Conserving America; Challenge on the Coast

<v narrator>Rich with life. <v narrator>Full of beauty, history and lore. <v narrator>These are the coasts of America. <v narrator>In the rush to inhabit these shores, the resource has been misunderstood. <v narrator>What once seemed so vast and mighty has fallen victim to increasing <v narrator>demands. <v narrator>Now, Americans are learning that the coasts are not as forgiving as they once thought, <v narrator>that they need help. <v narrator>In Stump Sound, North Carolina, a seventh generation Fisherwoman believes <v narrator>her fishing waters are worth fighting for. <v Lena Ritter>There's a stopping point somewhere. <v Lena Ritter>When this sound says no, when Mother Nature says no. <v Lena Ritter>And it starts slapping back in the face and we have reached it. <v narrator>And today, she is leading a whole community into action.

<v Lena Ritter>If it's necessary to go to court. Don't be afraid to go. <v Lena Ritter>Keep the heat on. <v Lena Ritter>And get these waters cleaned up. <v narrator>In Port Aransas, Texas, a scientist has a mission. <v narrator>He wants people to know what's coming ashore. <v Toni Amos>When I first came here, I thought the majority of the stuff was left on the beach by <v Toni Amos>people who come here to visit. <v Toni Amos>But it didn't take a scientific project to also realize that when you find a five gallon <v Toni Amos>drum of acid matrix mixing Agent J. <v Toni Amos>47. That that was not left here by somebody who came for a picnic. <v narrator>Over 50 miles from the Chesapeake Bay in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. <v narrator>High school students are spreading a message. <v student>People, no matter where they live. No matter if they live in Michigan or California, <v student>Kansas, whatever they put on to the ground goes into some river system. <v student>And then that sucks. Somebody's water. <v student>So it's not just us here on the Chesapeake Bay. <v student>It's everyone in the country, everyone in the world.

<v narrator>In increasing numbers on each and every shore, individual <v narrator>Americans are accepting the challenge on the coast. <v narrator>They are people who are making a difference. <v narrator>They are conserving America. <v announcer>Conserving America is presented in association with the National Wildlife Federation. <v announcer>To support the preservation of wildlife and the conservation of natural wilderness in <v announcer>America, conserving America is made possible by the Richard King Mellon Foundation. <v announcer>And by the employees and shareholders of combustion engineering, combustion engineering <v announcer>salutes the innovation and teamwork of those conserving America.

<v narrator>Over 95000 miles of shoreline, estuaries, <v narrator>harbors and bays define America as a maritime nation. <v narrator>From these costs come billions of dollars in food, energy <v narrator>and recreation. <v narrator>A bounty shared by all. <v narrator>Americans have long had a love affair with the seashore. <v narrator>From the boardwalk at Atlantic City.

<v narrator>To Surf City USA. <v narrator>A day at the beach has long been a part of the American way of life. <v narrator>But so many enjoyed their visit so much that they decided to stay. <v narrator>And in recent years, people have been moving to the coast in record numbers. <v narrator>By the early 1990s, three out of every four Americans will live within <v narrator>50 miles of a coast. <v narrator>And to the coast, people bring many things, including <v narrator>trash. <v narrator>By land and by sea, it comes from all over the world, from cities, <v narrator>commercial ships, pleasure craft, and oil platforms. <v narrator>14 billion pounds of trash is thrown under the ocean each year. <v narrator>And much of it ends up on the beach.

<v narrator>Perhaps nowhere is the threat greater than in Texas. <v narrator>Converging currents from the Caribbean and Gulf of Mexico bring the world's garbage to <v narrator>the Texas shore. <v narrator>The beach here is a good indicator of what's out there. <v Toni Amos>Such an absurd collection of things. <v narrator>Oceanographer Toni Amos documents what he sees along this seven mile stretch <v narrator>of beach near Port Aransas, Texas. <v narrator>He's been doing it for over 11 years. <v Toni Amos>And it seems to be primarily composed of plastic. <v Toni Amos>That's a major item of trash on the beach right now. <v narrator>Last year, the United States produced over 50 billion pounds of plastics, <v narrator>much of it designed to be thrown away. <v narrator>What was intended to make life easier for people can become a killer for <v narrator>wildlife. Toni Amos knows.

<v Toni Amos>I've seen entanglement, especially of marine birds, sometimes with fishing line. <v Toni Amos>Other times, as with their heads in six pack containers. <v narrator>And plastic doesn't go away. <v narrator>A single six pack ring can last up to four hundred and fifty years <v narrator>to many marine animals. Plastic products are floating death traps. <v Toni Amos>Plastic is very, very strong. <v Toni Amos>And it cuts into their flesh and as they grow, if they are able to feed, that plastic <v Toni Amos>will bite in deeper and deeper. <v Toni Amos>I hate to see it, its-. <v Toni Amos>I do like to point out that is not every bird or animal that you see entangled, but I <v Toni Amos>think that even one is too many. <v Toni Amos>I must have wandered up and down the stretch about <v Toni Amos>two thousand times now, but I do take it personally as <v Toni Amos>it's my beach. <v narrator>Amos was born in England. He came to Port Aransas in 1976 <v narrator>as a research associate with the University of Texas Marine Science Institute.

<v narrator>It was his love for animals, particularly birds, that drew him to the beach. <v Toni Amos>Western Sandpiper Piping Plaza. <v Toni Amos>I'm always fascinated by the seasonal change in things, so I like to count my birds <v Toni Amos>around the year and then see how they change from year to year. <v Toni Amos>Foster's terns and one laughing gull. <v narrator>With a scientist curiosity. He noted everything and onboard computers stored <v narrator>and organized the information. <v Toni Amos>One milk jug. <v Toni Amos>I also realized that perhaps this garbage on the beach would affect the way the birds <v Toni Amos>were able to survive. So I started making notes about what <v Toni Amos>I saw. I was appalled by what I saw, quite frankly. <v Toni Amos>Spray can, dichloro difluride methane. <v Toni Amos>If I can spell that and I still am appalled by what I see. <v Toni Amos>It struck me at first that people tended to deny that there was a problem.

