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NAPLES Severely eroded stretches of Vanderbilt and Naples beaches will get a little more sand under an emergency declaration authorized Tuesday by Collier County commissioners.

Commissioners voted unanimously to move forward with the emergency renourishment, which follows a double-whammy to the beaches from tropical storms Debby and Isaac this summer.

Even before the two storms, though, hoteliers and some commissioners had been flummoxed by the slow pace of the county's plans to beef up the beaches. The sentiment carried over to Tuesday's meeting, where commissioners also voted unanimously to move forward with a more extensive renourishment for Vanderbilt, Park Shore and Naples beaches starting in September 2013.

Commissioner Georgia Hiller called the timeline "unacceptable," and Commissioner Tom Henning said county officials owe commissioners an explanation for why the beaches are overdue.

The last major beach renourishment happened in 2005 and 2006 and was meant to last for six years. In 2011, commissioners asked county beach planners to explore ways to extend the life of the next renourishment by putting more sand on the beach than in 2006.

But when the Federal Emergency Management Agency didn't come through with an expected $11.2 million share, it threw the county's funding scheme out of whack and sent the county back to another smaller, six-year renourishment project. It is estimated to cost between $15 million and $17.5 million.

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Collier leaders OK emergency sand restoration at Naples, Vanderbilt beaches

Are you planning to visit Maine's Beaches Region this summer? If so, be sure to bring your backpack and hiking boots along with you. There are several great places to take a hike located within the region. Here's a quick rundown on a few of them:

Ferry Beach State Park

Ferry Beach State Park is located in York County. It features 1.7 miles of hiking trails. Bird watchers may want to consider taking the 0.4 mile long Tupelo Trail. It leads into a tupelo swamp that is frequented by blueberry loving birds. Those taking the trail should bring their binoculars and bug spray. Hikers seeking the shade of hemlock trees may want to consider taking the 0.1 mile long Greenbriar Trail instead. Additional park highlights include opportunities to go beachcombing and enjoy views of the Saco River.

Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center

The Scarborough Marsh Audubon Center is located in Cumberland County. It features a 0.3 mile long nature trail that is ideal for a casual trek. Hikers should make it a point to bring their cameras and binoculars as the marsh literally teems with interesting flora and fauna. One of the best spots to catch site of birds is the panne. Hikers are likely to run across a glossy ibis or a snowy egret in that area. Hikers should also look for the remnants of a canal that was used during the American Revolution. In addition, the former studio of American painter Winslow Homer is located nearby. Homer is known for his paintings of Prout's Neck.

Vaughan Woods State Park

Vaughn Woods State Park is located in York County. It features 3.7 miles of hiking trails. History lovers should consider taking the 0.7 mile long Bridle Path. It is shady in spots and passes by the former home of James Warren. Warren was one of the many Scots Royalist soldiers that were incarcerated at Durham cathedral. The 0.8 mile long River Run Trail is also worth taking. It offers views of the Salmon Falls River.

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge

The Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is located in York County. It features more than 2 miles of trails. Some of the trails extend outside of the refuge. Hikers seeking to catch a glimpse of the area's wildlife may want to consider taking the 0.9 mile long Atlantic Way Trail. The use of sturdy hiking boots and bug spray are highly recommended. Additional park highlights include Timber Island, the salt marsh and views of the Little River.

Killeen Gonzalez enjoys summer sports and recreation with her family. She has also traveled extensively.

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Summer Hiking Sites Located in Maine’s Beaches Region

The wonders of Santa Rosa County will be showcased starting this weekend with the Beaches to Woodlands Festival.

During the next five weekends there will be numerous special events across Santa Rosa County with some special events planned all month long as well.

The ninth annual event offers something for everyone.

The joy of fall and this tour is the opportunity we all get to enjoy fabulous, wholesome events in our own backyard, said tour coordinator, Karen Harrell. The tour is comparable to an extended fall festival with about 40 events and venues that touch all four corners of Santa Rosa County.

Sponsored by the Tourist Development Council, the self-guided Beaches to Woodlands Tour is designed to showcase the many attractions and diversity of the area during a key shoulder season. Most of the events are free or low-cost, tied to an area fundraising effort and family friendly.

After the first weekend in August, tourism numbers drop dramatically in the region, Harrell said. Once the children are settled back in school, folks start looking for a long weekend opportunity to take a mini-vacation before the holidays set in.

Santa Rosa County offers a diverse range of lodging options from traditional hotels to luxury beach rentals, wooded cabins, RV parks and primitive camping and best of all offseason rates are among the lowest of the year.

