[at-l] OT - Unification and other stuff

[shane@theplacewithnoname.com (Shane Steinkamp)]

> In most states it is clear that the public has lots
> of rights in the water and up to mean high water, but
> the tough issue is who owns the sandy beach landward of
> the high water mark, and how far landward of that mark
> (if any) does/should the public have any rights?

I am on both sides of this coin.  I grew up mostly dirt
poor, and I still live from paycheck to paycheck.  OTOH, my
parents-in-law just built a new $500,000 beach house on
Navarre beach in Florida and moved out of the old one, and
we get to spend time there.

A large amount of money is spent by the property owners on
Navarre beach to maintain the beach, and its eco-system.  A
!LOT! of money.  Not through taxes, or any coercion but
straight out of their own pockets voluntarily to people who
understand the ecology of the beach and know how to manage
it.  There is also a lot of public access.  Nobody tries to
stop the general citizenry from enjoying the beach.  There
is even nice public parking.  Come by any time.

There is, however, a large problem with the 'public' crowd.
Trash, vandalism, theft, using the hose and leaving the
water run...  That isn't the worst problem.  The worst
problem is that the ecosystem of beaches is very delicate -
much more delicate that forests, and similar in delicacy to
ridgetops.  Damage done to sand dunes takes years to repair.
I'm still working on putting up pictures on the website that
show this reconstruction in process.  You'd think people
couldn't read because very few of them pay attention to the
"KEEP OFF THE DUNES!" sign.  A few a$$holes ruin it for
everybody...

So, when the rich, greedy land owners want a little privacy,
remember that you wouldn't want people drinking beer in your
front yard and leaving the cans and other trash behind for
you to pick up.  You wouldn't want hooligans breaking stuff,
trashing stuff, and leaving your hose running for a week.
You wouldn't want that even if THEY had the 'RIGHT' to be
there.  Eventually I can see how these pressures would drive
property owners to try to keep EVERYONE out because that's
the only way to stop the few crappy people.

There is a conflict of rights.  I have the right to stroll
the beach along the seashore anywhere I please.  The
property owners also have the right to protect their
investments, which includes their investments in the ecology
of the seashore.  Fortunately, on 'our' beach, there are
very few problems.

Shane