<v Toni Amos>People either had got so used to seeing this stuff or didn't really want it to <v Toni Amos>be there. You can come down to this beach and you'll see people literally sitting <v Toni Amos>in a garbage dump. They're sitting on the beach and they're in their bikinis and they've <v Toni Amos>got their six packs and their radios. <v Toni Amos>And if they looked around them, there's man's refuse all around. <v Toni Amos>But I think it's very important that people actually see this and realize what we're <v Toni Amos>doing. <v narrator>Almost without knowing it. Tony Amos began what would become the most detailed <v narrator>survey of an American Beach ever made. <v narrator>At the Marine Science Institute, he tabulates years of data <v narrator>for the first time. Exact types, quantities and the origin of debris <v narrator>are being recorded and cataloged. <v Toni Amos>One hundred and thirty five. <v narrator>Pam Plotkin helps organize the mountain of material. <v Pam Plotkin>Uh, 49.

<v narrator>One critical aspect of Amos's work is to get this information to the public. <v Pam Plotkin>Seven thousand twenty-eight plastic bags. <v narrator>Tony Amos's work did not go unnoticed. <v narrator>Linda Marinus is the regional director of the Center for Marine Conservation. <v Linda Marinus>When I first moved to Texas, I talked to people about the seriousness of marine debris <v Linda Marinus>and what it was doing to the wildlife. People would say, have you ever met Tony Amos? <v Linda Marinus>Have you heard of Tony Amos? <v narrator>When Linda Marinus met Tony Amos, it was the beginning of a lasting friendship. <v narrator>They shared a common goal. But they knew that the first step in getting rid of the debris <v narrator>was to get people involved. <v Linda Marinus>I think there was a lot of frustration in Texas about the conditions on the beaches and <v Linda Marinus>people had watched as they grew up. <v Linda Marinus>The conditions getting worse and worse and they didn't really know what to do about it. <v narrator>All that began to change in 1986 when Linda initiated <v narrator>the first Texas beach cleanup.

<v narrator>And the people of Texas responded. <v narrator>Now, in its fourth year, the beach clean up happens each fall during a national <v narrator>awareness campaign called Coast Weeks. <v narrator>If one man could be heard around the state of Texas, maybe thousands could be heard all <v narrator>the way to Washington. Linda Marinus thought so. <v narrator>And today, nearly six thousand volunteers will arrive to help clean up this <v narrator>stretch of beach. <v narrator>Armed with their own data cards, they will cover over 120 <v narrator>miles of beach. <v Speaker>[song] <v narrator>Today, less than 1 percent of all plastic is recycled.

<v narrator>But here in Texas, that's about to change. <v narrator>Soon, a coding system will identify those plastics that can be recycled. <v narrator>A new industry is waiting to happen. <v narrator>This day in just three hours. A staggering 214 tons of garbage <v narrator>will be picked up and documented by the volunteers for the work to be done by the Center <v narrator>for Marine Conservation this information. <v Toni Amos>Even I after all those years of looking at it. <v Toni Amos>It wasn't until I started counting the damn stuff, that I realized how much was <v Toni Amos>there. <v Speaker>Don't mess with Texas beaches. <v Linda Marinus>This is a new report that came out last week. <v Linda Marinus>It's because of your efforts. It's all the data you've collected for the last <v Linda Marinus>four major beach cleanup in Texas. <v Linda Marinus>We're really proud to have this ready. We're going to send it to everybody that's in a <v Linda Marinus>position to make a decision to get marine debris stopped. <v Gary Morrow>It just shows what volunteers can do. <v Gary Morrow>The first clean up we hoped for a thousand people.

<v Gary Morrow>We hoped we'd pick up 10 tons of garbage. <v Gary Morrow>The fact is we had 3500. <v narrator>Astounded by the figures, texas Land Commissioner Gary Morrow joined <v narrator>in the campaign. He began even more projects, all under a program <v narrator>called Adopt a Beach. Texans are now taking personal charge of their <v narrator>beaches. <v Gary Morrow>Suddenly we get 500, 800 phone calls a week. <v Gary Morrow>We've got one hundred and forty two groups adopting our beaches. <v Gary Morrow>Within three months we had 100 percent of our beaches adopted. <v Gary Morrow>We had over 17000 volunteers pick up and documented 700 <v Gary Morrow>plus tons of garbage. <v narrator>And for the first time the Texas Shrimp Association joins in the cleanup. <v narrator>Garbage trapped in their nets and usually left at sea is returned to port for <v narrator>proper disposal. <v narrator>Education is an important part of the Texas beach cleanup and <v narrator>these children are captivated by the tall scientist. <v Toni Amos> I think they really see the problems.

<v Toni Amos>And when we show how this material, the plastics and so on has entangled <v Toni Amos>some beautiful animals, birds and turtles, I think it <v Toni Amos>really gets to them. <v Toni Amos>Messy and yucky to see, but it's also dangerous to the animals that we all love. <v Linda Marinus>Now, almost every kid in Texas knows whales can die from a baggy. <v Linda Marinus>And every kid in Texas is learning that a six pack ring is a death threat to birds. <v Linda Marinus>We've also sort of educated some of the politicians in Washington <v Linda Marinus>that this is a really serious problem and that they, through legislation, can do <v Linda Marinus>something about it. <v narrator>What Toni Amos began more than a decade ago continues today. <v narrator>In Texas, the idea of cleaning up a beach turned out to be contagious. <v narrator>These children are not likely to forget what happened here today. <v Toni Amos>I don't know about you, do you think you'll- oh. Do you think you're gonna remember? <v Toni Amos>Yeah, I think she might remember, too. <v narrator>Today, twenty five states have beach cleanup campaigns.

