Vanity Fair recently published an article covering communities wrestling with erosion. As background, the Nantucket Field Station has sponsored several forums and speakers on coastal erosion, and the UMB-NSF Director chairs a Coastal Management Plan workgroup which is helping the Town of Nantucket write a coastal management plan to deal with sea level rise, increasing storm damage, and erosion impacting town resources and infrastructure.

http://www.vanityfair.com/society/2013/08/end-of-malibu-nantucket-erosion

Sarah's comments:

This is a long article that only partially conveys the 5 hours of interviewing and site tours and 4 hours of photography that went into it. The author has a home that is only perhaps 20-30 feet from the edge and is obviously dealing with some tough decisions. I feel that Field Station directors have a role to play in connecting the public to experts on sometimes with controversial topics in addition to providing scientific information directly and supporting the state and federal agencies attempting to do the same thing (connect people with information).

Sarah Oktay
Director
University of Massachusetts Boston Nantucket Field Station
Grace Grossman Environmental Center