Southern Shores and Beach Nourishment

From Spencer Rogers presentation: a top ten need to know nourishment list.
From Spencer Rogers presentation: a top ten need to know nourishment list.

Is Southern Shores moving toward nourishment for its beaches?

The Town Council has not taken a vote yet, but if public sentiment is any indication, about a half mile of beach on the southern end of the town where it borders on Kitty Hawk will be nourished.

That is the sentiment that seemed to emerge from an informational forum the town held at the Hilton Garden Inn on Tuesday evening.

The forum consisted of five speakers and a public comment period. Although there was some opposition to from the audience, most of the speakers favored the idea.

With historically stable beaches, Southern Shores chose not to participate in the intra-county plan to nourish beaches in Duck, Kitty Hawk and Kill Devil Hills. However, over the past seven years, the shoreline in front of Pelican Watch has retreated almost 120’ and properties in the subdivision are threatened.

Although there had been concern about the beach in that area, Hurricane Matthew caused so much loss of dune and beach, residents felt something had to be done.

Hoping to Piggyback

What Southern Shores is hoping to do is piggyback on the already planned project in Kitty Hawk. Slated to begin in June, if Southern Shores does vote to proceed and is able to get the necessary permits, the cost savings would be huge.

The savings would be realized because equipment is already in place and the amount of additional sand that would have to be pumped onto the beach is relatively minor. The current plan calls for a taper area extending into Southern Shores. Additional sand would widen the beach in the taper area and move the taper north.

What the Experts Said

The speakers were four scientists, Spencer Rogers of Sea Grant, Reide Corbett for the Coastal Studies Institute, Tim Kana of Coastal Studies Engineering and Ken Wilson from Coastal Planning & Engineering. Former Nags Head Mayor Bob Oakes was also on hand to discuss the town’s experience with nourishment. Nags Head is the only town on the Outer Banks that has nourished its beaches.

The consensus among the speakers was that beach nourishment is an effective mitigation tool for the protection of shorelines, but it is not a one size fits all solution.

The scientists did address the situation at Pelican Watch directly, indicating beach nourishment would give at least a temporary reprieve from the encroaching ocean. However, there was also agreement that longer term studies and observations would have to be done to determine if nourishment was a long term solution.

The forum was extremely well attended with over 250 members of the public on hand.

Winter on the OBX-Still Lots to Do

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Just because it’s winter, doesn’t mean the Outer Banks has ceased to exist. For a lot of people, winter is the best time of the year to be here—it’s uncrowded, the pace of life has slowed down, a walk on the beach is a great time to spend time with just yourself or someone special. Other than an occasional dog romping in the surf with an owner nearby, there are not too many people walking along the ocean.

Of course it can get a little chilly—it is still winter after all. An amazing winter day today with temperatures in the upper 60s but that will probably change by the end of the week.

But if things have slowed down, there are still some great things to do. To help with that decision making process, we’ve highlighted a couple of upcoming events.

A suggestion: the week of March 13-20 would great time to be on the Outer Banks Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade kicking things off on Sunday, March 13 and the week wrapping up with the Outer Banks Taste of the Beach.

Call us here at Joe Lamb Jr., & Associates. and let us find you a place to stay.

Outer Banks Signature Chef’s Auction– The Purple Party 15th Anniversary

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FEB 28

Hilton Garden Inn

Phone: 252-573-9035

Email: SBAKER@MARCHOFDIMES.ORG\

11 of the BEST Chefs, Live and Silent Auction, Fine Wines, Craft Brews, Live Music- Black Tie event. We are celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Outer Banks Signature Chefs Event. Reserved Seating. Space is Limited

History of Surfing

JLhistorysurfingMAR 09

Jennette’s Pier

Phone: 252-255-2501

The North Carolina Maritime Museums & Jennette’s Pier will host an evening program on the history of surfing in North Carolina.There will be several presentations & video footage that helps tell the story of wave riding, board shaping & why NC’s coast is an East Coast surfing destination.

27th Annual Kelly’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade

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MAR 13

Nags Head

Parade starts at 1 pm at MP 11.5, at the intersection of Bladen St. and Virginia Dare Trail (Beach Road) and continues north to Driftwood St. Free Parade celebration at Kelly’s with entertainment, awards and free hot dogs for all till they’re gone!

OBX Taste of the Beach

JOTOB

MAR 17-MAR 20

4 Days of Food, Drink and Fun. A fantastic way to sample the fare of many fine restaurants on the Outer Banks in one fun-filled, food-centric weekend! Casual chefs to full-on foodie fanatics will revel in innovative culinary opportunities offered up by members of the Outer Banks Restaurant Association. Over 50 events over four days at nearly 40 different venues.

activities on the Outer Banks.

Joe Lamb Jr. Outer Banks BBQ & Wings Showdown

MAR 18

Soundside Event Site, Nags Head, NC 27959

Enjoy tasting and voting for your favorite Outer Banks BBQ and Wings from 15 of the areas best eateries! From traditional pulled pork and tender fall-off-the-bone ribs, to delicious saucy hot chicken wings! There is something for every carnivore at this 4th annual event. Presented to you with the support of Joe lamb Jr. Realty and the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, the event is newly located at The Soundside event site in Nags Head, which will provide a great outdoor (tented) park-like experience for up to 750 attendees AND allow onsite parking. There will be great live music too by Jonny Waters & Company.