<v narrator>And in Washington, D.C., legislators are beginning to listen. <v narrator>The United States is now one of thirty nine nations that have signed a treaty <v narrator>to ban the dumping of all plastics into the ocean. <v narrator>It's a beginning, a blueprint for the future. <v narrator>Over a thousand miles to the north and east of Port Aransas, why the barrier <v narrator>islands of North Carolina. <v narrator>These historic islands and their marshes contain some of the most fertile and productive <v narrator>shellfish and wildlife habitat found anywhere. <v narrator>People here have been making their living from these waters in much the same way for <v narrator>hundreds of years. Yet today, the small fishing community of <v narrator>stump sound is in trouble. <v narrator>Under the Broad Oaks at Sunset Harbor, a meeting is in progress. <v Lena Ritter>Coming out tonight to listen to an everday country girl shellfisherman.

<v Lena Ritter>Is it gonna be closed to everybody? <v Lena Ritter>Is it gonna be a health hazard? <v Lena Ritter>You look at these children in here tonight. <v narrator>For years, the fishermen of Stump sound have been losing the battle for clean water. <v narrator>And no one speaks more from the heart than Lena Ritter. <v Lena Ritter>What are they going to have to take their children to when they're this size? <v Lena Ritter>No longer can we sit back and say, I can't do anything. <v Lena Ritter>You can't do that anymore. <v Lena Ritter>Let me tell you something. We people are just as important as other people. <v Lena Ritter>Don't ever let them fool you. <v narrator>Today, on every American coast, choices are being made. <v narrator>For the fishermen here in North Carolina, their problems are linked to the boom in <v narrator>coastal development. <v narrator>Topsail Island separate stumps sound from the sea. <v narrator>Nearby condominiums and housing tracts reach like fingers back to the shellfish

<v narrator>beds. The bridges that carry people to these new island homes <v narrator>pass right over the men and women whose families have worked here for generations. <v narrator>With a simple pair of hinge breaks. <v narrator>Lena Retter and her husband Graham Tong for their oyster's in the middle of the sound <v narrator>just off Permuda Island. <v Lena Ritter>People here have a love for this world, but that's not known among the general <v Lena Ritter>local people. It has kept us over the generations and <v Lena Ritter>over the years, just like a mother supplies food for her child. <v Lena Ritter>And that's what this water has done for us. <v narrator>For seven generations Lena Ritter's family has made its living in stump sound. <v narrator>But for the Ritter's and others, things are no longer the same. <v narrator>Today, less than one third of North Carolina's wetlands are in their natural <v narrator>state. Sewage plants are overwhelmed.

<v narrator>Runoff from each rain sends thousands of gallons of pesticides, oil, <v narrator>fertilizers and human waste into the sound. <v narrator>To the fishermen, no one seems to be doing anything about it. <v Lena Ritter>I've seen the size of the acreage that's closed increase. <v Lena Ritter>I've seen the amount of fish you catch. Go down. <v Lena Ritter>And that's common sense right there to tell you that something is wrong. <v narrator>Years of silence were broken when a plan to develop Permuda Island was made <v narrator>public. <v narrator>For those who fished the island's waters, three hundred and eighty three condominiums and <v narrator>a marina for one hundred and forty boats was a clear threat. <v narrator>Lena Retter spoke out. <v Lena Ritter>And they essentially told us, you don't have any expertise. <v Lena Ritter>Well, we were just fishermen. And their attitude is when we come in with our money, <v Lena Ritter>roll over, Rover, get out of my way.

<v Lena Ritter>It doesn't work that way. I'm not gonna roll like a Rover. <v Lena Ritter>I'm gonna stand and fight. <v Lena Ritter>We've run into trouble down on this end of the line. <v narrator>It was the beginning of a confrontation that would last almost five years. <v Lena Ritter>The coastal Heritage of North Carolina is at stake. <v Lena Ritter>And in particular, the coastal heritage of the people that live around here. <v narrator>The strength of the people of stump sound is in their roots. <v narrator>Bill Rice is a farmer, a fisherman, and a friend of the Ritters. <v Bill Rice>The Roots of the people like Miss Ritter and my wife and others I'm a newcomer are just <v Bill Rice>45 years. But the other people have their graveyards <v Bill Rice>and their roots are here. They have been here for most of 'em 250 <v Bill Rice>to 300 years. They actually don't know when they came. <v Bill Rice>But it looks like there is a conspiracy that we don't count, that we have no rights

<v Bill Rice>here. We have no business being here. We're just in the way of progress. <v Bill Rice>And we don't consider what's coming here as progress. <v Bill Rice>It's not progress. We are we're not backwards. <v Bill Rice>We are people that knows a natural resource when we see it, <v Bill Rice>but it's got to where their resources are all getting gone. <v narrator>The battle for Bermuda Island became a battle for a way of life. <v narrator>And Lena Ritter's will grew stronger with each passing day. <v Lena Ritter>Once you hurt one of us you've hurt all of us. <v narrator>Paige Hasley and J.T. Millis have worked the sound since they were boys. <v Lena Ritter>Looks like y'all better be catching oysters instead of sitting out here talking. <v J.T Millis>Getting old. <v narrator>Little by little, a grassroots coalition would be built. <v Lena Ritter>coming to the meeting tonight aren't you? At the shop. You and your momma? <v J.T Millis>Oh, yes. <v Lena Ritter>How about you Paige? <v narrator>For the first time, the fisherman were standing up to be counted. <v narrator>Todd Miller is the executive director of the North Carolina Coastal Federation.

<v Todd Miller>We try to write up a summary it's just going to go right over everybody's head. <v Todd Miller>That's why you're going to have to explain it to 'em. <v Lena Ritter>Leave it to me so I can get back to my people. <v narrator>Todd Miller was right. Lena Ritter had to be front and center in the fight. <v Todd Miller>Lena was always there whenever it was a public hearing need just to get people writing <v Todd Miller>letters or just about anything. <v Lena Ritter>Thank you, sweetheart. You're the reason we're doing it today. <v narrator>Everyone would play a part. <v narrator>Fishermen Ken see Ziegler. <v Ken Ziegler>She said, Ken you need to come and do this. Ken you need to go do this. <v Ken Ziegler>You need to show up here. <v Ken Ziegler>Okay. Anything I can do to help. <v narrator>They traveled over 100 <v narrator>miles to the state capital of Raleigh. <v narrator>They met with lawmakers and testified at hearings. <v narrator>J.T. Millis was there. <v J.T Millis>There was thirty five of us. When we walked in to the meeting that was going on everybody <v J.T Millis>just stop and looked at us, and the teams are team right fast-like.

