Winning tip: Lazy river, roaring waves, western Algarve

Every time I emerge from the dunes and see the endless expanse of sand along the winding river my heart sings. Praia da Amoreira sits on the Algarves wilder, western coastline, near the town of Aljezur but, unlike the regions many glorious beaches, this is a beach with a split personality. Set up camp along the broad sandy banks of the Ribeira de Aljezur as it makes its sweeping escape into the Atlantic. An idyllic stroll westward takes you from tranquil cliffside curves out into the roaring force of the Atlantic a surfers dream. But the greatest pleasure is the river itself hop in and let the water gently carry you on a lazy river like no other.Robin Dear

My favourite beach in the world is Portinho da Arrbida near Setbal. This is a small alcove-like beach, south of Lisbon in Arrbida national park. Its relative inaccessibility has protected it so far from overcrowding. To reach it you pass through some truly beautiful hilly green scenery. The beach is of fine white sand and theres a desert island about 200 metres offshore to swim to. Its best in May and June, out of the holiday season. Pedro Santos

We love Praia da Adraga on the Atlantic coast, 19km north of Cascais, and easily accessible (by car) from historic Sintra. Its a wonderful place to escape the summer crowds. Somewhat more sheltered than nearby Guincho, yet still great for surfers, it combines dramatic cliff scenery and golden sands studded with black volcanic rock formations reminiscent of semi-submerged dragons. Though it feels off the beaten tourist track, theres a spacious car park, toilets and showers, a little shop and a delightful restaurant (dine in and takeaway).RJA

Praia do Carvalhal, near Comporta, is just over an hours drive from Lisbon. A family I was staying with drove me there to show me the benefits of not heading for beaches too near the capital. Its not usually crowded and has a lovely stretch of white sand curving round a sheltered turquoise sea where you can swim easily. There is even a small library on a rustic terrace where visitors of all nationalities can leave or take beach books, often novels that have been read while sunbathing. Try the seafood at the casual restaurant Dinis: its run by a fisherman and barefoot waiters will serve you octopus salad and crisp white wines on the beach.Greta

Linha de Cascais is the train line running along the coast from Lisbon to Cascais. Any beach along here is worth visiting but my favourite is Praia das Avencas near Parede station. Named for the medicinal avenca plant (an evergreen fern) that grows there, the beach is tucked away under the cliffs, which providie welcome respite from the afternoon winds. Designated an area of biodiversity, the small beach is a favourite among snorkelers but often goes unnoticed by tourists. For food or drinks, head to Bar das Avencas overlooking the beach perfect for a caipirinha and sunset.U Watson

In Madeira, an autonomous region of Portugal, there are a vast number of amazing beaches. One that I find is overlooked by most tourists is Praia de Garajau, on the south coast and backed by huge cliffs. The only way you can access the beach is either by cable car or a long walk down a winding road. Once down there, Garajau offers tranquil views with breathtaking blue waters contrasted against the grey stone beach. Its also a natural marine reserve with a vast number of fish species.Jonathan Bernardino

Praia do Amado is a stunning beach in the western Algarve, a 40-minute drive from the popular city of Lagos. This beach can be hard to find however, as the signposts guiding to it have been smothered in stickers by surfers who wish to There is a surf school on the beach for newbies to try their hand, or for more experienced surfers to brush up on their techniques. The clear waters are surrounded by beautiful cliffs that protect the more relaxed beach-goers from the north wind. To top it all off, beach vendors are never far off, serving delicious hot doughnuts!Erin Brown

The most wonderful beach Ive been to is on Armona Island to the east of Olho and part of the Ria Formosa natural park. I visited with some Italian friends while doing an EU Erasmus-funded placement in Seville. Olho is easy to reach being near Faro, but you can only get to the island via a few ferry crossings a day, and with no cars on the island, you feel totally cut off from the world. A boardwalk leads to beaches that are wide, windy and deserted. We pottered around on the sand and collected clams, which my friends later cooked with garlic and pasta. You can stay in pastel-coloured beach huts facing the Atlantic, and eat incredible stews with vinho verde at the handful of restaurants. Total holiday bliss.Sarah Collings

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The beach at Praia de Benagil is hidden away in a lovely silent cove reached only by rock-hewn steps get there early and you may have it all to yourself. A short swim away is the Benagil sea cave, a mystical aquatic pantheon with golden sunlight streaming in and bouncing off the red-hued sandstone walls on to a secluded sandy beach. Try the seafood at the family-run Sul Mar restaurant just half a mile away off the M1273 road, well away from the overcrowded eateries closer to the coast.Nick

Our favourite beach in the north of Portugal is Praia Forte do Pa, nestled beneath the ruins of an 18th-century fort. This lovely white-sand beach is a short walk through dunes from the car park and sheltered by cliffs and granite boulders. Our children enjoyed the warm natural paddling pools and we braved the Atlantic for a cooler swim. Theres a kiosk and a lifeguard from June to mid-September, but this beach is not overcrowded even in midsummer. We took a picnic and played storming the castle in the ruins of the fort.Susanna Callaghan

Read more from the original source:

Perfect for a caipirinha and sunset: readers favourite beaches of Portugal - The Guardian

Updated at 10:50 a.m. May 25

Its called the Bay State. It has roughly 1,400 miles of coastline and a world-famous tourist magnet called the Cape and Islands.

Massachusetts should be a beach lovers paradise, but access to the states shores is deeply uneven. Entry to most beaches is dependent on personal wealth, your home zip code and a shrinking allotment of visitor parking spaces clustered far from the water and a system of parking restrictions aimed at out-of-towners.

Just 12% of the states beaches are open to all members of the public, according to a coastal land inventory done by the state more than 30 years ago the last estimate the state ever attempted, when the state had about 1 million fewer residents. That small percentage of public beaches often draw crowds so big on sunny days that parking lots fill to capacity, turning away carloads of disappointed travelers and people trying to seek ocean relief from hot temperatures as climate change has steadily increased the number of summer days that reach high temperatures over 90 degrees.

Beach access is also perhaps unsurprisingly an issue of racial inequity. The states urban beaches are free and easily accessible, but some of the beaches located in more racially and ethnically diverse communities such as Boston, Lynn and Quincy are also more prone to bacterial contamination that poses a health risk, sometimes forcing beach closures.

Now, three decades after state leaders sounded an alarm about the lack of public access to Massachusetts beaches, two state lawmakers are renewing the push to demand a bigger public foothold.

Given the rising demands for beach access and dwindling supply as many Massachusetts beaches are simply getting smaller through erosion and sea level rise, state Rep. Dylan Fernandes and Sen. Julian Cyr from the Cape and Islands are reviving an old battle cry to dismantle the state law dating back to the Colonial era that allows private ownership of beachfront property all the way down to the low-tide line.

It is just a fundamental human right that no individual should own the ocean or the sand beneath its waves, state Rep. Dylan Fernandes said in April, standing on a bluff over a Woods Hole beach. I've gotten emails and phone calls from people all over the state just giving us horror stories of getting screamed at, chased with shovels and golf clubs, berated just for touching a little piece of private beach in the intertidal zone. And people are fed up with that.

Under the state law, the only activities a private owner must allow in the intertidal zone a strip of sand between the low and high tide lines are fishing, fowling and navigation. Fernandes and Cyrs bill, filed last year, would add a single and radical word to that list: recreation.

Michael Dwyer / AP

Allowing unfettered recreational access to the intertidal zone would create a seismic shift along Massachusetts strands, but the proposal is fraught with contention and would likely be subject to legal challenges from private beach owners demanding state compensation for devaluing their property.

Maine, Delaware and Virginia are the only other ocean-facing states in the U.S. that allow private ownership all the way to the low tide line. Maines highest court declared similar legislation in 1989 an unconstitutional taking of private property.

Fernandes and Cyr are far from the first Massachusetts politicians to wade into this controversy over beach access. After getting chased off a private beach in the early 1970s, the powerful former Senate President William Bulger tried and failed to undo the restrictive state law. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court signaled in 1974 it would rule against legislation infringing on the property rights of private beach owners.

While Bulgers legacy kept alive some governmental efforts to increase beach access through the 1990s, a lack of funding and a lack of interest among coastal towns stymied any significant progress, said Geordie Vining, the former director of coastal access planning for the state between 1994 and 2000.

I would go into towns and on the beaches to work with local officials and state representatives. And for the most part, everyone was telling me, No, we don't want public coastal access here for all of the typical reasons of privacy and fear of crime and trash," said Vining, now a planner for the coastal city of Newburyport.

In 1998, the state started a program called Coastal Access Legal and Mediation Services (CALMS), aimed at helping citizens identify historic rights of way to the shoreline that had been forgotten or unused, and that could provide public access to beaches.

James Smith, a plumberturnedbeach activist in Plymouth, applied to the program for help after private waterfront owners hassled him for parking near a shoreline access point in the Cedarville section of Plymouth.

I got tired of people telling me I didn't belong down there when I'd go down there to go fishing, and threats of having my vehicle towed, said Smith.

After years of researching historic deeds, Smith said he unearthed proof that Plymouth had a right of way to the beach. But even with a pro bono attorney assigned by the state mediation program, he couldnt get Plymouth leaders to pursue the case.

Vining cant remember the program yielding any real progress. A coastal access conference at the State House held in the early summer of 1999 also gained little traction. And when Vining left for a new job, the state never rehired for the post of coastal access planner.

The states most recent initiative to address beach access came in 2017 when the Office of Coastal Zone Management launched an online beach locator: an interactive map of the Massachusetts coast dotted with hundreds of colorful beach umbrellas.

But the guide leaves it up to users to figure out which of those beaches are truly public.

CZM makes no representations or warranties with respect to the definitiveness of the private or public ownership data presented in Coast Guide Online, the agency wrote to GBH News. All issues related to questions of ownership of coastal property should be investigated at the local Registry of Deeds.

And the state clearly isnt making an effort to promote the site. Over the last two years, traffic on the website averaged just seven views a day, according to documents obtained by GBH News.