This weekend's events will include the Milton Heritage Tour and the Artfest.

The Milton Heritage Tour is new to the festival and is a progressive bus tour of Miltons Historic Sites with expert tour guides to share the rich history of the area. Stops include the Acardia Mill Archeological Site, West Florida Railroad Museum, Downtown Milton Historic District and the Imogene Theater and Bagdad Village Preservation Museum. The cost is $20 which includes transportation and a boxed lunch. Advance reservations required. Details: 850-626-3084, ext. 102.

The Artfest is an event hotsted by the Santa Rosa Arts Association Inc. on Sept. 29 from 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. at the Santa Rosa County Auditorium. Artfest will feature original art and crafts by gulf coast artists. There will be door prizes, music, and live demonstrations throughout the day. Hot food and baked goods will also be available.

Originally posted here:

Beaches to Woodlands Tour kick off this weekend

By KBJR News 1

Beach Advisory in Place for Two Duluth Beaches

Duluth, MN (Northland's NewsCenter) --- Beach goers are advised to stay out of the water of two Duluth beaches due to elevated E. coli bacteria.

The following beaches showed elevated levels of E. coli from water samples: - Minnesota Point Harborside / 15th Street Beach (formerly New Duluth Boat Club / 14th Street beach) on the harbor-side of Park Point in Duluth at 15th Street.

- 20th Street / Hearding Island Canal Beach on the harbor-side of Park Point, at 20th Street.

The elevated E. coli bacteria levels could be due to fecal contamination in the water at these beaches.

If you become sick after coming into contact with the water at these beaches, you are asked to call the Minnesota Health Department.

The water at both beaches will be tested again later today.

Posted to the web by Krista Burns

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Beach Advisory in Place for Two Duluth Beaches

Heal the Bay's End of Summer Beach Report Card is out for 2012 and the good news: LA's beaches are mostly un-gross! The bad news: a few are still kind of gross (Catalina, we're side-eyeing you). According to a release, this was "one of the cleanest summers for beach water quality ever recorded in the state." The org gave A or B grades to 96 percent of California beaches, 4 percent more than last year (they rated 446 beaches "based on bacterial pollution data collected by 20 local health agencies and dischargers from Humboldt through San Diego counties"). In Los Angeles County, water quality was up 2 percent--77 sites earned As or Bs. But they're not all good; here are the three grossest:

-- Avalon. The Catalina beach "has experienced chronically polluted water for more than two decades," but recently upgraded its corroded sewer infrastructure and is working on further water quality improvements. Meanwhile, its five testing points earned three Fs, a D, and an A+ (between the storm drain and the Pier, if you want to go for it).

-- Malibu Pier. This is Malibu Pier's third straight year of grossness--it earned an F for 2012. And it's not even clear why: "Despite numerous site visits by Heal the Bay staff, a pollution source has yet to be identified."

-- Cabrillo Beach. The San Pedro beach also earned an F grade "despite extensive water quality improvement projects throughout the past few years including: replacement of beach sand in the intertidal zone, removal of the rock jetty, installation of water circulation pumps, and installation of bird exclusion devices." The city's agreed to do even more, with new bird exclusion measures scheduled to be in place by the end of the year.

If you're curious about a particular beach, Heal the Bay has a handy map report card. SUMMER BEACH WATER QUALITY ON RISE STATEWIDE [Heal the Bay]

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Beaches: Here Are LA County's 3 Grossest Beaches For Water Quality

AREAWIDE Santa Monica Bay beaches this year earned high marks for water quality - with 94 percent scoring As and Bs - on an end-of-summer beach report card released Tuesday.

But not all beaches in the South Bay and Harbor Area were without problems, according to the report issued by the environmental group Heal the Bay.

The organization doles out A-to-F letter grade to 446 beaches along the state coastline, based on bacterial pollution data. The higher the grade a site receives, the lower the risk of illness to swimmers and beach users.

The report lists various local monitoring sites where water samples taken from April 1 to Sept. 3 contained bacteria counts that exceeded state health standards.

They include inner Cabrillo Beach at the restrooms, with 99 exceedances; the south side of the Redondo Beach pier, 43; inner Cabrillo Beach at the boat launch, 33; Dockweiler State Beach at the mouth of Ballona Creek, 21; Marina del Rey's "Mother's Beach" near the playground area, 13; Redondo Beach at the Topaz Street jetty, 9; and more.

For the full summer report.

