Sam and Ann Furrow
87 Baxter Road

This week The Nantucket Independent continues a series of interviews with members of the Siasconset Beach Preservation Fund to get behind the meeting rhetoric and to learn why they joined the fight to slow erosion of the Bluff in 'Sconset. We encourage and will publish opposing viewpoints in a form of a letter to the editor, a perspective or an article. Email: don@nantucketindependent.com or mail: 15 North Beach St. Nantucket, Mass., 02554

Where is your house in relation to the bluff?

"We are at the "dead center" of the current erosion."

How long have you been a member of SBPF?

"Three years."

Why did you join?

"We [Ann and I] saw it as a logical effort of well-meaning Nantucketers to do both self-interest and an island impacting project."

Respond to the following statement in whatever way you feel is appropriate: You're wasting your money - Mother Nature is going to take your property no matter what…

PETER B. BRACE/The Independent Sam Furrow

"The age-old adage, 'You can't stop the wind, but you can trim your sails,' speaks to mankind's options in dealing with Mother Nature. Our lives are surrounded by dams, causeways, jetties, canals, etc. that are examples of our ability to manage these natural issues that Mother Nature presents us."

Why isn't moving your house or the houses of those on the ocean side of the bluff to a new lot inland an option?

"We have attempted to acquire property on the 'other side' of the road, but none of the available lots will accommodate our house and the move would be a surrendering of Baxter Road to the erosion issues that will ultimately destroy the infrastructure of a historic road, and cost the taxpayers the ultimate costs of managing the erosion."

This year's Patriot's Day storm proved fairly convincingly that terracing of the bluff is no match for wind and waves. Is it prudent to stop using this form of bluff stabilization or to keep going with it, and why?

Living on the edge, along Baxter Road. ROB BENCHLEY/The Independent file

We have concluded that until the beach itself is rebuilt, the actual bluff will not support the terraces, whose job it is to allow vegetation to grow and hold the bluff against the wind and sand erosion. It was a reasonable effort to achieve this vegetation, but the undercutting of the ocean would not allow the terraces to mature and perform well.

When the terracing components get washed down the bluff, the waves scatter the timbers and jute matting to beaches north of you and pretty much everywhere around the island. What do you have to say to the people who own these beaches?

"This is clearly the responsibility of those of us who have created the materials, and to my knowledge, every reasonable effort has always been made by the companies we have employed to recover this material upon cessation of the storms. I know we have paid several invoices for this service! I, personally, apologize to you, and I assure you that the leadership of the SBPF is totally committed to our civic and personal responsibilities in these matters.

Much of the opposition to the beach nourishment project is coming from charter and commercial fishermen concerned about losing their livelihood and from wildlife advocates who, along with the fishermen, are worried about how the dredging of sand from the shoal, construction of the new beach and long shore drift of the sand over time is going to impact shorebirds and their food. What do you say to these people?

"It is my understanding that several exchanges of ideas, facts and feelings have identified the issues that must be addressed by this project to ensure minimal short-term impact, and little or no long-term impact, on the fishing in that area. The procedures of getting the sand, transporting it and placing it are not nearly as impacting as it might seem without knowing the facts, which we have been discussing."

If the beach nourishment project works, which parts of the island should it be applied to next?

"If all that is achieved is to preserve the area under consideration, then we [SBPF] and the citizens have gotten a very limited result from the $25 million dollars of private money invested in this project. What we achieve should be available to anyone who wants to use the engineering, permitting and results to manage the erosion issues. Certainly, the public beach areas could be protected and the costs of doing these projects would be much less if our project is finished."

Is there anything you want to say that I haven't asked you today; anything else on your mind that concerns SBPF and its efforts?

"I have been impressed with the thought and exchange of ideas by all parties interested - the SBPF, the citizens, the political and civic leaders and the regulatory authorities - who universally love and want to preserve this island for the next hundreds of generations of people who could come to Nantucket and experience our experiences.

"My observation is that we are fully committed to the preservation of the buildings and artifacts of our island, but have not addressed the fundamental issue of the sand and dirt that makes it all possible.

"We all are aware of global warming, ocean level change, and to put in place the proven process of beach renourishment, that is used extensively throughout the country, seems to be an opportunity in which I am willing

to invest and participate." I