Public beaches, but no public parking

Despite state surveys of residents in 2012 and 2017 showing a high demand for more beaches, the state has not acquired any new recreational beach properties since the late 1980s.

What the state has done is invest millions of taxpayer dollars into town-owned beaches, many of which are kept entirely or mostly off-limits to the general public through a system of beach stickers and exclusionary parking ordinances that make a day at the beach difficult or expensive for visitors to enjoy. Marshfield alone received a state grant of about $2 million to build a new seawall in 2015 at Sunrise Beach in a storm-prone section of town, where the nearest parking for nonresidents is just under a mile away.

Its an ironic circumstance of people wanting state money, but not wanting taxpayers to actually come and be able to benefit from their investment."

Critics say this exclusionary system is inherently unfair.

The difficulty of getting out to the beaches that are public through these local restrictions is a statewide issue, said Peter Shelley, senior counsel at the Conservation Law Foundation in Boston. You're not allowed to park, and that's the way they defeat the public's ability, from a practical standpoint, to get out onto a beach that they otherwise would have every right to be on.

Coastal towns own more than 35% of the publicly owned beach frontage in Massachusetts, according to the 1990 state inventory, and many towns are making it harder to access those beaches. In recent years, towns including Plymouth, Hull and Manchester-By-The-Sea have further restricted or banned nonresident parking near their shores.

Shelley says the state should make public beach access a requirement for communities seeking state money to make their beaches more resistant to climate change.

Its an ironic circumstance of people wanting state money, but not wanting taxpayers to actually come and be able to benefit from their investment, Shelley said. If you're coming to the public well, to ask for money for your beach, then I think a reasonable quid pro quo for that ought to be: Enhance public access.

Rep. Fernandes agrees, saying beach towns that arent letting all members of the public have access to their beaches should not receive any state funds for those recreation areas.

We should not be spending a single dollar of taxpayer money on refurbishing beaches, on hardening surfaces, on doing anything coastal, unless the public has full access to those areas, Fernandes said.

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs claims it is already evaluating grant applications based partly on enhancing public access, but state spending data show several towns receiving funds for coastal resilience despite limiting beach access to only residents or vacationers renting in their town:

Chris Burrell / GBH News

For people who dont live in coastal towns or pay the high cost of summer vacation rentals, these policies generally mean the beaches are off limits.

Given the disparate access, some minorities and lower-income residents in the state might not even bother trying to get to ocean beaches, according to a 2012 survey cited in the Massachusetts Comprehensive Outdoor Recreation Plan.

Higher income households and white, non-Hispanic households use the coast more frequently, the report said.

And on beaches that are easily accessible for diverse, urban communities, pollution sometimes creates another barrier. Public beaches in Dorchester, Quincy and Lynn were each closed more than a dozen days in 2020.

Kings Beach, which straddles Lynn and Swampscott, is a gorgeous crescent of beach but frequently fails bacteria testing because of long-standing sewer pipe problems that allow pungent sewage to discharge from stormwater drains onto the beach after heavy storms.

Last August, Guy Zaccardi was out for a walk overlooking Kings Beach, where red warning flags flapped in the wind.

We don't have a yard. This was our yard and nowadays we can't even come down the trash, the pollution, not being able to go into the water. It's all been very detrimental, said Zaccardi, who lives in Swampscott just a couple blocks from the beach.

Just south in Revere, Jacqueline Chavez said her citys well-known public beach suffers from a stigma of being too dirty for swimming.

I talked to people: Why don't you go in the water? said Chavez, who moved to Massachusetts from Miami. And theres this negative connotation [that] you don't swim in Revere. And it's like, Oh, I swam in Revere and there was a syringe in the water and theres broken glass.

Chavez is calling for improvements on Revere Beach, including better language access on public signage for people with limited English language abilities.

Chris Burrell / GBH News

For non-residents who do try to make a day at the shore, just getting on a beach often requires scrambling for a parking space at one of the select few public ocean beaches under state, federal or nonprofit ownership.

The state-owned Lynn-Nahant Reservation beach, which is 1.5 miles long, has a parking lot with 950 spaces and every one of those spots is in high demand come summertime.

On a hot day, the lot fills up by 10 a.m. said a worker collecting $10 entrance fees or checking for annual passes last August.

That forces people like Hilary Dawson and her husband, Carlos Funes, from Arlington, to race to beat the crowds.

You usually have to kind of leave at the crack of dawn. Would you say, Carlos, like the latest you can leave is probably by seven? Dawson, a schoolteacher, said to her husband, who is a chef. They made it to the Lynn-Nahant beach with their 6-year-old daughter on a Wednesday in late August.

But why this beach?

We used to go to Gloucester, said Dawson. Wingarsheek, Good Harbor and all that. But that's gotten really expensive, like 25, 30 bucks to park.

GBH News interns Emma Foehringer Merchant and Hannah Green contributed reporting to this story.

Do you have a personal story about confronting barriers at the beach? We'd love to hear from you. Email us at investigations@wgbh.org.

This story was updated to correct the location of Sunrise Beach in Marshfield.

Read more:

Barriers at the Beach: State law and town rules keep most of Mass. shoreline off-limits - GBH News

While school districts throughout Florida took a hit on this years third-grade reading assessment, Palm Beach County public schools held steady, surpassing the statewide average for the first time in nearly two decades.

The states English language arts assessment measures students ability to read and understand the text in front of them. The test scores third-graders on a scale from 1 to 5, with Level 3 being satisfactory.Students who hit that benchmark are said to be reading on grade level.

The average for students reading on grade level in Florida dropped by one percentage point, to 53%, while the Palm Beach County School District maintained its 54% rate the first time local schools surpassed the state average in 18 years, according to a news release from the district.

While the District is making gains, we believe that 100% of students have the potential to read on grade level and will continue to work toward reaching that goal, the releasestates.

Read more: Florida school testing will change, but despite DeSantis promise, high stakes remain

High school rankings: How did Palm Beach County high schools fare in the 2022 U.S. News & World Report rankings?

More: Schools see signs of academic bounce back from COVID slide in time for last FSA

Of the large urban districts in Florida, only Broward increased the percentage of third-graders scoring Level 3 or above, from 53% to 54%, while Palm Beach County maintained its score and five districts slipped backward:

Florida haslong struggled to increase its third-grade reading scores, and despite the momentary celebration in local schools, this years results mean that 47% of students in Florida and 46% in Palm Beach County are likely or highly likely to need substantial support going forward, according to the states grading system.

In a memo dated May 25 and sent to the Palm Beach County School Board, district leaders said the results would inform their plans for the upcoming school year.

Schools will receive their results and use this information to meet individual student needs and for school improvement, the memo reads.District and regional staff will use the results to provide direction for improvement in curriculum and instruction.

This year also marked the last time students took the Florida Standards Assessments, including the FSA in English language arts, as Florida transitions to a new system touted by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Instead of holding lengthy assessments at the end of a school year, the new Florida Assessment of Student Thinking, or FAST, will include three much shorter check-in assessments throughout the year, according to the Florida Department of Education.

To look up your school, click here.

Giuseppe Sabella is an education reporter at The Palm Beach Post, part of the USA TODAY Florida Network. You can reach him at gsabella@pbpost.com. Help support our journalism andsubscribe today.

Continue reading here:

How did Palm Beach County third-graders fare on Florida reading test? - Palm Beach Post

Mayor Martin Pagliughi signed an executive order Friday restricting access to Avalons beaches and boardwalk at night in an effort, he said, to disperse large groups of individuals who are congregating in unmanageable numbers on public property.

Effective immediately, the Jersey Shore towns beaches will be closed daily from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m. and the boardwalk will be off limits to all but authorized personnel daily between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. The executive order, an extension of an emergency order that went into effect during the height of the pandemic, will continue until further notice.

Pagliughi, a Republican, called the order an unfortunate measure brought on by the Democratic governor and state legislature, which, he said, have neutered the ability of police to control the large groups of young people who have flocked to Avalons beaches, often until late in the evening.

This unfortunate measure is a direct result of Governor Murphys destruction of effective enforcement of laws pertaining to juveniles, and the elimination of certain police powers, Pagliughi said in a statement.

In December 2020, New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal issued a directive establishing a stepped approach to interactions between police and juveniles, all designed to divert young people from the criminal justice system. Steps ranged from a pointed curbside warning by a police officer to the issuance of arrest warrants, depending on the severity of the incident in question.

At the time Grewal announced the directive, Murphy praised the attorney general for his leadership in spearheading this progressive reform that further strengthens New Jerseys ongoing efforts to eliminate longstanding disparities that have prevented young people in Black and brown communities from reaching their full potential.

Grewal said that the point of the directive was to take another step toward rehabilitating young people by diverting them away from formal court proceedings to community, family, and school support systems, while also improving outcomes for those who do enter the juvenile justice system. If we can turn a youth away from the juvenile justice system, we know they stand a much better chance of turning their life toward success in the long run.

In Avalon, police said they were frustrated with the changes, citing an uptick in vandalism and property damage excessive litter and car windows broken, for instance, and wooden fence posts strewn on the sand, which police said could be used to start fires.

Jeffrey Christopher, Avalon police chief, laid the blame on state political leaders who he said have approved new legislation that requires police, in many cases, to issue only curbside warnings to minors for ordinance and disorderly persons offenses where there is no breach of peace, even when alcohol or cannabis use or possession is involved. "

By way of example, Christopher said in a statement, if a juvenile is in possession of drugs or alcohol, police can do nothing more than issue a warning, and the juvenile is not obligated to provide his or her actual name. Young adults between the ages of 18 and 20 can only be issued written warnings for using alcohol or cannabis.

We remain hopeful that some parents become more involved and help us maintain the quality of life in our community despite the states new hands-off policies.

The Avalon Police Department website contains a page on cannabis and alcohol legislation and focuses attention on what the department says are elements of the law that make enforcement difficult, if not impossible. It calls on residents to contact Trenton.

Murphys office did not respond to a request for comment Sunday.

The state is directly responsible for unlawful conduct which compromises public safety, Pagliughi said, although he did call on parents to monitor their children more closely.