<v narrator>Suddenly everyone was paying attention. <v narrator>Auctions and bake sales raise the money for years of litigation. <v Miss Berty>Remember that day that we had that yard sale and it rained so we had to run and grab step <v Miss Berty>ladder? <v narrator>Occasionally, a cake might go unsold, but 84 year old Miss Berty knew <v narrator>what to do. She's J.T.'s mother. <v Miss Berty>We'd bring 'em back home and we'd eat 'em. <v narrator>But when the subject is the health of stump sound, Miss Berty turned serious. <v Miss Berty>I just can't begin to tell you what it does for. <v Miss Berty>me too. And It would hurt, and it would hurt bad <v Miss Berty>if it was took away from us. <v narrator>They become a determined army. <v narrator>From the neighboring counties of Onslow, Pender, New Hanover and Carteret. <v narrator>They joined forces.

<v narrator>If you want to raise money in Stump Sound, you have a country pig pickin'. <v narrator>And pig pickin' after pig pickin', the numbers and the influence of Lena Ritter <v narrator>and her friends grew. <v narrator>And along the way, these people discovered something about themselves for the first time, <v narrator>they saw a new power in unity. <v narrator>Never again would they be ignored. <v narrator>We you get that many people living on the road, something's gonna move. <v narrator>And after five years of grassroots action. <v narrator>People writing, calling, attending hearings and pressuring lawmakers.

<v narrator>The plan to develop Permuda Island was at last abandoned. <v Speaker>And we won. We never thought for a minute we'd lose because it was important. <v Todd Miller>Lena was always there. She's been a symbol for just what the individual can accomplish <v Todd Miller>and a lot of people seen what she's done and they're learning from it and they're getting <v Todd Miller>involved as a result. <v Todd Miller>So it's made a tremendous difference all over the state. <v narrator>Today, when the folks in Stump sound hold a pig pickin', politicians clamor <v narrator>to get invited. <v politician>I'm glad to be here today. <v Lena Ritter>For Lena Ritter, a battle has been won, but the war goes on. <v Lena Ritter>The fight over Permuda Island is over. But this fight over clean water is not over. <v Lena Ritter>It's an ongoing battle. And we're gonna be in there just as strong as ever before <v Lena Ritter>making sure that who's responsible for pollution is going to clean up their act and <v Lena Ritter>we're gonna get this state cleaned up.

<v narrator>Today, Permuda Island is owned by the state of North Carolina and protected <v narrator>as a natural reserve. It's unspoiled beauty is a testament to the determination <v narrator>of Lena Ritter and the people of Stump Sound. <v narrator>Further north along North Carolina's Outer Banks, another struggle <v narrator>demonstrates how complex coastal issues can become. <v narrator>Ironically, some fishermen up in this part of the state are at odds with <v narrator>environmentalists. <v narrator>At the center of the storm lies the Oregon Inlet, located just south <v narrator>of Nags Head. The Herbert C. Bonner Bridge spans this break in the coast. <v narrator>But here, nature, economics and technology have long collided over <v narrator>a proposal by the Army Corps of Engineers to build jetties to try to stabilize <v narrator>the shifting sands.

<v narrator>Most Americans think of land as permanent. <v narrator>But one of the most dynamic environments on the face of the earth is a beach. <v narrator>The land builds and disappears in relation to the forces around it. <v narrator>But when all is calm, nature's great demonstration is soon forgotten. <v narrator>Yet the coast is always in motion. <v narrator>Waves continuously move sand from one area to replenish another. <v narrator>But human beings seem programmed to fight nature head-on. <v narrator>A maze of jetties, groin seawalls and other structures are all <v narrator>attempts to protect our investments from the sea. <v narrator>By setting up permanent residence on a moving coast, we've altered natural

<v narrator>forces. <v narrator>On eroding shorelines, beaches in front of sea walls are disappearing. <v narrator>Jetties now block the flow of sand and starve adjacent beaches. <v narrator>The system is out of balance, and today many believe that sacrificing <v narrator>public beaches to protect coastal structures is wrong here <v narrator>in North Carolina. No one has been more vocal than Duke University geologist <v narrator>Orrin Pilkey. <v Orrin Pilkey>There is no compelling societal reason for us to build buildings <v Orrin Pilkey>very close to an eroding shoreline on an open ocean barrier island. <v Orrin Pilkey>None whatsoever. As long as we let the beach rollback naturally and here its rolling back <v Orrin Pilkey>a foot or two or three a year. <v Orrin Pilkey>The beach has no problems. The beach is not having a problem. <v Orrin Pilkey>Only people are having a problem. <v narrator>For years, Orrin Pilkey has studied the proposed jetty project for the Oregon Inlet. <v narrator>The plan calls for solid structures to jet into the sea.

<v narrator>Their purpose is to allow the inlet to be deepened and cleared by blocking the natural <v narrator>migration of sand along the coast. <v narrator>An appealing prospect for the fishermen who depend on clear passage to make <v narrator>their living. <v narrator>Time, money and occasionally even lives have been lost getting <v narrator>in and out of the inlet. <v narrator>Storms are sudden and severe. <v narrator>Fisherman Moon Tillen knows from experience. <v Moon Tillen>And like in the wintertime, you got an work, you don't have the sun flying 24 hours, 36 <v Moon Tillen>hours to work before the weather gets bad. <v Moon Tillen>Like this storm coming. You can't stay that night because you <v Moon Tillen>scared that storm's gonna come during the night. <v Moon Tillen>You can't get in. <v Moon Tillen>And that's why when you're close by like this, when it starts to get like that, you run <v Moon Tillen>right in. <v Speaker>Pleasure craft Linda K. Pleasure Craft Linda K.

