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Mantoloking’s Dunes Issues (Mantoloking, NJ)

Residents of Mantoloking, regarding the borough’s beaches, how they have weathered recent storm systems, and what is next for the beach.

According to the councilman, all of the borough’s dunes that were replenished in the past two months have held up through the storms that hit the region recently. Reports that only four beachfront homeowners have come forward stating that they do not wish the borough to push the necessary sand into the dunes of their property. Rather, these residents will be contacting an outside entity to do the push for them, at their own cost.

Currently, he noted, the council is working alongside the town’s environmental commission in order to see what type of plantings could be done on the dunes in order to prevent sand from moving back towards the ocean, or blowing away from the dune system. Examples of plantings on the dune systems include beach grass, beach plum, sweet pea, rosa rugosa and dusty miller.

“We’ve been asking for funds [from Washington D.C.],” the Mantoloking councilman explained.

Councilman Strohm said he has made the trip there on several occasions in the past, as well.

He continued, stating that he plans to continually approach state representatives in D.C. to, hopefully, receive some of the necessary funding for the project.

Renourishment, the process of taking sand from offshore and bringing it onto the beach to fortify the coastline, is something that many borough representatives say would be more fruitful if it is a combined effort with other local shore towns.

The federal government would only provide funding for a project that would involve a string of Jersey Shore municipalities. If Mantoloking were to go it alone, the municipality would be solely responsible for the expense, thus, Councilman said he is continually visiting Washington, DC to lobby their cause, and is set to do so this month. He will be joined there by members of the American Shore and Beach Preservation Association, he said. According to the group’s Web site, www.asbpa.com, the association is dedicated to preserving, protecting and enhancing the beaches, shores and other coastal resources of America.

In Mantoloking, a beach renourishment plan would be useful in protecting the shoreline from both natural disasters and wear and tear, according to the councilman.

The borough has halted any pushes being done on the dune system, as all necessary pushes have been completed. According to Councilman, replenishment of the remaining areas of the dune system will continue sometime during the spring.

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