Accountability and education begins at home, and some parents need to take an active approach in managing the activities and whereabouts of their juveniles, the mayor said. If they refuse, more drastic measures will be considered that would impact everyone as a result of actions of a few inconsiderate people.

Original post:

Avalon closes beaches and boardwalk at night to control crowds of young people - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Photo: Pongsakorn Teeraparpwong (Shutterstock)

One of the best parts of traveling is getting to discover new places. Sure, there are the well-known attractions youll find at the top of TripAdvisors Things to Do section, but there is plenty more out thereif you know where to lookand beaches are no exception.

Although in most coastal areas, its not difficult to find the water, its not always easy to find the best beach. Maybe theres one thats overrun with tourists, where vendors sell tiny bottles of water for $5. And then maybe theres another one a few minutes down the road that has ample parking, far fewer people, and clean bathrooms. Clearly, thats the beach you want.

Fortunately, theres a website that can help you find the perfect beach, no matter what part of the world youre visiting. Heres what to know.

Whether youre looking find new beaches close to home, or want to explore somewhere youre visiting for the first time, a website called Beach Nearby can help. Using crowdsourced data, Beach Nearby allows users to search via the name of a specific beach or location, or find beaches using an interactive map.

G/O Media may get a commission

Each beach included on the site has a profile page, with a mix of information and photos (depending on what people have contributed). In addition to providing a beach score out of 100, the profiles also include general tips and data, like whether the beach is rocky or sandy, whether its public or private, the admission fee (if any), and the date of the most recent rating.

The rest of the page walk users through the parking and/or public transit situation, safety features (like when a lifeguard is on duty), and information on the weather in the area. Theres also the option to search for beaches based on these (and other) features.

Read more from the original source:

Use This Site to Find the Closest Beaches With the Best Amenities - Lifehacker

Oceansides annual harbor dredging and the occasional regional sand replenishment projects are not enough to save the citys eroding beaches, a new study shows.

A proposal to build rock groins on the beach appears to be the best way to stop or at least slow the steady erosion that has been chewing away the citys coastline since the 1940s, according to the study prepared for Oceanside by the Long Beach-based consulting firm GHD.

Sand from this (harbor dredging) program does little to really benefit the city beaches, said Brian Leslie, a senior coastal scientist and project manager with GHD, in a June 30 community Zoom meeting.

There are several reasons for that, Leslie said. One is that the sand dredged from the harbor is too fine-grained to linger on the beach and is quickly washed away by waves and tides.

Another factor is the distribution method used by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the federal agency responsible for the job. The sand slurry pumped from the harbor is deposited directly into the tidal zone, instead of higher up the beach where it would last longer.

The consultants study looked at four long-term alternatives for replenishing and retaining enough sand to keep a dry sand beach between Wisconsin Street and the harbor:

1. Pumping 300,000 cubic yards of sand from offshore deposits every five years for 20 years, without building any hard structures such as groins, jetties or reefs. Estimates show that alternative would cost about $28 million over the life of the project.

2. Building four 600-foot-long rock groins and replenishing the beach initially with 300,000 cubic yards of sand, then with 150,000 cubic yards of sand at five-year intervals for 20 years. That would cost $51 million over the life of the project.

3. Extend the harbors south jetty offshore by 350 feet, and deposit 300,000 cubic yards of sand on the beach initially and again at five-year intervals. This alternative would include the construction of a sand bypass system to pipe sand from Camp Pendleton across the harbor to Oceanside, and would cost a total of $36 million.

4. Build two artificial reefs with submerged edges as breakwaters just outside the surf zone, and replenish the beach with 300,000 cubic yards of sand initially, then 150,000 cubic yards every five years. The reef alternative is the most expensive, $148 million.

All of the options need sand, and lots of it, Leslie said.

Two types of sand bypass systems, fixed and semi-fixed were considered, he said. However, both would be expensive to build and operate and would require the cooperation of Camp Pendleton, which has refused in the past.

Another possibility to get more sand is to piggyback onto the annual Corps of Engineers contract, which Oceanside has done several times in years past.

Groins and reefs hold on the beach sand longer than with replenishment alone and provide a more stable environment for coastal marine life, said Aaron Holloway, also with the firm GHD.

Groins certainly look like the better value, Holloway said.

The meeting included a question-and-answer session. One question was why are the sand retention devices being proposed north of Wisconsin Avenue, when some of the citys most eroded beaches are south of there.

The consultants responded that the location is not final and will be subject to the wishes of city officials and residents. But another factor is the distance that sand would have to be pumped, and the rights of property owners that would have to be crossed.

Resident Bruce Parker said the rock revetments that line the citys beachfront homes are unsafe, and that a solution needs to be found quickly.

If we wait too long on this, we might even lose The Strand, because the street itself is developing cracks, Parker said. Im worried about our future if we dont get something started.

The report will be presented to the Oceanside City Council at its Aug. 11 meeting and, if the council approves, the next step would be to find funding for the final design and permits needed for the alternative supported by the council, said Public Works Director Kiel Koger.

All of the options ... are very expensive, so we are going to have to figure out how we are going to pay for this, Koger said.

The results here are not really new ideas, Koger said. Groins have been considered a viable option for Oceanside in several previous reports and publications over the years.

The city has always counted on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for large beach replenishment projects in the past. However, there is growing public support for the city to get involved and to push for something that could be a more permanent solution.

Concerns are often raised that the California Coastal Commission would not approve the groins. The agency, which oversees all coastal development, generally opposes any hard structures such as seawalls, jetties and groins on the beach because of the far-reaching environmental effects.

That could be changing, said Russ Cunningham, the citys principal planner.

My experience tells me that the Coastal Commission remains reluctant to approve or consider these types of improvements, Cunningham said. However ... the discourse is evolving.

What we are beginning to hear is that each stretch of coastline is unique ... and that unique solutions may be required, he said. We are uniquely impacted by the Camp Pendleton boat basin.

Camp Pendletons small harbor, also called a boat basin, just north of Oceanside was built during World War II. Oceansides harbor, built in the 1960s, shares its entrance. Together the harbors create a barrier that blocks the course-grained sand that ocean currents carry south along the coast, starving beaches in Oceanside and, some say, as far away as La Jolla.

The recent study showed that the harbor jetties deflect larger and denser grains of sand into the deeper ocean water, while the more fine-grained sand flows into the mouth of the harbor.

Annual dredging clears the harbor channel and pipes the sand onto Oceanside beaches, but its only the finer-grained sand and not the denser, heavier grains that accumulated on the beach before the harbors were created.

Regional replenishment projects in 2001 and 2012 pulled the larger-grained sand from nearshore deposits in the ocean, and the denser material stayed on beaches longer. Studies show some of that sand still remains in Carlsbad, protected by the jetties at the entrance to the Agua Hedionda Lagoon.

But its not just the North County harbors that are starving the beaches.

One hundred-plus years of development on our beaches and bluffs have fixed in place our coastline, Cunningham said. That effectively presents the processes of bluff erosion and beach retreat from occurring.

Sea-level rise compounds the problem and is something all coastal cities must keep in mind, he said.

More:

Oceanside searches for ways to keep sand on its eroding beaches - The San Diego Union-Tribune

PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. Don't go in the water that's what the National Weather Service is advising for the next few days at some Pinellas County beaches.

A beach hazards statement was issued Saturday night. It will remain in effect through Monday night.

The statement specifically advises beachgoers not to go into the water at beaches along coastal southern Pinellas County. The advisory didn't stop people from flocking to the beaches and taking a dip in the water.

"I was in it yesterday, I'd get in it today," said Mike Copher Sr., who was in town visiting family. "[The smell is] actually less offensive in the water than it is sitting here."

Copher's son, Mike Copher Jr. lives in the St. Pete area. The two were enjoying the Pass-a-Grille beach on Sunday. Copher Jr. says red tide and the stench of dead fish are just a part of being a resident.

"What else can you do," said Copher Jr. "I'm here ain't I? It comes with the territory."

The hazards statement is because of red tide at the beaches. It can cause respiratory irritation with symptoms including coughing, sneezing, and tearing eyes. People with asthma, emphysema or any chronic lung disease may be more sensitive to the effects of red tide.

Back on June 11, the Pinellas County health department issued a health warning for red tide blooms along the county's beaches. Health officials say their warning remains in effect.

What other people are reading right now:

Continued here:

NWS: Beachgoers shouldn't go into the water at Pinellas County beaches this weekend - WTSP.com

Heal the Bays annual beach report card ranked East Beach at Mission Creek 10th on its beach bummers list for California beaches in 2020-21 based on levels of potentially harmful bacteria in the ocean.

The report, released on June 29, assigns A through F letter grades for 500 beaches across the state based on levels of fecal-indicator bacterial pollution in the ocean measured by county health agencies, according to Heal the Bay.

East Beach at Mission Creek received a D as bacteria pollution flows from the Santa Barbara area into the ocean at East Beach through Mission Creek, near Stearns Wharf.

It's the first year that East Beach at Mission Creek landed on Heal the Bays beach bummers list, and the last Santa Barbara County beach to be placed on the list was Arroyo Burro (Hendry's) Beach in 2011, according to the report.

Two other Santa Barbara County beaches ranked on Heal the Bays 2020-21 honor roll. Guadalupe Dunes Beach and El Capitn State Beach were on the list of beaches that have scored perfect water quality grades year-round, according to the report.

Beaches across the county are popular year-round and used by everyone from surfers to swimmers, kayakers and paddleboarders, and people going for a walk along the shore.

The state has water quality standards for certain fecal bacteria (total coliform, fecal coliform, and enterococcus)to measure the safety of beaches for human recreation.

The indicator bacteria do not cause illness in themselves, but several studies have shown that as indicator levels increase, the rate of swimming-associated illness also increases, according to Santa Barbara Channelkeeper.

Beachgoers who come in contact with water that has elevated bacteria levels have a much higher risk of contracting illnesses such as stomach flu, ear infections, upper respiratory infections and skin rashes, the organization explained.

State law requires county health officials to conduct weekly bacteria sampling from April 1 to Oct. 31 at high-visitation beaches to warn the public whether water quality standards for fecal indicator bacteria are exceeded, according to Channelkeeper.