<v Speaker>This is Coast Guard Station, Oregon inlet chap 12 over. <v Speaker>We're at a point holdover. We're still holding our anchor, above washing ?inaudible?. <v narrator>The Outer Banks of North Carolina. <v narrator>The graveyard of the Atlantic. <v narrator>Here, pirates once hung lanterns around the necks of horses and walked them up and down <v narrator>the beach, passing vessels would mistake them for the lights of other <v narrator>ships and be lured in where they run aground. <v narrator>Easy pickings for the pirates. <v narrator>The town of Nags Head is named for this deceit. <v narrator>Oregon Inlet was blown open by a storm in 1846. <v narrator>Since then, it has migrated nearly two miles south today with a bridge in <v narrator>place. The inlet must remain in place too, and dredges are used to keep the channel <v narrator>open. But with so many storms, boats still get stranded.

<v Moon Tillen>Where the jetty's at you can go and be on the fishing grounds when you see the water <v Moon Tillen>falling. At least so you can get out. <v Moon Tillen>And everywhere that they've had this problem, everywhere <v Moon Tillen>up and down the coast, all over the world, that's what they come up with, <v Moon Tillen>those jetties. And it's all above 'em. <v narrator>But to geologist Orrin Pilkey, the Jetty project ignores all <v narrator>that has been learned. <v Orrin Pilkey>The Jetty solution flies in the face of so much experience on the East Coast. <v Orrin Pilkey>We have so much experience with jetties and jetties always cause erosion <v Orrin Pilkey>problems on an East Coast barrier island without- without exception. <v narrator>Orrin Pilkey and others maintain that by blocking the flow of sand along the coast, the <v narrator>jetties could destroy beaches for many miles. <v narrator>With a national wildlife refuge in the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in its path. <v narrator>The local problem became a national concern and a chorus of groups, including <v narrator>the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the National Wildlife Federation and the National

<v narrator>Park Service joined in opposing the project. <v narrator>The strong opposition stalled the proposal for nearly 20 years and <v narrator>eventually the Department of Interior denied the necessary permits. <v narrator>While many fishermen gave up or moved on, Moon Tillen and the corps of others still <v narrator>stand firm. <v Moon Tillen>We're not going to give up the battle anyway. <v Moon Tillen>Go as far as saying I am gonna stay here until I go, I've made my mind up of that. <v Orrin Pilkey>You look at this sand-. <v narrator>Orrin Pilkey has stood his ground too. <v narrator>As a geologist, teacher and author of numerous books on the moving coast. <v narrator>He has been called the single most influential voice on the changing <v narrator>face of America's coastlines. <v narrator>Orrin Pilkey's influence in North Carolina is widespread, and the fishermen <v narrator>know it, after years of frustration, they agree to meet with him one

<v narrator>on one. <v Moon Tillen>That inlet contributed thirty million dollars ?inaudible?, yes sir. <v Moon Tillen>More footage, more exits going off the northside. <v narrator>In a small back room of a local food and hardware store. <v narrator>The men confront each other. <v narrator>The former chairman of the Oregon Inlet and Waterways Commission, Ormon Mann <v narrator>and retired merchant marine Luther Daniels, join Moon Tillen <v narrator>to present their side of the story. <v Ormon Mann>Moon's here and been a commercial fisherman all his life, he's sport fishing and <v Ormon Mann>commercial fishing. His father was my father was, my grandfather was. <v Ormon Mann>And this aspect of it, you know, that is is breaking up an industry. <v Ormon Mann>Of the outer banks that were here, this disruption of family lives and the loss of Moon's <v Ormon Mann>ability to do the only thing he knows to do, I think exceeds <v Ormon Mann>the cost. You know, when you get in. <v Moon Tillen>But when you talk about the economy, there ain't no way that we can't pay it back. <v Moon Tillen>That same produces in shrimp alone over 13 million dollars to the fishermen.

<v Orrin Pilkey>Well, if you throw in the environmental damage potential. <v Moon Tillen>We don't get the inlet, we don't have the inlet we won't have shrimp. <v Orrin Pilkey>And what we're seeing, I think. <v narrator>None of them has changed their position. <v narrator>But as the meeting goes on, they've come to understand each other's needs just <v narrator>a little better. <v Orrin Pilkey>There is an alternative to the jetties and that and that is dredging that is increased <v Orrin Pilkey>dredging. <v Luther Daniels>Rather than one individual and make that decision. <v Luther Daniels>I think the general public should be put before the public and I don't think <v Luther Daniels>that a few scientists should make the decision for this. <v Orrin Pilkey>I agree. Also, it shouldn't be up to you shouldn't be up to me. <v Orrin Pilkey>We're just one out of millions. <v narrator>The question of jetties for Oregon inlet is yet to be resolved. <v narrator>But along a small stretch of North Carolina beach, a dialog has <v narrator>begun. <v Orrin Pilkey>And I really even hope that maybe we'll get us to come up with a solution. <v Orrin Pilkey>Maybe we can come, come together and have a meeting of the minds and actually come. <v Orrin Pilkey>Go to the Corps of Engineers together and say, listen, we got to do something about it,

<v Orrin Pilkey>here are some possibilities. Let's look into these things. <v Orrin Pilkey>I'd really like to have that happen. <v Orrin Pilkey>For sure. I don't know if it will. <v narrator>As more and more people compete for this limited coastal resource, balancing economic <v narrator>development with the protection of the natural environment may well be the greatest <v narrator>conservation challenge Americans face in the coming years. <v narrator>The assault on America's coastlines neither begins nor ends at the ocean's door. <v narrator>The Chesapeake Bay, America's greatest estuary <v narrator>with over 8000 miles of shoreline, it is a mecca for sailors <v narrator>and a catch basin for pollutens. <v narrator>In the late 19th century, thousands of wind powered vessels like this skipjack <v narrator>would harvest up to 15 million bushels of oysters per year.

