Crowd focuses on risk to inlets Shoaling deemed threat to economy
By JERRY ALLEGOOD, Staff Writer
SWANSBORO — Shallow inlets that divide the coastal barrier islands brought together hundreds of people Thursday who are worried that losing the inlets to sandbars will threaten the entire coast.
About 600 people packed the Rotary Civic Center in Swansboro for a meeting to discuss the growing danger of too much sand in the inlets and not enough money to keep them open. A few Coast Guard officials attended, as did representatives of U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr and Reps. Walter Jones and Mike McIntyre.
Speakers called on state and federal officials to replace the loss of federal funds that traditionally have paid for dredging to keep the inlets open.
Fishermen, boaters and merchants said the gaps in the barrier islands provide crucial access to the ocean.
President Bush’s 2005 budget has no money for five shallow inlets: Lockwoods Folly, New Topsail, New River, Bogue and Carolina Beach inlet.
Capt. Stan Jarusinski, president of the Onslow Bay Saltwater Fishing Club, said at least $5 million is needed to properly maintain inlets threatened by shoaling, the rising of the sandbars.
He said government agencies find money when disasters strike and they should do the same with the current threat.
“I’m sure that they can find emergency money somewhere,” he said.
Lee Manning, operator of two charter boats that use Bogue Inlet in Carteret County, said he can’t run his two boats through the inlet if depth is less than 5 feet.
“If the inlet were to close and we couldn’t go out, it would be devastating to me,” he said.
He said he takes 4,000 people on fishing charters during the summer.
Speakers said the impact extends beyond those who work or play in the water. Felton Murray, president of the Swansboro Rotary Club, said Bogue Inlet is used extensively by boats during the club’s annual King Mackerel fishing tournament. He said the tournament, scheduled in May, attracts about 300 boats and brings $1.3 million to the local economy.
The club sponsors scholarships and other community projects, he said.
Scott Chadwick, a representative of the Swansboro Chamber of Commerce, said shoaling threatens two industries — tourism and the military — that drive Eastern North Carolina’s economy. Marine Corps officials have warned that shoaling could interfere with training at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base.
Chadwick said using deeper inlets farther away, as has been suggested, is not acceptable for local residents and businesses. Chadwick, who runs a plant nursery, said loss of boating will ripple through the economy, harming restaurants, gas stations and others.
The impact is not just local, said Chuck Routh of Kernersville, near Winston-Salem.
Routh, who also has a home in Carteret County, drove 250 miles to attend the meeting. He said boaters from inland areas also rely on the inlets, and many are not familiar with local waters.
For years the Army Corps of Engineers has dredged the shallow inlets four times a year to maintain a depth of 6 to 8 feet of water. Some channels, including New River, currently have about 3 feet of water.
The Coast Guard has started removing channel markers from inlets that are too shallow for its boats to work.
The Swansboro meeting drew government officials and business leaders from Carteret to Brunswick counties. Participants snatched up bumper stickers bearing the slogan “Save the Inlets.”
They collected donations for a recently formed organization called the Alliance of North Carolina Inlets. They also lined up to sign petitions calling for dredging to keep the waterways open.
“Loss of life can be expected with rescue attempts impeded or access to marooned vessels will be denied,” the petition said.
Staff writer Jerry Allegood can be reached at (252) 752-8411 or
je****@ne**********.com
.
Crowd focuses on risk to inlets
Shoaling deemed threat to economy
By JERRY ALLEGOOD, Staff Writer
SWANSBORO — Shallow inlets that divide the coastal barrier islands brought together hundreds of people Thursday who are worried that losing the inlets to sandbars will threaten the entire coast.
About 600 people packed the Rotary Civic Center in Swansboro for a meeting to discuss the growing danger of too much sand in the inlets and not enough money to keep them open. A few Coast Guard officials attended, as did representatives of U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr and Reps. Walter Jones and Mike McIntyre.
Speakers called on state and federal officials to replace the loss of federal funds that traditionally have paid for dredging to keep the inlets open.
Fishermen, boaters and merchants said the gaps in the barrier islands provide crucial access to the ocean.
President Bush’s 2005 budget has no money for five shallow inlets: Lockwoods Folly, New Topsail, New River, Bogue and Carolina Beach inlet.
Capt. Stan Jarusinski, president of the Onslow Bay Saltwater Fishing Club, said at least $5 million is needed to properly maintain inlets threatened by shoaling, the rising of the sandbars.
He said government agencies find money when disasters strike and they should do the same with the current threat.
“I’m sure that they can find emergency money somewhere,” he said.
Lee Manning, operator of two charter boats that use Bogue Inlet in Carteret County, said he can’t run his two boats through the inlet if depth is less than 5 feet.
“If the inlet were to close and we couldn’t go out, it would be devastating to me,” he said.
He said he takes 4,000 people on fishing charters during the summer.
Speakers said the impact extends beyond those who work or play in the water. Felton Murray, president of the Swansboro Rotary Club, said Bogue Inlet is used extensively by boats during the club’s annual King Mackerel fishing tournament. He said the tournament, scheduled in May, attracts about 300 boats and brings $1.3 million to the local economy.
The club sponsors scholarships and other community projects, he said.
Scott Chadwick, a representative of the Swansboro Chamber of Commerce, said shoaling threatens two industries — tourism and the military — that drive Eastern North Carolina’s economy. Marine Corps officials have warned that shoaling could interfere with training at the Camp Lejeune Marine Corps base.
Chadwick said using deeper inlets farther away, as has been suggested, is not acceptable for local residents and businesses. Chadwick, who runs a plant nursery, said loss of boating will ripple through the economy, harming restaurants, gas stations and others.
The impact is not just local, said Chuck Routh of Kernersville, near Winston-Salem.
Routh, who also has a home in Carteret County, drove 250 miles to attend the meeting. He said boaters from inland areas also rely on the inlets, and many are not familiar with local waters.
For years the Army Corps of Engineers has dredged the shallow inlets four times a year to maintain a depth of 6 to 8 feet of water. Some channels, including New River, currently have about 3 feet of water.
The Coast Guard has started removing channel markers from inlets that are too shallow for its boats to work.
The Swansboro meeting drew government officials and business leaders from Carteret to Brunswick counties. Participants snatched up bumper stickers bearing the slogan “Save the Inlets.”
They collected donations for a recently formed organization called the Alliance of North Carolina Inlets. They also lined up to sign petitions calling for dredging to keep the waterways open.
“Loss of life can be expected with rescue attempts impeded or access to marooned vessels will be denied,” the petition said.
Staff writer Jerry Allegood can be reached at (252) 752-8411 or
je****@ne**********.com
.