Santa Barbara County Public Healths Environmental Health Services also has an Ocean Water Monitoring Program that tests 16 beaches between the Guadalupe Dunes and Carpinteria State Beach year-round. The water quality reports are updated weekly.

Sampling efforts by Environmental Health Services and other jurisdictions have demonstrated that high levels of bacteria in creeks and ocean water are often associated with stormwater runoff, according to the county.

From the most recent Environmental Health Services report released Monday, Goleta Beach was the only county beach placed under the warning status. When a beach is under warning status, people are asked to stay at least 50 yards away from creek mouths and/or storm drains and avoid contact with creek and lagoon water at all times, according to Environmental Health Services.

The 15 other beaches that remained safe and open include Guadalupe Dunes, El Capitn State Beach, Refugio Beach, Sands Beach at Coal Oil Point, Gaviota State Beach, Jalama Beach, Summerland Beach, Leadbetter Beach, Carpinteria State Beach, Hammonds Beach, Butterfly Beach, East Beach at Sycamore Creek, East Beach at Mission Creek, Arroyo Burro Beach and Hope Ranch Beach.

People can check the most recent beach water test results on the countys Ocean Water Monitoring Program webpage at countyofsb.org/phd/oceanwatermonitoring by clicking ocean water beach status. They can also call the ocean water quality hotline at 805.681.4949 for pre-recorded weekly updates on beach water quality reports.

People can also check weekly beach water quality results on Channelkeepers swim guide, which shows the most up-to-date reports as well as the historical water quality status of the beaches.

The website also consolidates weekly water quality testing for southern Santa Barbara County beaches.

In the swim guide, almost all of the local beaches are marked green for current water quality, and many of them are marked green for their historical status, meaning the beach has metwater quality standards 95% of the time. Those beaches include Sands Beach, Hammonds Beach, Summerland Beach, Refugio Beach and El Capitn State Beach.

Eight beaches were marked yellow, meaning that they have historically met water quality standards 60% to 95% of the time. Those beaches include Goleta Beach, Hope Ranch Beach, Arroyo Burro Beach, Leadbetter Beach, East Beach at Mission Creek, East Beach at Sycamore Creek, Butterfly Beach and Carpinteria State Beach.

Noozhawk staff writer Jade Martinez-Pogue can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

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East Beach at Mission Creek Lands on Heal the Bays Beach Bummers List for Bacterial Pollution - Noozhawk

BEST FOR FAMILIESCala Mitjana, Menorca

Menorcas beaches are brilliant. The entire island was designated a Unesco biosphere reserve in 1993, and the natural tranquillity of the landscape has been carefully preserved in a sustainable approach to tourism that has helped keep the island unspoiled. Cala Mitjana is a ravishing Caribbean-style beach with fine white sand and turquoise water, but it can get busy in summer. If you are feeling energetic and looking for quieter beaches, continue south-east along the well-marked coastal trail for 20 minutes to the equally delectable Cala de Trebalger.

Where to stayAgroturismo-style Hort Sant Patrici (doubles from 200), 9km north of Mitjana, has a Menorcan-themed restaurant, vineyards, a cheese factory and pool.

Where to eatPizzeria Bobby, 8km north-east of Mitjana in Ferreres, is a family-run restaurant serving stone-baked pizzas.

The Costa Galicia in the north-west of Spain boasts 1,500km of coastline and some of the most beautiful beaches in Europe. About 35km north of the city of Vigo (famous for its osyters) Praia de Temperns, a seven-minute drive south-east of the village of Nerga, is a secluded and tranquil bay, perfect for family swimming and snorkelling. Park near Miradoiro do Bouceiro and follow the track around the house to the beach. The path leads on south-west to another secluded spot, Praia das Moscas.

Where to stayCamping Limens (pitch from 33, bungalow from 65) is a short drive west of Temperns and offers spacious pitches on terraces with views of the Ra de Vigo and the Ces Islands. (Campsite prices are for a pitch for two in high season.)

Where to eatOnly 15 minutes drive from Praia de Temperns is regional capital Cangas de Morrazo, bursting with ice-cream vendors and cafes. Vegetarians, vegans and children are well catered for: dont miss the pimientos de padrn, savoury empanadas gallegas and torta de Santiago almond cake. Restaurant O Bruo serves local seafood dishes.

The Costa Galicia north runs from the Pontevedra estuary, north of Vigo to Ra de Muros y Noya, 60km west of Santiago de Compostela. Playa de Dique is an enchanting sandy nook sheltered from the Atlantic winds between rocky headlands and pinewoods. The waves and swell are strong but a picturesque creek at the rear of the beach provides safe bathing and playing for children. The enclosed space and shallow stream make Praia do Dique the perfect place for families to settle for the day. Its best to park near the entrance to Castro de Baroa, take the path towards Praia de Arealonga, walk south to the end of the beach and over the headland, then follow waymarkers for 400 metres to Praia do Dique.

Where to stay and eatCamping Rianxo (pitch from 34.50, double bungalow from 40, hostel from 10pp) is a grassy campsite and bar half an hour from do Dique, with delicious food, especially the freshly caught xoubas (sardines) and locally grown padrn peppers. Nearby Turnauga Turismo e Aventura offers white-water rafting, kayaking and cliff jumping.

The arid semi-desert province of Almera has provided the backdrop to a huge number of films, particularly westerns. On three remaining film sets, for a fistful of euros you can watch wild west re-enactments and wander around the original locations at Spains mini-Hollywood. The south-west of Almera has a wild coastline where cactus-strewn paths in the Cabo de Gata natural park lead to remote sandy beaches. At triple-coved Playa de Mnsul, 5km south-west of San Jos, fossilised lava has formed vast overfilled volcanic muffins, and a dramatic rock rears from the sand at the waters edge like a tremendous sea creature. No wonder Steven Spielberg chose Mnsul as a location for Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, the scene where Henry Jones Senior (Sean Connery) uses an umbrella to flush a flock of birds into the sky to bring down a Nazi plane. It has no services, but a colossal sand dune provides the stage for childrens swashbuckling adventures.

Where to stayCamping Cabo de Gata (pitch from 32.50), 30 minutes drive from Mnsul, is a great campsite with play area, superb pool and friendly staff.

Where to eatRestaurante Casa Pepe in San Jos has great views with tapas to match and is popular with locals as well as tourists.

The impressive peaks of Mallorcas Serra Tramuntana give way to vineyards and orchards, and its the clear blue waters support rich and diverse marine life. Sandy Cal es Caragol is in a remote and unspoiled bay on the southernmost tip of the island, where butterflies flit around the dunes. Driving from Es Llombards youll pass Faro de Cap Salines, the first solar powered lighthouse in Spain. The beach itself is a half-hour walk north-west from here along the path to the right of the fence towards the sea, then round the headland on the right. Shallow water and an abundance of space makes it perfect for family beach games and slow-paced days. No services for miles around.

Where to stayAgroturism Possessi Binicomprat (doubles from 160 B&B), 45 minutes drive north of Caragol, is a rural hotel surrounded by vineyards, oak forests and aromatic plants. Sumptuous breakfasts are served in the garden.

Where to eatRestaurant Mol de Sal, 20 minutes drive north, serves fresh Mallorcan specialities accompanied by homemade bread, dips, native olive oil, original sea salt and olives.

The Camino dos Faros or Lighthouse Way is a 200km coastal hiking trail in Galicia that links Malpica with Fisterra, taking in the wild beauty of the Costa da Morte. The Faro de Fisterra lighthouse is on the spot that, in Roman times, was thought to be the edge of the world. A few kilometres north lies Playa Arnela, amid unbridled countryside of bucolic villages and fields of maize. Ferocious waves pound the shore and riptides are clearly visible. Its a place to feel isolated from the world and marvel at the sheer power of the Atlantic.

Where to stay and eatLaid-back rural campsite Camping Playa Barreira Leis (pitch from 33) half an hours drive north from Arnela has spacious terraced pitches and an exceptional bar serving home-cooked, locally sourced food.

The rugged Basque coast (Costa Vasca) starts at Castro Urdiales just west of Bilbao and continues up to the border with France, near the foothills of the Pyrenees. At its midway point we discovered the islet of Gaztelugatxe, the incredible location for Dragonstone Castle in Game of Thrones. At its summit sits the Hermitage of San Juan, accessed from the mainland across an ancient bridge and 241 steps. From here, its easy to imagine swooping dragons and Daenerys Targaryen plotting to rule the Seven Kingdoms. Free entry, but book in advance.

Where to stayCamping Laredo (pitch from 38, bungalow from 55, two-night minimum) is an hours drive east of Gaztelugatxe, with a sparkling swimming pool.

Where to eatCafetera Doniene in Bakio, six minutes drive east of Gaztelugatxe does great pintxos and coffee.

Between the Costa Blanca and Costa Almera in south-east Spain lies the Costa Clida (warm coast). Cala del Pozo de la Avispa is at the end of an enjoyable hike Batera de Jorel across the Cabo Tioso y Roldn headland, with sweeping views over the bay and Sierra de la Muela. Take supplies and follow a path bordered by dwarf palms, wild flowers and masses of rosemary while listening to the melodic whir and hum of bees. Backed by layers of yellow fossilised dunes, this isolated beach is lapped by clear blue water and you can swim round the headland to Cala de las Chapas or Cala Salitrona. No services for miles around.

Where to stayTwenty minutes drive north-east of Cala del Pozo de la Avispa is Camping Los Madriles (pitch from 34.40, bungalow from 70), a highly recommended campsite with a continuously renewed hydrothermal salt water pool.

Where to eatCastillo Del Pinar, half an hours drive north of Avispa, is a family-run restaurant in an enchanting castle in Pern.

The orange blossom coast stretches for 115km between Barcelona and Valencia, offering wild clifftop walks, river beaches and nature reserves home to birds including kestrels and great cormorants and Bonellis eagle. Cala Puerto Negro is a small pebble cove in the Serra dIrta natural park, a marine reserve with a succession of cute beaches surrounded by dwarf palms, mastic trees and sea rocket. The coastal path further south-west is ideal for hikers and mountain bikers.