- Kristin S. Agostoni

Continued here:

Local beaches earn high grades in report card

Water quality at San Diego County beaches was excellent again over the summer and contributed to one of the cleanest peak-use seasons on record along the states coastline, according to a report card issued Tuesday by Heal the Bay.

A major sewage spill in Tijuana caused closures along Imperial Beach shortly before Labor Day, but otherwise the Santa Monica-based environmental group praised the countys beaches with a slate of A grades.

Heal the Bay based its assessment on bacterial pollution data collected by agencies along Californias coast. The summer of 2012 marked the sixth consecutive year of excellent water quality statewide from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Ninety-six percent of all spots tested received A or B grades a slight improvement from last year.

Heal the Bay did find that a relatively small number of locations statewide posed health risks; 20 sites received fair-to-poor water quality grades over the summer. Chronic problem spots such as Malibu Pier and the Avalon were among those tagged with failing grades.

The Southern California Coastal Water Research Project is trying to shed more light on the interaction between stormwater and bacteria in San Diegos Mission Bay. Water quality at the popular destination has improved markedly during dry weather, according to Heal the Bay, but researchers want to look at it more closely because of periodic pollution problems.

Several possible sources of bacteria pollution have been essentially eliminated, according to the environmental research agency. Previous source tracking studies indicated that birds were substantial contributors and pollution from human sources was insignificant, said a summary by the research group.

The bacteria-tracking project is expected to include daily water tests at several spots in Mission Bay, and it should conclude in October.

Original post:

SD, state beaches fare well during summer tests

Panaji, Sep 25 (IANS) The Goa state cabinet will Wednesday decide whether or not the hundreds of thousands of tourists hitting Goa's beaches this season can sip their cool beers or eat spicy fried prawns in beach shacks.

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Goa cabinet to decide on shacks on beaches

Three beach fronts will be ready for cleaning Saturday and Texas Land Commissioner Jerry Patterson promises fun while helping keep Texas beaches clean.

The 26th Annual Texas General Land Office Fall Adopt-A-Beach Cleanup will take place from 9 a.m. to noon at Sea Rim State Park, McFaddin Beach and near the Chambers County beach at Texas 124 and 87.

"A right not exercised is a right that will be lost," Patterson said in a prepared statement. "Join us Saturday, Sept. 22 for a fun time and a great cause, exercising your rights and keeping Texas beaches trash-free."

Volunteers should wear shoes, a hat and sunscreen and will be given data cards, gloves, pencils and trash bags. Most sites along the coast conclude the day's cleanup with cold drinks and hot food.

Volunteers may register on-line at http://www.TexasAdoptABeach.org or become a fan of the Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach program on Facebook. Texans who can't make it to the beach but still want to support the effort can make a tax-deductible donation at http://www.TexasAdoptABeach.org. Sponsorship levels range from $25 to $25,000.

In 26 years, 430,000 Adopt-A-Beach volunteers have picked up more than 8,300 tons of trash from the Texas Gulf Coast. Shell Oil Company is the statewide sponsor for the 26th Texas General Land Office Adopt-A-Beach Fall Cleanup. Other sponsors include Apache Corporation, AkzoNobel Surface Chemistry LLC, Cheniere Energy, Halliburton and the Ocean Conservancy.

For more information about how you can get involved, call 1-877-TXCOAST or visit our Web site at http://www.texasadoptabeach.org.

Adopt-A-Beach Fall Cleanup check-in sites in the Beaumont area:

n Sea Rim State Park

Check-in: Park entrance, 10 miles west of Sabine Pass on Highway 87 South

Original post:

Here's how you can help cleanup beaches today

Ocean City Beaches will be ungaurded until next spring

Last updated 9/23/12 02:34 pm

Ocean City officials say that the Ocean City Beach Patrol will not be on duty until next spring.

Last Updated: 36 minutes ago

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Last Updated: 15 hours ago

Copyright 2012 WMGM-TV / Access.1 Communications Corp. 1601 New Road, Linwood, NJ 08221

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Ocean City Beaches will be ungaurded until next spring

Hawaii has some of the best and most famous beaches in the world, including Oahu's iconic Waikiki Beach. Some are only accessible by helicopter or watercraft, while others literally disappear under the high winter surf on the islands' north shores. But which beaches are the best for swimming and snorkelling?

- Kauai - Hanalei Bay Beach, with a nearly perfect semicircle of white sand and breathtaking backdrop of waterfalls and mountain peaks, is one of Kauai's most scenic swimming beaches. Kee Beach Park, with an offshore reef lagoon teeming with colourful fish, is a favourite snorkelling site.