<v narrator>Now the oyster harvests, like the skipjack fleet itself, have dwindled. <v narrator>Captain Ed Farley Skipjack is the Stanley Norman, and today it is a <v narrator>floating classroom for the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. <v narrator>But these are no ordinary students. <v narrator>They are the Chesapeake Bay kids from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, led by <v narrator>their biology teacher, Shirley Cavalier. <v Shirley Cavalier>Every piece of mail I was getting across my desk said Chesapeake <v Shirley Cavalier>Bay, Chesapeake Bay and the Chesapeake Bay is in trouble and we've all got to do <v Shirley Cavalier>something about it. <v narrator>And she brought her students here for a firsthand look. <v Janet Papermesiter>From Gettysburg, can you point that out? <v narrator>Janet Papermeister is a field instructor with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. <v Janet Papermesiter>Let's do a comparison here, what's happening within the watershed regards to population.

<v Janet Papermesiter>In the year 2020 there'll be really a megalopolis effect here with millions of people <v Janet Papermesiter>coming into the watershed, about 2.6 million. <v narrator>These Gettysburg students know that the bay will not only be affected by the millions <v narrator>who will live on its shores. <v narrator>Over 75 percent of all marine pollution comes from the land <v narrator>and fully one half of the bay's freshwater comes from the Susquehanna River, <v narrator>which flows through some of the richest farmland in America. <v narrator>But what's good for these Pennsylvania farms is bad for the bay. <v narrator>The small community of Gettysburg is over 50 miles from the Chesapeake Bay <v narrator>and where Civil War soldiers once marched. <v narrator>A new army is afoot. <v narrator>Back from their trip, Shirley Cavalier's students continue to learn about the <v narrator>relationship between their home waters here in Adams County and the health of the <v narrator>Chesapeake. <v Shirley Cavalier>Listen up, you guys. Let's do oxygen, carbon dioxide. <v Shirley Cavalier>Let's do P-H alkalinity.

<v Shirley Cavalier>We'll do some free acidity. <v Shirley Cavalier>Every bit of water in Adams County ultimately ends up in the Chesapeake Bay. <v Shirley Cavalier>And so our Chesapeake students have begun to learn that their <v Shirley Cavalier>own cleanup begins right here in Adams county. <v student>People may be polluting thousands of miles away and not even knowing it. <v student>No matter where you live, there's always going to be some kind of water system around <v student>you. And that's going to affect another river, another creek, <v student>which is going to affect some larger body of water. <v narrator>Here they analyze the stream for its chemical content. <v narrator>High levels of nitrogen and phosphorus would indicate fertilizer runoff from nearby <v narrator>fields. These nutrients find their way into the Susquehanna River and the <v narrator>Chesapeake Bay, causing algae blooms which blocks on life, consume <v narrator>oxygen and kill fish, oysters and crabs. <v narrator>But here in Adams County, there are farmers working to prevent such pollution. <v John Hess>This is part of our dairy herd.

<v John Hess>Approximately hundred thirty five milk cows. <v narrator>John Hess is one of a handful of farmers who have adopted conservation practices <v narrator>to help the bay. <v narrator>Shirley Cavalier and the bay kids are here to find out more. <v narrator>A milking cow produces over 100 pounds of waste in a single day. <v narrator>And there are nearly 10000 milking cows in Adams County alone. <v narrator>The enormity of the problem is clear. <v narrator>John Hass shows the students his new manure storage system designed to minimize <v narrator>seepage and preserve nutrients. It allows him to manage this natural fertilizer more <v narrator>efficiently by using this system in conjunction with his terraced fields. <v narrator>John Hass is not only helping to save the bay. <v narrator>He is saving money. <v Fran Kotch>Tax breaks the slope of the field, the length of the slope of the field. <v narrator>Fran Kotch is the former district manager of the Adams County Conservation <v narrator>District. She joins the group at the farm.

<v narrator>The students spread out to demonstrate just how a terrorist field works by <v narrator>dividing the slope into a general grade. <v narrator>The water stays longer and pollution is reduced. <v narrator>For these students, it's all beginning to come together. <v narrator>Shirley Cavalier. <v Shirley Cavalier>I want them to be moved to action. I want them to actually get that word out to <v Shirley Cavalier>everyone in Adams County that they can speak to. <v student>It's especially important for adults because the teachers in the school can <v student>teach the kids, but no one gets the adults. <v student>The adults don't get the message. <v narrator>And that message is not just for farmers. <v narrator>It's for homeowners and businesses. <v narrator>Everyone can help clean up the bay. <v student>Different information in this field here tells us about the disposable cleaning solutions <v student>and how to properly dispose of them. <v student>And we noticed that a lot of them have to be disposed of hazardous waste dump sites. <v Shirley Cavalier>When I see them presenting a program in front of adults and then afterwards <v Shirley Cavalier>I say, well, how do you think it went?

<v Shirley Cavalier>And they'll say, they really listened to us. <v Shirley Cavalier>And, you know, someone came up and they asked me a question and I knew the answer to it. <v Shirley Cavalier>And so they they really get excited with that. <v Shirley Cavalier>And I like seeing that confidence being built in them. <v student>We're from the Chesapeake Bay group for the high school. And we're concerned about the <v student>phosphorus content in the detergents. <v student>Did you buy detergent this afternoon? <v narrator>The bay kids show people that by simply taking the time to read a label, <v narrator>anyone can help improve water quality. <v student> Mrs. Cavalier really opened my eyes to the problems of the Chesapeake. <v student>And then in turn, I'm going to educate people so they can tell their friends and it can <v student>go be passed on. Thanks a lot for your time. <v student>Thank you. <v Shirley Cavalier>The Chesapeake Bay students have a message to carry to all of Adams county and <v Shirley Cavalier>all of the East Coast, all of Pennsylvania. <v Shirley Cavalier>And then as far as we can spread our message. <v narrator>Camp Nawakwa is a few miles outside of Gettysburg. <v narrator>On this cool spring evening, Shirley Cavalier students demonstrate what can <v narrator>be done at home to restore and protect coastal waters. <v student>This is missy and we like to talk to you about household products you may use in your