Where to stayCamping Ribamar (pitch from 37, bungalow from 90) is a 45-minute drive through the park along the coast.

Where to eatCocina Pura Vida, 3.7km south-west of Alcossebre, is anorganic seafront restaurant serving innovative food and lactose free ice-cream.

On Ibiza, coastal paths lead to astonishing secret coves with rich marine ecosystems. Es Portitxol is a perfect example: a circular bay on the north of the island a half-hour hike signposted from the road north off Urbanizacin Isla Blanca along a scenic cliffside trail. Wear suitable shoes and bring supplies. With lots of places to jump and dive from rocks into the sea, the turquoise waters offer some of the best swimming on the island. The shore is lined with traditional fishing huts still used by fishers. Water shoes are also recommended for swimming off the pebbly beach.

Where to stayAgroturismo Can Jaume (doubles from 250 B&B) half an hours drive south, is a stylish place that grows most of its own produce, so expect incredible breakfasts, particularly for vegans and vegetarians. Agroturismo Can Domo (doubles from 150 B&B) half an hours drive south-east, has rustic rooms, a pretty pool and a great restaurant.

Where to eat For spectacular views, well-earned post-adventure refreshments and freshly made pizza, head to Boathouse Bar at the bottom of Carrer Sn81, the main road to Urbanizacin Isla Blanca.

Hidden Beaches Spain: 450 secret coast and island beaches to walk, swim & explore, by Lola Culsn and John Weller is out now (Wild Things Publishing, 18.99). Guardian readers can get 20% off and free P&P with code GuardianSpain21

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10 of Spains best beaches for families and hikers - The Guardian

Battle on the Beach is coming to our screens in 2021, and fans may be wondering exactly where the shows sandy location is based.

The HGTV competition will see three skilled teams take to the beach to renovate identical beachfront properties.

With $50,000 on the line and some help from Ty Pennington, Alison Victoria and Taniya Nayak, theyll compete to try and impress the judges.

The contestant teams would have lapped up the sand while creating their home remodels, and it was all carried out at a particular beach.

Interior designer Taniya Nayak has been sharing pictures of her and fellow HGTV experts, as the countdown to Battle of the Beach 2021 begins.

She has tagged her location as Gulf Shores in Alabama and its not the first time that HGTV have set up camp there (or renovated homes).

The channels shows Beachfront Bargain Hunt, Island Life and Beach Hunters have all been filmed at Gulf Shores, in Alabama.

So, when you see the teams going spade-to-spade to create beachfront home renovations, they are on Gulf Shores sand!

With 32 miles of sand, the Gulf Shores beach is the perfect place for homes to be renovated because there is so much to do.

If you are not into sunbathing, the nearby Gulf State Park has beaches, trails and a pier, plus a golf course and a zip line over the dunes.

Famous for its pristine white beaches, the Gulf Shores area also has a wildlife refuge, zoo, and lots of hiking trails for visitors.

The resort city is where HGTV helped several clients find beach homes, such as when Kansas City residents Adam and Jami wanted to find a vacation home on Beachfront Bargain Hunt.

Several movies have also filmed at Gulf Shores, Alabama, including I Still Believe , Whitmer Thomas: The Golden One , Ocean, The Little Zoo that Could, and Tangled Web, to name a few.

The HGTV series was reportedly filming three months ago, ahead of its launch on July 9th, 2021.

Battle on the Beach filmed six hour-long episodes during this time, where the experts and judges got to know the families taking part off-camera, too.

Mina Starsiak Hawk, Taniya Nayak, Ty Pennington, Mike Holmes and Alison Victoria will be starring on the 2021 competition series.

Show judge Mike Holmes told The List:

Alison had the juice trailer, and Taniya had the coffee trailer. They were really enticing all the crew, not to mention the families, but the crew especially, Come and have a coffee. Come and have a juice.

He continued:

Im telling you, when that freaking box came out that they started singing, I was blown away that Ty just pulled out his own character and got up and sang like he was a rock star, was not afraid of cameras because everyone had their phones rolling to record it. It was just a wonderful time. If you look at that, thats a television show behind a television show.

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Celine is a journalist with over five years of experience in the media industry and the chief staff writer on Reality Titbit. After graduating with a degree in Multimedia Journalism degree she became a radio newsreader and reporter, before moving into her current role as a reality TV writer.

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Where is Battle on the Beach 2021 filmed? Inside sandy HGTV location! - Reality Titbit - Celebrity TV News

Judy Mitchell, an agent with William Pitt Sothebys International Realty, has noted a pandemic-based shift in demand. Pre-Covid, buyers were looking for in-town living with small yards and walkability, she said. But with more people working from home, were seeing a resurgence in Greenfield Hill. Before, nobody wanted two-acre zoning. Now people seem to crave privacy.

Based on information provided to and compiled by SmartMLS, Inc., as of June 25 there were 130 single-family homes on the market, from a 980-square-foot, three-bedroom bungalow, built in 1918 on 0.14 acres and listed for $349,000, to a 17,735-square-foot, 10-bedroom colonial, built in 1990 on 2.5 acres, with a pool and guesthouse, for $17.9 million. There were five multifamily homes for sale, from a 2,070-square-foot five-bedroom for $575,000 to a 2,974-square-foot seven-bedroom for $950,000. There were 16 condominiums available, from a 608-square-foot one-bedroom for $199,000 to a 1,900-square-foot three-bedroom for $579,900.

As for rentals, there were 47 properties on the market, from a 719-square-foot, one-bedroom unit for $1,800 a month, to a 1,200-square-foot, three-bedroom beachfront house for $80,000 a month.

Prices are up across the board. For single-family homes, the median sale price during the 12-month period ending June 25 was $703,000, compared with $600,000 for the previous 12 months. The median for multifamily homes was $502,000, up from $410,000. And the median for condominiums was $400,000, up from $343,000. The median monthly rental was $2,900, compared with $2,700 during the previous 12 months.

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Fairfield, Conn.: A Relaxed Beach Town Where Theres Plenty to Do - The New York Times

The mayor of Avalon on Friday signed an order restricting access to its boardwalk and beach overnight, citing large unruly crowds that have troubled officials in other Jersey Shore communities.

The order is a continuation of the restrictions put in place during the states coronavirus-related state of emergency that blocks access to the beach daily from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m., and closes the boardwalk between 11 p.m. and 4 a.m., according to the Cape May County borough. The latest order, implemented due to the influx of young people congregating on the beach, will last until further notice, the borough said.

The continuance of this order is to provide our local police department with the necessary authority to disperse large groups of individuals who are congregating in unmanageable numbers on public property which often results in unsafe and disruptive behavior, Avalon Mayor Martin Pagliughi said in a statement.

Calling the order an unfortunate measure, the mayor said it was a direct result of directives from Gov. Phil Murphys administration that calls for authorities to issue warnings to youthful offenders and avoid jailing juveniles outside of serious crimes.

This unfortunate measure is a direct result of Governor Murphys destruction of effective enforcement of laws pertaining to juveniles, and the elimination of certain police powers, the mayor said.

Accountability and education begins at home, and some parents need to take an active approach in managing the activities and whereabouts of their juveniles. If they refuse, more drastic measures will be considered that would impact everyone as a result of actions of a few inconsiderate people, the mayor added.

Under the state directives, officers must issue curbside warnings to juveniles for violating town ordinances and disorderly persons offenses where there is no breach of peace, even when alcohol or cannabis use or possession is involved, Avalon Police Chief Jeffrey Christopher said.

We remain hopeful that some parents become more involved and help us maintain the quality of life in our community despite the States new hands-off policies, the chief said in a statement with the mayor.

State leaders have said the juvenile reforms were needed to end racial disparities among youth in the justice system and allow minors to lead productive lives.

If we can turn a youth away from the juvenile justice system, we know they stand a much better chance of turning their life toward success in the long run, state Attorney General Gurbir Grewal said last year.

Representatives for Murphy and Grewal did not immediately return messages Friday evening.

Avalon is among several Shore communities where local officials said crowds - often of teenagers - have trashed property, harassed residents and started fights. Borough officials cited vandalism, excessive litter and debris caused by groups gathering at night.

Long Beach Island officials said at least 300 teenagers converged on the borough over the July 4 weekend, according to the Asbury Park Press. Beach Haven officials also reported large crowds and Long Branch called off its July 4th fireworks after hundreds of people showed up for what officials described as an out-of-control party on the beach.

Last month, Toms River police issued a curfew after growing complaints of unruly juveniles in the towns North Beach section.

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Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com.

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Jersey Shore town orders overnight beach, boardwalk closures to stop unruly crowds - NJ.com

Parks and Recreation Commissioner Kay Carnahan is proposing the city officially name the areas that are commonly known as Beach 1 and Beach 2 in Lewes.

Besides Roosevelt Inlet, they are the citys only two public beach parking lots, and have gone by generic names for as long as many can remember.

Naming the beaches, Carnahan said, will likely make it easier for visitors to locate the one they seek. Its also an opportunity to tell the story of Beach 2, which was a place where African Americans recreated before desegregation. Her proposal includes possibly naming the beach in honor of an African American individual.

Beyond renaming the beach, perhaps we could have a plaque or a tri-panel educational sign erected to tell the story to beachgoers, she said.

Carnahan will speak to the Lewes African American Heritage Commission next week about the idea, and she hopes to work with the commission to come up with a proposal.

Rather than have this unspoken [history], lets speak about it and learn from it, she said.

After a proposal is developed, she said she would like to hold a public workshop for feedback, then send a recommendation to mayor and city council for consideration.

Carnahan has already asked the Lewes Historical Society to gather stories and photographs of the history. She hopes the commission will be supportive of the idea and provide direction.

As for naming Beach 1, Carnahan is suggesting Savannah Beach, an appropriate name, she believes, due to its location at the end of Savannah Road.

The citys guarded beaches were designated as city parks earlier this year. At the same time, mayor and city council also increased the parks and recreation commission to include a new commissioner in charge of the beaches. Carnahan took on that role after spending 20 years as a member of the planning commission.

