Proposed destruction at Vero Beach

[billinstuart]

I was asked to mention this on this site also. Indian River County..Sebastian to Just North of Ft. Pierce, is planning on "renourishing" several miles of beach..sounds like from Ambersand to maybe Corrigans. They plan on dredging Dirt..err.."sand" from immediately offshore. Someone is gonna "search for artifacts" before the dredging begins, since they do know there are 1715 ships in the area.

What about the offshore leases? Do they dredge there? Don't even get me started on the futility of this, or the damage it causes.

Bill

 

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[Dirt Fishin Dale]

They probably have their own plan. But sounds like a sneaky plan. But what else is new?

 

[Old Bookaroo]

billinstuart:

I would be very interested in learning if any such beach "wreck-climation" (or whatever someone wants to call it) anywhere in the world has actually worked for more than one or two seasons.

Let's see here: On one hand we have folks moving sand around trying to save a particular spot of beach. On the other hand we have the Atlantic or the Pacific Ocean.

Gee - that's a fair fight. Talk about bringing a bent paperclip to a gunfight!

Here on the Left Coast people have tried building jetties or piers out into the Ocean. It is my understanding all that does is move the destruction "up" or "down" the beach. I believe this has also been the experience on the Great Lakes.

Regarding Vero Beach - isn't part of that beach protected by an offshore (duh!) barrier reef?

Astonishing that "commercial archaeologists" (ok, salvors) would be hassled for using blowers, yet the local government can basically strip mine the bottom to blow sand up onto the beach.

Wow!

Good luck to all,

~The Old Bookaneer

 

[tedpank]

http://www.tcpalm.com/news/2009/jan/04/beach-restoration-plans-may-mean-new-02/

here is the recent article on the sand pumping that is being considered on the treasure coast
from Vero to Sebastian.

It includes a proposed tax, that is going to have a hard time passing. But still a possibility!

 

[Voldbjerg]

What does the LAMP say to this? I guess its more damaging than a handfull of salvors with an interest in history. They should use their political strength in this case.

 

[Old Bookaroo]

For many years I've maintained more shipwrecks have been damaged or destroyed from various harbor, channel, dock, breakwater, and other projects than treasure savlors have been able to harm.

There are always going to be more wrecks in highly developed areas than out in open water. For example, Chicago has more shipwrecks than any other port, reef, bar, rock, or similar stretch of beach on the Great Lakes. Why? Because of sheer number of vessels that sailed in and out of Chicago from the opening of navigation through October or even November of each year.

How many Chicago shipwrecks have been ruined due to countless dredging, construction, etc. projects over the past couple of hundred years? Far more than divers have damaged pulling up anchors, portholes and deadeyes.

This is simply one more example of this basic fact. Mailboxes and blowers will not have caused one-tenth of the harm strip mining the ocean bottom for sand will cause.

Good luck to all,

~The Old Bookaneer

 

[Peerless67]

It must be a hard life being a salvor in Florida, or anywhere else for that matter. All that searching/work and no pay unless you come across something worth selling.

So the state wants the beaches replenished ? Which state official is going to replenish the beach ? of course none of them are, the work will go to a private company/contractor. That contractor will get paid for moving sand from off shore and dumping it on shore, and wether or not he finds any spanish "treasures" does not matter one iota, he will still get paid.

The contractor will no doubt be charging the state a fee which covers his company wages and for the equipment being used. he will not lose out.

Now imagine dredging sand for the state, saving the beaches, getting paid for it and continuing your hobby all in one go !!!

Nahh sounds to much like work, forget it

Gary

 

[FISHEYE]

This just what us treasure hunters need!They buried our treasure from the past beach nourishments,now they are going to do all the work for us by pumping sand from the 1715 fleet area and put it all on the beach for us.All we have to do is we there when they start pumping the sand on the beach.As far as the divers looking for historical artifacts,they already did a survey last year.Thier boat was docked at finns marina.Everytime they came in to dock i was there checking to see if they found anything.Most of the time when i asked,they said it was too murky to see anything or they didnt dive at all.They made very few trips to the dive store to get thier tanks filled.There was 4 divers contracted by the dredgers before they pump sand.Thier overall moral was pretty grim by the look on thier faces when they got back so i doupt they found any treasure.It almost seemed like they hated the job.So i say if vero beach wants to waste millions on putting more sand on the beaches only to be washed away in the next 2 storms,let em have at it.If i find 1 silver or gold coin at thier expense,i will be happy. 8)

 

[billinstuart]

Indian river county closes its' few beach accesses so only the deputies can search for treasure. What they pump onto the beach resembles beach sand only to the point you can carry them both in a bucket. I'm not surprised the dredgers guys found nothing. Why would they want to? All they want to do is pump sediment indiscriminately onto our beaches.

This is just plain wrong on so many levels. Now, Martin County (Stuart) is rumbling about renourishment. We have a well paid coastal engineer who does a really crappy job. OUR "sand" is some of the worst I've ever seen. Well, it's all bad.

 

[PyrateJim]

From the article:

The beaches are north of Johns Island and extend to within about two miles of the Sebastian Inlet.

Before work could begin, divers would look for historical artifacts. In 1715 a fleet of treasure-laden Spanish ships sank offshore in the area.

And waht happens when divers find "historical artifacts". Without a salvage permit, they cant "rescue" them, bring them to the surface or even touch them. Just put a big yard stick over them and see how much further they are buried for future generations? I don tthink so. Search for them, and hit the market with them. Either way they would be lost to "history" and education forever.

Instead of worrying about those home owners that want to builid on a part of moving reale-estate, that money could be spent so much better on other things, the economy, tourism, State museums and the up keep of the ones already working, new jail cells for the pirates like Elam, the school systems, more educated professionals and the list can go on.........

 

[billinstuart]

But PyrateJim, that scenario makes sense..why in the world would government do THAT??

There is an active lobby for beach renourishment that fills the governments ears with BS. I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't funded by Great Lakes Dredging. Next, the lazy coastal engineers eagerly jump on the bandwagon, because it's easy and "proven" technology. Problem is..it doesn't work! It placates the masses who think it helps. Essentially, a feel good solution. A placebo funded by the taxpayers.

 

[billinstuart]

It's called the "Florida Shore and Beach Preservation Association". I'm appalled to see OUR county engineer is the chairman! Reads good. Acknowledges that the problem is compounded by inlet stabilization. However, they cross the line by allowing ocean bottom sediment or dirt from inland borrow pits to be pumped onto our beaches. They have conferences and discuss new innovations, yet fall back on the methods that are simply more detrimental than beneficial.

They talk the talk, but don't walk the walk.

 

[FISHEYE]

Pay them a visit at thier meetings,tell em how you feel.

http://www.fsbpa.com/

Most likely wont change their decision to put sand on the beach.They will never learn till a hurricane levels out every single condo and house thats built on the beach.When they are all gone maybe they will make it so no one can build ever again,just like they did where other hurricanes wiped out structures on the beach.