<v student>homes or garages or bathroom. <v student>They really don't think about how close they are to Chesapeake and that nothing they do <v student>here is going to ever affect the water or the land on there. <v student>When you tell them they're just shocked. <v student>Its original container and if you can we'd like you to recycle it. <v Shirley Cavalier>So if the students are bringing to them knowledge about how to dispose of their household <v Shirley Cavalier>waste, I really know that they're going to be some of those homeowners that will take on <v Shirley Cavalier>that same responsibility. <v student>Come up here and take this paint out here and spread it on this newspaper. <v student>Okay. <v student>What you want to do is get this paint to dry, because if it's in solid form, <v student>like when it's dry. <v student>If you just get one person to change the ways of handling their water, <v student>it's going to make a difference. And that's enough for me. <v student>If it's just one person or if it's 20 people. <v student>The oil from one engine of car, which is about four to six quarts, can make an eight <v student>acre oil slick. See how it goes down the bottom, but it floats back up to the top <v student>and it just sits there. It doesn't do anything and it sticks. <v student>It doesn't come off, so you can't wash it off.

<v student>It stays on there. To avoid accidents like this. <v student>Like in just streams and waterways in Pennsylvania, it is illegal <v student>to dispose of oil in any other way than to <v student>recycle it. <v student>As you can see now I'm pouring kitty litter into this pan. <v student>OK. Now, tonight, I'm going to show you how to dispose of things <v student>like bug spray. <v student>I gave a presentation at the State Science Convention and it <v student>was to teachers and I was very nervous because I thought, you know, no way they're going <v student>to listen to us. And I was really surprised at the reaction we got from them. <v student>They were, they were so attentive and they wanted to know more. <v student>And I've now come to realize that we're not just a bunch of kids. <v student>We really can make a difference. <v student>You know, my grandfather and my father would say to me when I was younger, they'd say, <v student>you know, look out there. I remember when this was all farmland. <v student>You know, as far as the eye can see or my dad would say this was a great <v student>place to hunt. It was a great place for wildlife until they put that housing development.

<v student>So the Chesapeake Bay is important me, because when I grow up and I'm older, I don't want <v student>to have to go down the Chesapeake Bay. <v student>Oh, I can remember when people used to fish there. <v student>I can remember, you know, they used to be a great place to go down and take <v student>a boat ride or something. <v student>We all live downstream, as the slogan says. <v narrator>Because of Shirley Cavalier and her students and the efforts of many others, <v narrator>including the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, this great natural resource <v narrator>just might be saved. <v narrator>With all that people can do, the protection of coastal waters becomes a matter <v narrator>of life and death for those who can't speak or act on their own. <v narrator>Today, along America's coasts, marine mammals compete with humans for air, <v narrator>food and water. <v narrator>And many fall ill from pollutants or succumb to man's mistakes. <v narrator>The Marine Mammal Protection Act and otherwise have helped some populations to

<v narrator>rebound, but still they need people <v narrator>and understanding to survive in their troubled world. <v Speaker>California Marine Mammal Center. <v narrator>In Sausalito, California, a group of volunteers and professionals work on <v narrator>their behalf. <v Speaker>Ok, I need to take some information from you. <v narrator>They are members of the California Marine Mammal Center. <v narrator>When an animal is reported sick or injured, they're called <v narrator>into action. <v narrator> <v narrator>This sick sea lion may not realize his good fortune.

<v narrator>Within hours, he will be admitted and treated at the Centers Hospital. <v narrator>High above the Pacific, across from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. <v narrator>The newest patient, like all that come here is given a name. <v worker>What's his name? ?inaudible? <v worker>Arizona. Hi, kid. <v worker>How you doing, Arizona? <v narrator>Arizona joins the likes of William Randolph, Satchmo and <v narrator>a white elephant seal named Annie, who must be coaxed into the water she cannot <v narrator>see. <v Mary Jane Shram>If uh, Don, you and Burt could force those two back to the back of the pen. <v narrator>Mary Jane Shram has been a volunteer for over seven years. <v Mary Jane Shram>The animals that we admit at the Marine Mammal Center are here for one purpose and one

<v Mary Jane Shram>purpose only. They come in critically ill. <v Mary Jane Shram>We are here to rehabilitate them, to release them back to the wild again. <v Mary Jane Shram>That is our sole objective. <v Mary Jane Shram>The fluids should go pretty quickly. <v narrator>Mary Jane Shram is one of over 400 volunteers at the center. <v narrator>Together, they donate thousands of hours tending to sick and injured mammals. <v narrator>Trained by professionals they have learned how to save lives. <v narrator>Formerly a Nike missile base, the center was founded in nineteen seventy five on land <v narrator>owned by the government. <v narrator>This hospital, like all hospitals, is the scene of continuous drama. <v Mary Jane Shram>She's got a wire jammed in her jaw so you're gonna have to take her down and we're gonna <v Mary Jane Shram>have to get it out. <v narrator>Quickly the team removes a piece of wire that was lodged in the animal's mouth. <v Mary Jane Shram>We see animals that come in here for the most part with natural problems.

<v Mary Jane Shram>But when we admit an animal that's been shot or hit by a propeller <v Mary Jane Shram>or in some cases deliberately injured by people, it's really hard to take that. <v narrator>Some animals are too sick for help, Moonbeam <v narrator>has been here just one day. <v narrator>Suffering from a bacterial disease. <v narrator>His kidneys have failed and he has died. <v narrator>Mary Jane draws blood for analysis. <v narrator>Even in death, much can be learned. <v Mary Jane Shram>When an animal dies and you've been doing all you can to help it. <v Mary Jane Shram>It can be very hurtful and very frustrating. <v Mary Jane Shram>But if you gave into yourself and really grieved for every animal, <v Mary Jane Shram>then that would take away from what you could give to the surviving animals that require <v Mary Jane Shram>your care. <v narrator>But for every death, there are also many successes.