The Lewes African American Heritage Commission is set to meet at 6 p.m., Thursday, July 15.

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Lewes to consider naming guarded beaches - CapeGazette.com

April Ross was 24 years old when she first started playing beach volleyball, the sport that would eventually send her to four Olympics.

At that age, Sarah Sponcil is already headed to the Summer Games.

Sponcil and her 25-year-old partner, Kelly Claes, are the first generation to come up through an NCAA beach volleyball program that didnt exist until 2012 long after Ross graduated from Southern California. They are the youngest U.S. beach team ever to qualify for the Olympics.

This kind of shows what having college beach volleyball can do, Claes said in a recent interview as she prepared for the Tokyo Olympics. Theres just so many more opportunities for women to play. I think its incredible, and I think the sport is only going to get better and better in the States.

And just in time.

One of two traditional powers in beach volleyball, joining with Brazil to win 20 of the first 30 medals after the sport joined the Olympic program in 1996, the United States has been losing ground of late. Europeans claimed four of the six mens podium spots in London and Rio de Janeiro; Germans Laura Ludwig and Kira Walkenhorst won gold in 2016.

Where the U.S. has been competitive, it is skewing old: Ross, now 39, and Kerri Walsh Jennings, now 42, were the only U.S. team to medal in Rio the Americans worst haul since 2000. Tokyo will be the fourth Summer Games for both Jake Gibb, who at 45 is the oldest Olympic volleyball player (beach or indoor) ever, and Phil Dalhausser, who is 41.

Walsh Jennings, who won three gold medals with Misty May-Treanor, will miss the Olympics for the first time since 1996 after being edged out by Claes and Sponcil in the second-to-last week of qualifying. (Ross is teamed with 31-year-old Alix Klineman.)

For a long time, the U.S. was Kerri and Misty. All the other countries caught up and passed us, Claes said. This is the U.S.s big push to get back on top, and I think its our time to lead the charge in this new era.

Invented in the Roaring 20s at a Parisian nudist colony and popularized on coastlines from California to Copacabana, beach volleyball first joined the Olympic program in Atlanta. Early stars like Karch Kiraly and Walsh Jennings tended to be transplants from the indoor game.

That changed in 2012, when the NCAA added beach volleyball as an emerging sport for women, encouraging schools to field varsity teams; three years later, it was granted full championship status. There are now 64 Division I teams recognized by the NCAA, many of them in traditional spots like California and Florida but others spread along the Gulf Coast and some in landlocked volleyball hotbeds like Nebraska.

With college as an option and, as importantly, receiving a scholarship to play athletes are no longer just migrating to the beach after their indoor careers are over.

And it shows.

You can just see their style of play is a lot different than some of us who have been around for a lot longer, Ross said. Theyve really pushed the sport to a higher level and its just going to keep becoming tougher and tougher to play.

Claes, who grew up playing beach volleyball, won back-to-back NCAA titles at USC. Sponcil began indoors at Loyola Marymount before transferring to the beach team at UCLA, where she also earned two titles.

Tina Graudia, who was a member of the Trojans 2021 championship team, will compete in Tokyo for Latvia.

We all saw it coming, said Dain Blanton, who won the beach gold medal in Sydney and now coaches the USC team. When this movement took place, 2012, to get collegiate beach volleyball started on the womens side, you just knew it was going to be this grassroots movement to produce all this talent.

Blanton, who grew up less than 2 miles from the Pacific Ocean in Laguna Beach, California, knew the beach was in his future. But indoor was his only opportunity for a college scholarship; he was an All-American at Pepperdine, where he led the Waves to the 1992 NCAA title. (There is still no NCAA beach volleyball program for men.)

Although the sports overlap on equipment and some rules, the six-person indoor version relies more on power and leaping than the two-person beach game. Starting earlier on the sand, Blanton said, has given players like Claes and Sponcil a head start on the techniques and strategy specific to their discipline.

They also have earlier access to coaching and training they need.

A lot of beach players, you roll the balls out and do your thing. Whereas now, in college, you have this basis of training you learn how to practice, travel, he said. It translates, and you can learn the game quickly.

For Claes and Sponcil, that meant hitting the Olympic qualifying tour with experience from already playing in big tournaments in their teens and 20s. Sponcil said she watched a recent NCAA beach championship and it was amazing to see how the sport has grown.

Theres so many great athletes coming out of college these days, she said.

And she is among them.

Its crazy, because we just have so many years in front of us, she said. To be so young, were going to have so much experience under our belts. And its going to help us down the road.

___

More AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2020-tokyo-olympics and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

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For new generation of Olympians, path was through NCAA beach - Associated Press

Environmental advocates estimate 57 million Americans contract a waterborne illness every year. And its likely that many dont notice because the symptoms are similar to the flu or COVID-19.

People usually think they just caught a bug, said Dr. Sara Andrabi, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. But this could have been from water exposure, she said.

Texas has a dirty water problem, and there are three main contributors, according to the 2021 Safe for Swimming report from Environment Texas Research and Policy Center: buildings and concrete pavement of natural areas, leaking city sewer systems and large livestock farms.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Galveston's Seawall is about to be packed with Model T replicas, a throwback to the 1900s

Fifty-five of the states 61 beaches were found to be dangerous for swimming at least once during the states regular testing, which usually occurs on a weekly or bi-weekly schedule.

For the first time, the report broke down water quality data by county and found that beaches in Harris County were unsafe on more than half of the days tested.

So about 90 percent of beaches were unsafe for swimming at least once in 2020, said Anna Sherman, clean water associate for Environment Texas. It speaks to the fact that we really are continuing to see failing infrastructure.

Sewage pipes break, leading to sewage leaking into waterways that eventually feed into the Gulf, making them unsafe for swimming, Sherman said. The rise of commercial farms 97 percent of hogs are now raised on big farms, she said has created an overflow of animal waste to flow into natural waterways, as well.

The rise of factory farms has resulted in large concentrations of livestock manure that cannot be stored safely and is often over-applied to crops, the report reads. All too often, rainfall washes excess manure from cropland into our waterways where it can put swimmers health at risk.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How to reintroduce your kid to the world post-pandemic

People should be able to use our beaches its not the use that is making them dirty, Sherman said. Its human-caused in the fact that we havent invested in our sewer infrastructure.

Kristina Mena, an environmental microbiologist and dean of the UTHealth School of Public Health in El Paso, conducts human health risk assessment, in which where she analyzes water quality data from different areas along with exposure rates. This helps predict whether that person will get sick from swimming in that body of water.

Recreational waterborne illnesses are very prevalent, Mena said. But its hard to assess just how common they are because most people who swim in beaches are healthy and do not stay sick for long if they come in contact with harmful bacteria.

Waterborne disease symptoms range from bacterial infections to gastrointestinal problems and breathing issues, Andrabi said. Polluted waters can cause diarrhea if a person swallows it, ear infections or swimmers ear if bacteria grows in their ear canal, or something more serious, like vibriosis, a flesh-eating bacterial infection.

When you get infected or ill from a pathogen, it will resolve on its own, or it will be mild with non-specific symptoms so it seems like its not linked to the water, Mena said. Nausea and gastroenteritis often have a lengthy incubation period, so it goes underreported because people dont connect it to the water.

If a person is thinking about going to the beach, they need to understand what is going on in surrounding areas. Has it rained recently? Could there be more polluted water runoff than normal?

The elderly, young children and immunocompromised individuals are most at risk of developing severe complications from a waterborne illness, Mena said. Dehydration can be a major problem for those suffering from longterm diarrhea and nausea, Andrabi added.

Texas Beach Watch, a service operated by the Texas General Land Office and funded by the Environmental Protection Agency, gives real time updates on water quality along beaches in Aransas, Brazoria, Cameron, Galveston, Harris, Jefferson, Matagorda, Nueces and San Patricio counties.

From May through September, water samples are collected weekly. Otherwise, samples are done every two weeks. The GLO works with local governments to issue advisories warning the public not to swim if bacteria levels exceed EPA standards.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How to stay hydrated in the Houston heat

The program samples the water for Enterococcus bacteria, a bacterium found in the gastrointestinal tracts of humans that is present in fecal matter, and biologists base the beachs safety rating off those findings.

Every year, the Safe for Swimming Report gives recommendations for how to solve bacteria-filled waters in Texas. These include increasing funding to fix sewage systems and preventing runoff pollution through natural, green infrastructure, like rain gardens.

Stopping the construction and expansion of large livestock farms in areas that flow toward waterways is another recommendation, as well as protecting wetlands by not building on them.

Sherman said the group will continue to watch how the Biden Administrations new infrastructure plan moves through Congress; the plan would set aside money for new ways to clean our natural waters and keep them clean.

It is breaking news we are talking about investing in infrastructure right now because its something weve failed to do for years, she said. Now is the time to invest in infrastructure to keep beaches clean and make sure the systems in place are working.

julie.garcia@chron.com

Twitter.com/reporterjulie

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Sick after going to the beach? Experts say it could be poop in the water. - Houston Chronicle

When I first moved to Los Angeles in 2006, I imagined that Id be going to the beach all the time.

I changed the background of my Myspace profile to a picture of Venice Beach palm trees at sunset as part of my preparations to live out the sun-drenched California fantasy that brings so many people to this state. Obviously, I would get into surfing. The only question was how good would I be.

Fifteen years later, I have still never surfed, and my fantasy of a beachy lifestyle has run aground on a hard reality. The coast exists for all of us, and our right to beach access enjoys greater protections here than in almost any other state. But first, you have to get there.

In the quadratic equation of distance, parking, traffic and transfers we use to determine our every course of action across this city, the beach is one of the hardest to solve.

If you wake up too early, or drive too far out, you might be exhausted when you get there. If you wake up too late, youll probably pay much more to park and have to go much farther to find a spot. If you pay too much to park, youll feel ripped off if you leave early. If you dont pay to park youll exhaust yourself spending hours circling.

If you take the Expo line to Santa Monica, you can avoid all that. But then youll be at Santa Monica Beach, one of the most crowded tourist attractions in the city.

