Chatham and the Southway

[Flaptail]

This does not suck, it's actually very good news. The clamming will not be affected, after all until 1987 the island was one piece of sand and vegetation and the clamming there on the west side has gone on for 100's of years.

The real problem is who will regulate the use of South beach and South Monomoy. There is a turf war about to happen between the US Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Park Service.

The NPS has jurisdiction over South Beach and believe it or not is in the people business, the USFWS has jurisdiction over Monomoy in total. Where will the line be drawn in the sand?

Eventually this will lead to the natural closure of Chatham Inlet in front of the lighthouse and lead to an opening farther south, maybe breaching the spit at Morris Island and re-creating the once famous Chatham Inlet/ Long Bar of the 70's. That would be nice but the real problem is the regulation of access being now in the hands of two competing federal agencies.

Lastly the islands are overun with Coyotes already, we see them regurlarly swimming between North island and Morris Island. Too basd you couldn't train them to take an interest in seal meat.

[Karl F]

FENCE


Already talk of one being built.. on the radio news update a few minutes ago.. from a F&W spokesman.....

[Skitterpop]

Blow out the bay beach south with a big winter storm to the right of the lighthouse and this will move some sand and great fishing could return seals or not

[Karl F]

Originally Posted by Flaptail

Long Bar .

Flap said Long Bar...

If I could have one more of them Long Bar nights, even with the water licking all four tires on a flood tide, I'd go with the devil himself the next day, with a permanent grin on my face.

Flap, you think it's possible it would eve be like that again?

[Sluggoslinger]

Originally Posted by Karl F

Flap said Long Bar...

If I could have one more of them Long Bar nights, even with the water licking all four tires on a flood tide, I'd go with the devil himself the next day, with a permanent grin on my face.

Flap, you think it's possible it would eve be like that again?

From what has been printed in past articles about the erosion of the barrier beaches along the cape, I'd say its unlikely. Scientists seem to think that South beach, South Monomoy and North Monomoy will all connect and that area will fill in. I'm no expert but I remember reading about that last year when this got started. I still don't look at this as a good thing though since I really enjoyed being able to get out to some nice fishing from Stage Harbor when the wind was kicking up from the SW without getting the snot pounded out of me in the nantucket sound short tall chop.

It would be amazing if the bar to the right of the lighthouse opened up, I couldn't imagine how that could hurt fishing. The bars off morse island and monomoy would just be packed with migrating fish... but this is me getting caried away.

If we get a couple good Noreaster the outcome could just be a roll of the dice. Either way, I can't wati to get out there in the spring.

[Flaptail]

I think it's entirely possible if not at all probable. The seperation and conjoining of Morris Island, Monomoy and Nauset Beach has gone through this many times over the centuries. Tide and current, Storms constantly renew the landscape or better put, seascape. I have an old book of Monomoy that shows the various movements of the inlets and islands over the last 200 or so years. It's like a living thing in a cycle. At one tyime in the 1800's the Chatham inlet opening was up across from Strong Island.

Long Bar will live again Karl, just don't know if we will see it, probably be up in the Nursing home in North Chatham by then with getting someone to get us a bottle to pee in before we wet the bed before it happens then again, one good storm could change everthing!

Pochet will be an island and access to Nauset may be from the south rather than at Orleans. Time will tell.