FETCH LIMITED BARRIER ISLANDS: THE FINAL FRONTIER FOR COASTAL DEVELOPMENT?

With the convergence of three controlling factors in the coming decade - the movement of the baby boom generation into retirement years, the completion of Interstates 3, 73, and 74, and the expected sale of several million acres of timber land for development - the coastal zone of the southeast is poised to experience the next major land rush. Because oceanfront properties in the southeast are priced outside the range of most in the soon-to-retire middle-class, unprecedented levels of development will occur along the at-present lightly developed low energy shorelines. Sheltered shorelines promise ample waterfront access and room for golf courses in a favorable climate. Perhaps the most desirable real estate of all will be the waterfront of fetch limited barrier islands. Such islands are found in bays, lagoons, sounds, estuaries and other sheltered environments and number roughly 15,000 globally. Some fetch limited barrier islands are actively evolving while others are inactive because they are surrounded by marsh or mangroves. The processes of fetch limited barrier island evolution differ from the open ocean barriers in that essentially all fetch limited island evolution occurs during storms and vegetation (marshes and mangroves) plays a major evolutionary role. The hazards associated with fetch limited barrier island development differ from those on the oceanfront and are in need of study. Recreational beaches will generally have lower societal priority than those on the ocean front but preservation of salt marshes will become an important environmental issue impacting on shoreline stabilization strategies.