At least 12 Metro bus lines run to the beach, and theres also a county-run beach bus that you can reserve in advance with stops in San Gabriel Valley, the Antelope Valley, San Fernando Valley and East Los Angeles. But it can be a difficult ride if youre carrying a surfboard, cooler, tent or chairs.

Then theres the long, sweaty hike across hot sand as you attempt to triangulate via lifeguard and cellphone tower where your friends and family are. Even then, the fickle whims of the marine layer might blot out the sun and leave you shivering.

This is why I believe packing a morning picnic for the beach in Los Angeles is utter folly. Get some food, coffee and water before the journey, or you might never make it.

The beach exerts an upward influence on all of our rents and home prices, and we all pay for our proximity to it in some way. At least 80% of Californians live within an hours drive of a beach. According to a recent UCLA survey, the average cost for traveling to and from the beach is $22.09 not including the cost of parking, food and activities.

Homeowners engineer a myriad of ways to block access to our beaches, erecting fake no-parking signs, painting curbs red, installing their own gates and staircases and hiring private security. The California Coastal Commission fights back constantly, but there are less than a dozen enforcement officers for the whole state, and a caseload of more than 2,000.

Once you get to Malibu and park your car, youre now allowed to be there. You should feel comfortable, said Linda Locklin, director of the commissions beach access program. But the fact is you have so many roadblocks and pinch points on your way out there.

The pandemic brought the inequities of beach access into sharp focus. Beach parking lots were closed for months, during which only those in affluent, mostly white communities near the beach had ready access.

It was a reminder of the coasts history of segregation, when there were only two beaches that Black people could visit: Inkwell Beach and Bruces Beach. Anyone at Inkwell Beach who attempted to wade over the color line was met with truncheons and police dogs. The city of Manhattan Beach condemned Bruces Beach and seized it through eminent domain, as chronicled recently by my colleague Rosanna Xia.

Restricting access to the beach was and still is a common strategy of homeowners expressing racial bias. In the 1980s, wealthy Palos Verdes residents successfully petitioned the Rapid Transit District to forbid buses from entering the peninsula. A former Metropolitan Transportation Authority official testified that bus officials even added a transfer to bus lines running between Manhattan Beach and South-Central Los Angeles so that there would be no direct route.

These measures were effective. In the UCLA survey, 1 of every 3 African Americans said they visited the beach less than once a year. Perhaps their families remember when traveling to the beach meant passing through hostile communities and enduring routine verbal abuse and violence.

Three out 10 African Americans surveyed cited not knowing how to swim as a reason they didnt go to the beach more often. Perhaps thats because their parents were banned from swimming pools and beaches for so many years.

Protecting and regulating access to coasts is one thing. But its much harder to democratize access to the waves for surfing, boogie boarding and other water sports, said Lizelle Jackson, a surfer who grew up in Palmdale.

Jackson, 36, started surfing after the film Blue Crush came out when she was in high school, but she didnt hit her stride until she found waves and other surfers of color in places like Costa Rica, France and South Africa. Last year, when she came back to her home beaches, she was unpleasantly surprised by the aggressive, bullying and white-dominated culture sometimes found in local surf spots.

I understand respect. But these are all unspoken rules. How do you know what the rules are if no one explains that to you? she said. We didnt have parents who grew up surfing, because they werent allowed to go to the beach.

She and her friends started an organization called Color the Water to help other people of color learn to enjoy the ocean. They give free surfing lessons, provide wetsuits and even take surf photos of beginners catching their first waves.

To reach the ocean, Jackson and her family used to travel from Palmdale to Topanga Beach, a 140-mile odyssey round trip.

But recently she and a co-founder of the organization found an apartment near the Venice Pier. Inside, they store about 20 surfboards in their apartment for surfers who cant bring their own boards.

The sand is just steps away.

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The beach is there for all of us we just have to get there - Los Angeles Times

Lena Spain-Suzuki was fed up with the dirty bathrooms at Pokai Bay Beach Park. Last year, the beige comfort stations walls were covered with graffiti. The trash cans were overflowing and there was a pungent smell inside.

So she teamed up with residents from Puuhonua O Waianae a self-organized homeless community in Waianae to do something about it.

I said, Lets do this and we took it upon ourselves to get this place cleaned, Spain-Suzuki said.

In November 2020, Spain-Suzuki and the hui of Waianae residents and volunteers set out to beautify the otherwise rundown bathrooms. The group cleaned around the park and inside the bathrooms, removed the graffiti and primed the bathroom walls for a colorful mural painted by Westside artists.

We are taking back these spaces because once we clean, we own. Its all of our kuleana, Spain-Suzuki said.

The upkeep of parks is a concern for many Westside residents who feel like their beloved public spaces arent being taken care of.

Neglected, abused and overlooked are some of the adjectives that Westside residents used when discussing parks at a recent Civil Beat Talk Story event.

Their frustrations are based in reality.

Were seeing homelessness, illegal dumping, vandalism, theft, all of those things happening, says Department of Parks and Recreation Deputy Director Kehau Puu. All of the issues we see in our communities are magnified in our parks.

Litter and vandalism are the most common problems. According to an audit by the city auditors office, vandalism is one of the primary challenges for maintaining parks because of its unpredictable occurrence and costs.

Puu started with the parks department in June. A Nanakuli resident, she and her family frequent Kalanianaole Beach Park and although its her favorite, she noted the opala, or trash, she often sees after beach parties and long weekends.

So Puu can understand why people have a negative perception of how the parks are cared for. She shared that perception growing up and knows that things out in her neighborhood arent always the best.

We dont have the best health or economic statistics, but for our department, we want to make sure things are more equitable and that were taking care of all of our districts, Puu says.

Honolulus parks are divided into five districts. District 3 or the Leeward Oahu district encompasses 93 parks from Wahiawa to Ewa and Pearl City to Waianae. The largest and most visited parks in this district, according to a 2016 report, are Kapolei Regional Park, Makaha Beach Park, and Ewa Mahiko Park.

However, with over 300 parks on the island, Honolulu ranked 312th out of 319 comparable counties in the country in the 2020 National Community Survey, which measures the livability of counties across the states. Fewer than half of those surveyed thought the parks were excellent or good much lower than the national average.

Satisfaction with parks may come down to how well they are maintained. A 2019 city auditors report of the department found that more of the parks maintenance budget for groundskeeping, custodial and maintenance services went to parks in East Honolulu, despite the lower number of parks and recorded instances of vandalism.

Michael Loftin, cofounder and executive director of 808 Cleanups, sees active participation in their cleanups across the island. The environmental nonprofit has hosted litter and graffiti removal on Oahu since 2014 and has removed almost 700,000 pounds of rubbish with thousands of volunteers showing up and even spearheading their own community-led events.

Every community has people who are motivated to help. On the peoples side, there are always volunteers. The difference I see is on the government side and where resources are poured into. It seems like the Westside doesnt get as much, Loftin says.

And this may be why community members feel like they have to be the champions of their own parks. Scheduling weekly cleanups. Continual graffiti removal and repainting. Nightly patrols. Tracking improvement projects at neighborhood board meetings. All of these community-led efforts to keep parks safe and sanitary have become their prime responsibility.

There are more than a dozen groups on the Westside working to keep the parks usable for the public and most of the work is done by the community members themselves.

Its not always easy. Spain-Suzuki got a verbal warning for orchestrating the mural painting. The group didnt file proper paperwork with the parks department, but Spain-Suzuki questioned the permitting process from the beginning.

Why do I have to ask for approval for this when the bathrooms cant even be kept clean? When we are the ones doing the cleaning? she said.

Puu said that she loved seeing the community efforts at Pokai before she started in her position. Seeing the restoration of the Kuilioloa Heiau at the bays edge actually gave her more confidence in joining the city department.

We really do want to work with our community to make these places better because theyre our spaces, Puu says.

Although she says its the citys job to maintain and fix up the parks, Puu believes that it is a kakou kuleana or a shared responsibility to take care of them.

The biggest question for her is, how can the city work better with the community?

We really do appreciate and mahalo the community for their efforts, but were open to new ideas and new ways to connect with them, Puu says.

Some residents want more communication and transparency from the parks department, but others find it hard to get their own community involved. One solution, Spain-Suzuki says, may be to tell the history and the stories of these places.

Spain-Suzuki wants her beloved park to have official signs to mark the moolelo stories that makes this place special. She envisions a walkway up to the heiau that kupuna can exercise on, with recognition of the sacred structure. Spain-Suzuki believes that knowing the story behind these beloved places will motivate the community to care for them.

There are so many beautiful stories for these places that we are disconnected from, but we will get back to that. Thats how we can build true community, Spain-Suzuki says.

Here are three parks on the Westside and the people who love them and want to keep them in order:

Micah Doane currently resides in Waikele, but his special connection to Keaau Beach Park comes from his Makua-born grandmother. She used to take him, along with his siblings and uncles, to these Westside beaches, calling it heaven on earth.

As the founder of Protectors of Paradise, a stewardship nonprofit focused on Westside beaches from Keaau on, Doane works to protect the paradise of his grandparents for his children. He calls all of the litter and vandalism of these public spaces abuse and doesnt think his children should grow up in places that are so neglected and disrespected.

Majority of the time my 4-year-old son goes to the beaches, its because Im cleaning it up, Doane says.

Its frustrating work knowing that the beach wont stay clean past a couple of hours. In the five years since launching his nonprofit, Doane says his hui has removed thousands of pounds of trash with little long term improvement. So, theyre hoping for more assistance from the city.

Its so easy to lose morale and money, so we want to see what kind of support we can get from the government to continue our work there, Doane says.

He also points to another change hes seen over the years: the influx of tourists to Westside beaches.

Before we felt really isolated out there, but with social media, now our beaches have become a popular spot for visitors, Doane says.

His dream is to have a cultural classroom out at the park, so that locals and tourists alike can learn about the area and how to mlama ina take care of the land. Doane and his group have started small gardens across the Waianae Coast at various parks, hoping to create an incentive for the community to get involved.

The land offers a lot of opportunities for usage, besides just sitting back and relaxing, Doane says.

