DUNGENESS – Here’s what happens when a raft of beachfront property owners band together.
A 1,500-foot stretch of coastline becomes prime habitat for fish and birds, and despite repeated pounding in fierce weather, the beach stays sandy and soft.
It could have been different, had the neighbors done things the old way.
They could have chosen to armor their beach with bulkheads, also known as riprap, as Ediz Hook and 70 percent of the Hood Canal’s shoreline are.
But the group of 15 owners, whose property lies along the Strait of Juan de Fuca east of the Dungeness River mouth, were inspired to try something else.
“Being where we live, we care about the environment and what we’re doing here,” said John Lewis, president of the Beach Property Owners Association.
The neighbors paid in full for a project that now stands as an example on the Peninsula.
