened sites in NC. For example, we have many migrating birds that need corridors of natural forests to pass through. Our wetlands, even those in the Piedmont, are in danger of being filled for development. We need to protect wetlands not only for wildlife, but also for water replenishment for us. Water is the most critical issue long term for all of us. Another great topic for discussion.

Baskerville Kids: The marsh at Masons Inlet--will the habitat be damaged by hard structures?

Baskerville Kids: Yes we enjoyed roles. The can in the inquiry images with living organisms gave us some problems. We couldn't decide what was best.

Glenn Gurley: Earth Day allows to reflect, look at our world and what we can do to make it better!

Baskerville Kids: Next week we are studying birds, to get ready for May 8-international migratory bird day.

Dr. Lundie Spence: Baskerville, right now migratory songbirds, the warblers, are coming from South America, through NC to nest and raise their babies. They need the corridors. The NC State Museum of Natural Sciences is doing exhibits on this for their new building. Keep up with them. Also great WEB sites.

Glenn Gurley: Any final comments Dr. Spence? This has been great! I cannot believe how fast this hour has gone!

Mrs. Jones's Class: I've enjoyed hearing other opinions today.... Thank you, Dr. Spence for your additional information on these problems.... I'm sorry my students did not get to stay for the entire conference....