Penelope Parnes is used to seeing large groups of volunteers cleaning up Oneula Beach Park. She says that the young and old, students and veterans even residents who dont live in the neighborhood come out to maintain this park.

Shes lived in Ewa for 15 years and counting, often facilitating cleanups at Hau Bush in partnership with other organizations, like Ewa Surf Club, Blue Zones and the local JROTC program. She also joined 808Cleanups in 2017.

Weve removed over 60,000 pounds of rubbish from Hau Bush and this happened because of the continued stewardship of community volunteers, Parnes says.

The biggest issue she sees is the lack of a dedicated city-appointed caretaker. She believes that an individual, who overlooks the park maintenance, would improve the park and create accountability.

Parnes also thinks that the parks department should collaborate with the community more. In one of her Ewa Neighborhood Board Parks Committee meetings, the group pitched an improvement plan that included graveling and expanding the beach area. When they sent it to the parks department, Parnes says she was told to hold off until the department can fully review the environmental impacts.

Its impossible to even get answers to questions, let alone establish a partnership, Parnes says.

In a recent Ewa Neighborhood Board meeting, Parnes, who serves on the board, told the parks department director, Laura Thielen, that her community would like a better relationship with parks staff.

I want to support the different efforts going on. The parks are loved a lot, but they also get loved to death, so we definitely need the help, Thielen responded.

Parnes just wants to see improvements done when they say they will be done. The published Oneula Beach Park Master Plan mapped out two comfort stations, a community center and ball field for that Ewa area. So far, only one bathroom has been built.

The community is and has done everything in our power to maintain our parks, Parnes says, I invite anyone to see that we care with our hearts and our hands.

Lena Spain-Suzuki grew up a mile from Pokai Bay Beach Park. Her fondest childhood memories happened there from birthdays to just hanging out on the weekend. She remembers playing on the bays rock wall, feeling the strongest sense of community with other Westside kids.

It didnt matter if you were from Makaha or Lualualei. We were all just playing together, Spain-Suzuki says.

Since the mural painting last November, she and her fellow ina warriors have held multiple cleanups and gatherings at the park. Almost 200 volunteers came in February to clean up the beach, playground and heiau. She has also worked with the homeless community that lives at the park, calling on them to be good stewards of the area, often bringing food and supplies as well as connecting them to social workers and services.

Along with Puuhonua O Waianaes Hui Aloha, some have formed a bathroom brigade, cleaning the bathrooms when other volunteers cant make it out. Spain-Suzuki says that they have helped six people find housing.

Her greatest success, she says, was seeing local kupuna and homeless community members come together to make lei in celebration of May Day. The group played music and Spain-Suzuki even got up to dance a hula for her friends. At one of her La Kupuna or kupuna days they sat together in the grass and talked about the future of their shared Pokai Bay.

Good stewardship means including everyone in your village and doing what is right for the place that youre in, Spain-Suzuki says.

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These West Oahu Residents Are On A Mission To Clean Up The Island's Beach Parks - Honolulu Civil Beat

Amid a contentious debate over the direction Los Angeles takes inaddressing homelessness in the city, Shirley Raines takes the side of the people at the center of the issue.

For the past six years, Raines has been taking one day out of every week to drive down from her home in Long Beach to Skid Row with a van full of food and beauty supplies, ready to serve people on a sidewalk along the citys corridor known for having the largest containment of unhoused people in the United States.

Its giving people a sense of purpose and something to feel good about themselves about, said Raines, founder and owner of Beauty 2 the Streetz, a nonprofit dedicated to helping homeless people look good and feel even better.

Every week, she leads a team of volunteers including licensed hairstylists, barbers, makeup artists and others to Skid Row and they turn it into an outdoor hair salon and barbeque event.

For Raines, caring for people experiencing homelessness in Skid Row has helped her heal a traumatic pain that stems from three decades ago, when she lost her young son in an accident.

I was trying to make sense of my pain, or find a purpose for my pain. I didnt know what direction I was leading in and someone suggested I help feed the homeless with them, she said. Then I came out here and felt the instant connection with the homeless all the brokenness, all the hurt, all the pain, all the trauma I felt like Im me in them.

Raines said that the connection she found by sharing her stories and listing to others stories is what inspired her to keep coming back and helping.

Thats what led me to stay out here, but they were more interested in my hair and my makeup versus the food I was trying to give them, so I was like I could give them some lashes and then it just turned and morphed into its own thing, she said.

While Raines is very much aware that her services serve as only a bandaid to help those living on Skid Row, she hopes Beauty 2 the Streetz can expand to help address other areas of peoples lives that help them feel whole and heal.

For now, Beauty 2 the Streetz has put a pause in taking in new applicants for volunteers, but those wishing to help can do so by sending in items needed from the nonprofits Amazon wishlist, dropping off clothing, food or hygiene supplies at a designated location or following her social media accounts for events on TikTok, Facebook and Instagram.

More information can be found at https://www.beauty2thestreetz.org/.

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Long Beach woman is beautifying the streets of Skid Row one makeover at a time - KTLA Los Angeles

SURFSIDE BEACH, S.C. (WBTW) The first day of a Maryland familys vacation was a memorable one as they witnessed a large mammal that had washed ashore Saturday in Surfside Beach.

Peggy Haney, of Chesapeake Beach, Maryland, said her family has been vacationing in the Myrtle Beach area for years, but they have never seen anything like what they saw after going to the beach a few hours after arriving on Saturday.

We saw some police activity and a crowd of people on the beach, and we asked our oldest son to do down there and check it out, she said. He went down and looked, and when he came back, he said he thought it was some sort of whale.

The family is staying in the 1200 block of South Ocean Boulevard, and Haney said the mammal was on the beach about two blocks north of where theyre staying. She said there was a crowd gathered and a beach patrol officer was also there.

It was actually really sad, Haney said. We didnt know what it was. It looked like it could be a shark at first.

Haney said she does not know how long the mammal had been on the beach or anything about how it was removed. WBTW has reached out to the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources to try to get more information.

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Maryland familys vacation begins with memorable mammal sighting in Surfside Beach - WBTW

Written by Jesse Scheckner on May 4, 2021

The Army Corps of Engineers this year plans to haul from upland mines nearly 1.3 million cubic yards of sand 3 billion pounds worth to re-sand beachfronts on Miami Beach, Bal Harbour and Sunny Isles Beach.

The effort is part of a decades-old program to resurface eroded beaches along the countys coastline. But unlike prior iterations of the program, these and many future sanding projects will be fully paid for by the federal government, a report from Miami-Dade Mayor Daniella Levine Cavas office said.

Already this year, the Army Corps hauled 635,000 cubic yards of sand from upland mines near Okeechobee and Clewiston to mend eroded beaches on Surfside and Miami Beach.

In March, the Corps began hauling what will ultimately amount to 280,000 cubic yards of sand to Sunny Isles Beach. Then in July, the Corps is set to bring 175,000 cubic yards of sand from dredged shoals near Haulover Inlet in Biscayne Bay to a beach at 96th Street in Bal Harbour.

The Corps biggest beach renourishment undertaking here this year is scheduled to begin one month later, when the engineering formation plans to truck 830,000 cubic yards of sand more than 1 million tons to eroded shores across Miami Beach.

Funding for the projects comes through the Bipartisan Budget Act, which Congress passed in February 2018 and in part authorizes beach re-sanding and hurricane protections in Miami-Dade, with total expenditures up to $158.3 million covered by the federal government.

Under that arrangement, which Miami-Dade commissioners approved in January 2019, the Army Corps planned five program phases.

At the same time, the Corps is evaluating a beach segment from Government Cut to Bakers Haulover Inlet and will provide an updated cost-share estimate between the federal government and Miami-Dade for the program through about 2072.

The study, which also includes an examination of Key Biscayne, is expected to finish in October 2022.

The Miami-Dade Beach Erosion Control and Hurricane Surge Protection Program began after Congress authorized it in 1966 to address severe beach depletion and the associated economic and social impacts here.

The resulting work that the Army Corps developed and undertook called for building a 10.5-mile protective beach fill extending from Government Cut to Haulover Beach Park.

That project was done through six contracts from 1975 to 1982 using offshore sand. In 1986, Congress OKd a second phase of the project for a 2.5-mile segment stretching north between Sunny Isles Beach and Golden Beach, which ended two years later.

The Corps identified seven erosional hotspots, according to a master plan of the program by the county. They include the north end of Sunny Isles Beach, Bal Harbour Beach, an area north of Government Cut and 63rd, 55th, 44th and 32nd streets on Miami Beach.

Renourishment efforts now exclusively use domestically derived sand despite its near-prohibitive cost. In 2007, former county Commissioner Bruno Barreiro unsuccessfully lobbied Washington for permission to use foreign sand. Sand was since shipped from the Bahamas and hauled from Central Florida and St. Lucie County.

But that method was inefficient, produced inconsistent beach areas due to differences in sand quality, and it bothered residents of areas where the sand came from, Lee Hefty, who leads the countys Division of Environmental Resources Management (DERM), told Miami Today in 2018.

Through 2006, when the county published its most recent master plan for beach erosion control, some 18 million cubic yards of sand 22.5 million tons were excavated and transplanted from state-sourced and offshore sites since the program began in 1975.

Commissioner Sally Heyman, whose district includes many miles of beaches, has called renourishment projects the front-line of climate change and sea level rise.

To that end, Florida requires re-sanding stipulations in beachfront construction permits.

In 2018, a private developer of the Residences by Armani Casa in Sunny Isles Beach hauled and renourished 3,000 feet of shoreline with 29,400 cubic yards of beach-quality sand from the Vulcan Witherspoon Mine in Moore Haven. The state division of DERM closely monitored the work, Ms. Levine Cavas report said.

And in January 2020, the developer of the Estates of Acqualina in Sunny Isles had nearly 24,900 cubic yards of sand hauled from an upland mine and placed it along beaches between 186th and 195th streets, with Miami-Dade DERM overseeing the work.

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Army hauls 3 billion pounds of sand to Miami-Dade beaches - Miami Today