The wide sandy beaches, quiet maritime forests, and vast Spartina marshes of the natural Georgia coast create a most spectacular, albeit gentle, Southern beauty. Casual visitors and longtime residents alike have been charmed by this special place. Living with the Georgia Shore provides an essential reference and guide for residents, visitors, developers, planners, and all who are concerned with the conditions and future of Georgia's coastal zone.
Recounting the human and natural history of the islands, the authors look in particular at the phenomenon of coastal erosion and the implications of various responses to this process. In Georgia, as elsewhere in the United States, the future of the shore is in doubt as recreational and residential development demands increase. This book provides guidelines for living with the shore, as opposed to simply living on it. The former requires planning and a wise choice of property or house site. The latter ignores the potential hazards unique to coastal life and may make inadequate allowance for the dramatic changes that can occur on any sandy ocean shore.
Living with the Georgia Shore includes an introduction to each of the Georgia isles, an overview of federal and state coastal land-use regulations, pointers on buying and building at the shore, a hurricane preparation checklist, a history of recent hurricanes in Georgia, an extensive annotated bibliography, and a guide to government agencies and private groups involved in issues of coastal development.
Figures and Tables ix
1. Introduction: A Coastal Perspective 1
2. The Guale Coast: A Human Perspective 7
3. The Guale Coast: A Natural Perspective 13
4. Human Nature and Nature's Shores 41
5. Selecting a Site on Georgia's Barrier Islands 57
6. Coastal Land-use Planning and Regulation 111
7. Building or Buying a House Near the Shore 121
A. Hurricane Checklist 141
B. Recent Hurricanes in Georgia 144
C. A Guide to Federal, State, and Local Agencies and Organizations Involved in Coastal Development 146
D. Useful References 159
E. Selected Field Stops on Tybee Island 179
About the series
"America's foremost philosopher of the beaches [Orrin Pilkey], the sea bottoms and the coastal sands . . . is challenging some long-held notions about the ways in which people use and maintain beaches. A decade ago, when he began warning of the dangers of 'beach degradation,' he found little public support. Today, as concern for our shore environment grows, people are listening."—Barnard L. Collier, The New York Times Magazine
"Duke University Press has published a series, Living with the Shore, to educate the determined shore dweller. Maps show what is happening on each stretch of beach, in enough detail to cover specific homesites. The books offer guidelines for buying and building at the shore. They list federal, state, and local agencies that are involved in coastal development, as well as give up-to-date information on laws that regulate land use."--Kelly Walker, Forbes
About the series
Barnard L. Collier
"America's foremost philosopher of the beaches [Orrin Pilkey], the sea bottoms and the coastal sands . . . is challenging some long-held notions about the ways in which people use and maintain beaches. A decade ago, when he began warning of the dangers of 'beach degradation,' he found little public support. Today, as concern for our shore environment grows, people are listening.
The New York Times Magazine