the islands, rock jetties, seawalls, etc., and some of the nnore passive nnethods, such as 

 vegetation stabilization and sand fences, intended to maintain the sand which is there. 

 One of the problems faced in shoreline and barrier islands preservation is the 

 maintenance of sediments there, either by preventing sediment from escaping the system 

 or by furnishing new supplies. 



We also found the dichotomy that I believe is present throughout the conference. 

 Members of the academic community offered the opinion that the barrier islands and 

 coastal processes are not as well understood as is necessary. In order to develop ultimate 

 solutions which are long-term as well as short-term, economically justifiable, and, 

 effective, coastal processes must be much better understood. On the other hand, others 

 including Representative Murray Hebert, stated that people in Louisiana know there Is 

 an erosion problem, many studies have been conducted, many people are living along 

 eroding shorelines and near marshes which are disappearing. They feel that, particularly 

 with the money which may be available from the State, it is time to take some action. 

 They don't necessarily deny that more studies are needed, but feel that we ought to do 

 the best we can based on the information available. 



In fact it is the approach of immediate action which is being taken. The Louisiana 

 Joint Natural Resources Committees of the Louisiana Legislature have recommended a 

 program, a large portion of which deals with stabilizing and slowing the erosion of 

 Louisiana's barrier islands. On the other hand. Representative Hebert, speaking for the 

 Legislature, admitted that we don't know everything we need to know. While conducting 

 these immediate, short-term approaches to protecting barrier islands, we also need to 

 conduct studies to help understand the ultimate possibilities and long-term strategies for 

 coastal protection. 



The long-term coastal conditions and methods to deal with them have to be 

 considered in light of global phenomena. Dr. Nummedal suggested we may be facing 

 major sea-level rises that could make many of our attempts to stop shoreline erosions 

 very difficult. Are we facing other overwhelming natural forces, such as rapid 

 subsidence attributable to natural destruction of some parts of the delta system. We 

 must sort out and understand these large-scale phenomena. 



To summarize, the need to do something is very apparent in a political sense and in 

 the eyes of the people who live in coastal Louisiana. In the eyes of the academic 

 community, we need to know much more than we do. Perhaps we will also learn much 

 from our initial attempts, which no one claims are going to solve all our coastal 

 problems. Some attempts will not work, but they may teach us as much as those that 

 do. Undoubtedly because of the highly dynamic nature of the barrier islands, much 

 attention must be focused on these environments in the future. 



OPTIONS: LIMITATION OF DREDGING AND FRESHWATER DIVERSIONS 



Mr. Kai Midboe, Governor's Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, 



It is difficult to quickly summarize the presentations and discussions of such 

 complex subjects, particularly when one is not an expert, but must summarize experts. 



The panel basically addressed the question of what activities would be most 

 effective in retarding or correcting coastal land loss. The three primary activities 



251 