<v narrator>Most of the animals now at the center will be returned to the wild. <v narrator>Those who don't fully recover will be sent to aquariums or Oceanariums, where <v narrator>they'll continue to play an important role in educating the public. <v narrator>Just a few months ago, Satchmo suffered severe seizures brought on by pneumonia. <v narrator>Today, at a healthy 484 pounds, he's conditioned for his release. <v worker>Don't do it. He's in. Okay. But you think probably because. <v narrator>He's fed only through the cage that will eventually carry him to freedom. <v narrator>Perhaps he'll be more willing to enter it on the day of his release. <v narrator> The center's massive rehabilitation <v narrator>effort is financed entirely by memberships and donations. <v Pegeen Barrett>I thought he was going to be able to go Saturday. <v narrator>Pegeen Barrett is the executive director. <v Pegeen Barrett>Volunteers at the California Marine Mammal Center come from all walks of life. <v Pegeen Barrett>We have carpenters and lawyers and housewives and doctors.

<v Pegeen Barrett>It's hard work. <v Pegeen Barrett>It means coming at 6:30 in the morning and pulling apart frozen fish and maybe an hour <v Pegeen Barrett>later, jumping on a 400 pound sea lion to give him medication. <v Pegeen Barrett>And these volunteers are, I think, a tremendous example <v Pegeen Barrett>that it is possible to do an effort like this and to really <v Pegeen Barrett>enrich your life. <v narrator>Most tasks are shared, yet in a lonely corner of the compound sits <v narrator>Joe Mayberry. He's the only one who regularly volunteers for this duty. <v Joe Mayberry>I'm the poop sleuth here, and you're the first visitors <v Joe Mayberry>I've had all day. So... <v narrator>But Joe Mayberry knows that looking for parasites in fecal samples is serious <v narrator>business. <v Joe Mayberry>Because parasites can absolutely kill them. <v Joe Mayberry>And you know, I feel almost like a scientist. <v narrator>This important work is yielding much needed data that will be shared throughout the

<v narrator>scientific community. And as the volunteers and professionals work to better understand <v narrator>these magnificent creatures and their world, they're also learning something about <v narrator>their own. <v Mary Jane Shram>Marine mammals are a living litmus test of the health of our oceans. <v Mary Jane Shram>They eat what we eat. So they are a very good parallel in terms of judging, <v Mary Jane Shram>not what we're doing to quote the environment, what we do to <v Mary Jane Shram>ourselves ultimately. <v Mary Jane Shram>The animals that you see in this particular pen, are northern elephant seal pups. <v narrator>For the more than 50000 visitors who come here each year, the <v narrator>working hospital leaves a lasting impression, an understanding of the importance <v narrator>of these creatures in the wild and an appreciation of the efforts of those <v narrator>who work here. <v Mary Jane Shram> Where we've been charged. And I actually had one animal charge so hard that <v Mary Jane Shram>he broke my herding board. <v Mary Jane Shram>They're dangerous animals to work with because they're wild. <v Mary Jane Shram>But these are all elements that are essential to their recovery.

<v narrator>At the end of every successful recovery is what these volunteers call <v narrator>graduation day. <v narrator>The animals are weighed and secured for their 2 hour trip up the California coast <v narrator>to the release site. <v worker>We're going to have to bring down a couple of very big cages, so it's hard <v worker>to write. <v narrator>On a remote strip of beach, there is much anticipation from both volunteers <v narrator>and animals. <v worker>No more free lunches. From now on, you're on your own. <v narrator>Aluthera, Tyler, Crane, Frederica and Speedy join the hundreds of other animals <v narrator>that have been returned to the wild by these volunteers. <v Mary Jane Shram>They become individual animals to us, but the right thing <v Mary Jane Shram>to do is to give them back their freedom.

<v Mary Jane Shram>There is just a tremendous reward in doing that. <v narrator>Now it's time for the big guy, Satchmo. <v narrator>After a routine of three meals a day and around the clock attention, he's not so sure <v narrator>he wants to go. <v narrator>Just a century ago, these mammals were pursued for their oil and fur. <v narrator>Some species were nearly wiped out. <v worker>There are fish out there. <v narrator>Today because of strict federal laws and heightened public awareness resulting <v narrator>from the efforts of individuals like these. <v narrator>Some balance has been restored. <v worker>Alright, don't forget. to write. <v worker>No don't come back. <v narrator>Satchmo enters an uncertain world, a world increasingly dependent <v narrator>upon people to protect it. <v worker>Bye Satch.

<v narrator>The challenge to preserve America's coastal resources is immense. <v narrator>When here and there east, west, north and south. <v Lena Ritter>Individual Americans are answering the call. <v Lena Ritter>We deserve to be there and we can make it. <v narrator>In North Carolina. Lena Ritter continues to fight for clean water <v narrator>and the heritage of her people. <v narrator>At Oregon inlet scientists, fishermen and planners work to understand <v narrator>their coast and each other. <v narrator>In Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, the Chesapeake Bay kids keep spreading the word, we <v narrator>all live downstream. <v narrator>And in Texas, thousands of people are joining together to help raise an awareness <v narrator>that might free our oceans from debris. <v narrator>They're inspired by Toni Amos and his love for wildlife. <v narrator>Everywhere the message is clear. <v narrator>To conserve our coastal resource is to conserve America.

<v announcer>Conserving America is made possible by the Richard King Mellon Foundation to support

<v announcer>the preservation of wildlife and the conservation of natural wilderness in America. <v announcer>And by combustion engineering, providing export solutions today <v announcer>in environmental management, power generation and process control. <v announcer>For your free copy of the Resource and Study Guide for this program, write to the <v announcer>Challenge on the Coast National Wildlife Federation, 1400 16th Street <v announcer>NW Washington DC 2 0 0 3 6. <v Speaker>This is PBS.