- Oahu - Lanikai Beach, with a clean, wide white sand beach and crystal clear water, is considered by many among the top swimming beaches in Hawaii. Hanauma Bay is the most famous of Hawaii's snorkel-ling beaches and one of the best in the world, due to its high fish population.

- Lanai - Hulopoe Beach, with an expanse of golden sand and deep blue waters, has earned the title as one of America's best beaches. Clear waters and a variety of marine life make it ideal for swimming and snorkelling. . Molokai - Papohaku Beach is billed as Hawaii's largest white sand beach, and with very little foot traffic there's plenty of space to spread out, as well as enjoy the excellent swimming and snorkelling conditions.

- Maui - Kaanapali Beach, Maui's signature beach, is a swimmer's paradise with kilometres of white sand and easy access to beachfront hotels, shopping and dining. Black Rock Beach at the northern end of Kaanapali Beach, with an abundance of coral and tropical fish, is an excellent spot for snorkelling.

- Hawaii's Big Island - Hapuna Beach State Park, with white sand and clean, clear water has earned the reputation as one of Hawaii's finest swimming beaches. Kahaluu Beach Park, a tiny sheltered cove with a large tame fish population and shallow, calm water, is renowned for its excellent snorkelling.

More here:

Hawaii's best swimming and snorkelling beaches

As summer approaches, volunteer lifesavers are returning to beaches in New South Wales and Queensland to keep an eye on swimmers, surfers and fishermen.

Red and yellow flags will dot the coastal strip from now until the volunteer patrol season ends on April 28 next year.

Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Phil Vanny says surf lifesavers spent more than 670-thousand hours a year patrolling beaches, and performed more than eight thousand rescues last season.

Mr Vanny says the statistics demonstrate the important service provided by Surf Life Savers in making our beaches safe for the community and visitors.

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Surf life savers returning to beaches

Persistent culprits revealed in last weekends big coastal clean-up are white plastic lollipop sticks and cigarette butts - not to mention a kitchen sink.

Wellington City Council biodiversity coordinator Myfanwy Emeny says lollipop sticks and cigarette butts are common recurring problems. "They are small enough to fit down stormwater drains and end up polluting our coastal waters and beaches."

More than 500 people turned out last Sunday to clean up the Wellington coastline, including city beaches and Porirua and Hutt coastlines.

So far over 500 big black bags of rubbish have been collected, and they are still coming in. Myfanwy Emeny says the rubbish is being audited at Lyall Bay by Auckland-based charity Sustainable Coastlines to see exactly what is ending up on the beaches. Old tyres - so far about two tonnes worth - television sets, road cones and all sorts of large and small items of rubbish were collected on Sunday.

"We even found a kitchen sink on Wellingtons south coast," she said. "There is so much rubbish, they are only auditing about 20 percent of it, but that will still give us a good picture of what the rubbish is. Then we can work out where the rubbish is coming from and try to stop it before it reaches our coast."

She said Sustainable Coastlines is planning to complete the audit next week and tally up the rubbish.

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Everything and the kitchen sink found on Wellington beaches

It's a sign of summer like cricket and sizzling barbecues - the famous red and yellow flags hoisted on Queensland beaches.

As thousands of volunteer lifesavers go on patrol from Saturday, beachgoers have been called on to play their part by being responsible and staying safe over the summer months.

Surf Life Saving Queensland chief operations officer George Hill said simple rules such as swimming between the flags and following the advice of lifeguards and lifesavers will prevent tragedies.

Nearly 800 rescues were made on Gold Coast beaches alone last summer, with five people drowning.

'As far as we're concerned, five deaths on the Gold Coast is five too many,' Mr Hill said.

'Ultimately our goal is zero preventable deaths in Queensland waters, however there has already been a beach-related drowning on the Gold Coast.

'We will move forward into the new season with increased aerial patrols, daily watercraft patrols, dawn patrols and weekend beach patrols to ensure a safe experience for all beachgoers.'

The surf lifesavers will be on patrol every weekend and public holiday from Saturday until Monday, May 6.

Continue reading here:

Surf lifesavers return to Qld beaches

A decision is expected in the next couple of days on whether Jackson County will clean up Hurricane Isaac debris along East and Front beaches in Ocean Springs.

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Will Jackson County beaches be cleaned up after Hurricane Isaac?

FORT LAUDERDALE (CBSMiami) Construction crews are staying busy on Broward Beaches as many are getting a facelift.

Were redoing this whole part of the beach phase by phase, points out AJ Yaari.

Yaari owns businesses on a big stretch of Fort Lauderdale Beach. Hes in the middle of a makeover. One project is turning an old bar into an upscale Asian fusion restaurant. Hes sprucing up his other stores and restaurants.

We have to grow with the times, Yaari said. We want to turn Fort Lauderdale into a world class destination. In order to become a world class destination, it needs a facelift. It has to become more upscale.

Many visitors and locals said they want the same thing.

Probably a little more upmarket restaurants and bars, suggested Andy Nolan whos visiting from Australia. A bit more modern, more contemporary.

The parking lotat A-1-A and Las Olas Blvd. is actually a corner stone of the citys 100 million dollar redevelopment plan. Now its a drab parking, lot but eventually it will be an entertainment and parking area.

And just down the street the Swimming Hall of Fame and aquatic centeris getting a 24 million dollar make over. And there are plans to change the old Bahia Marinto a modern Waldorf Astoria.

Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jack Seiler hopes the changes attract visitors and locals.

We just gotta keep it fresh, keep it exiciting, we gotta keep it new, said Mayor Seiler. Thats pretty much the reason were going forward with this redevelopment project.

Continue reading here:

Broward Beaches Undergoing Overhaul

Bermuda is known for its white sand beaches and its stunning red soils, called "terra rossa." But the origin of this red earth has been a bone of contention among geologists. How did it get there?

Continue reading here:

Bermuda's Stunning Red Soils Likely Blew in From Africa

HANCOCK COUNTY, MS (WLOX) -

Hancock County beaches remain closed as the damage from Hurricane Isaac is assessed. It's an especially hard blow since the county was in the middle of a replenishment project to undo the damage from Hurricane Katrina seven years ago.

Right before Isaac, 300,000 cubic yards of fluffy white sand had been pumped in and crews were in the process of spreading it in areas where sand had been eroded away by previous storms.

"We were about 98-percent complete," said Hancock County District 1 Supervisor David Yarborough. "I was devastated. When you get to that point and then you've got to start over."

Engineers have spent the past couple of weeks trying to determine just how much of the new sand was lost during the storm.

"They're GPSing and have used instrumentation to shoot the elevations and compare it to the previous. Looks like to date we've found we've lost somewhere around 40,000 to 50,000 cubic yards of sand," said Hancock County Road Manager Bill Johnson. "Again, we're not finished. Rain has slowed us down."

From Bayou Caddy to Whispering Pines Street in Waveland, about 75 to 80 percent of the beach debris is cleaned up. And the thousands of dead nutria that littered the beach are gone, too.

"From Whispering Pines back to Washington Street, where we are located today, is more like in the 50 percent range," Johnson said.

Sections of the beach could be open by the end of September.

"Once the beach is clean, it will be usable more so than presentable, I guess you can say," explained Yarborough.

More here:

Will Hancock Co. beaches rebound from Isaac?

WESTFORD -- Public and semi-public beaches on Lake Nabnassett remain closed until further notice, the Board of Health announced Friday.

A follow-up sample taken from the lake on Tuesday confirmed unacceptable cyanobacteria levels of 185,000 cells per milliliter, up from 110,000 last week. The state Department of Public Health recommends that beaches should be closed if levels rise above 70,000 cells/mL.

The BOH closed the beaches on Aug. 31 due to high bacteria levels. Some algae blooms can produce toxins harmful to people and animals.

Swimming in the lake is restricted and residents are advised that pets, especially dogs, should not go into the water.

Boating, fishing and other recreational activities are not prohibited, but residents are advised to avoid coming into contact or ingesting water that appears to have algae bloom.

Specific questions can be directed to MDPH at 617-624-5757 or Westford Health Department at 978-692-5509.

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After more tests, Westford beaches remain closed

Story Created: Sep 16, 2012 at 10:41 AM PDT

Story Updated: Sep 16, 2012 at 10:41 AM PDT

Last year in Santa Barbara County, 1,221 volunteers collected more than 7,000 pounds of debris. Saturday's event coincides with the kickoff of Creek Week, which is an annual celebration of our local watersheds. Festivities started on Saturday, September 14 and continue through Sunday, September 23rd.

If you'd like information on Creek Week activities, just log on to: http://www.santabarbaraca.gov/Resident/Community/Creek/Creek_Week.htm

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Volunteers Pick Up Trash On Beaches For Coastal Clean Up Day