DNREC’s Shoreline & Waterway Management Section and the City of Lewes will erect fencing along the bayside of the primary dune at Lewes Beach during the first week of November.
This comes after residents and others were told to clear the dunes of recreational gear.
The fencing is designed to help protect the dune’s fragile habitat, and act as a deterrent to area residents leaving items on the dune that can cause damage. The dune-fencing project is expected to take two weeks, depending on weather conditions.
In August, the Shoreline & Waterway Management Section within DNREC’s Division of Watershed Stewardship distributed flyers by email to area residents asking them to remove any items, such as bikes, boats, kayaks and other water sports equipment from the dune before the fencing project began. Any such personal property remaining on the dune at the start of the project will be removed by DNREC staff.
Earlier this summer, DNREC also placed signage at Lewes Beach reminding beachgoers to stay out of the dune. Lewes Beach residents and visitors were advised to use only existing pathways through the dune when crossing it.
Illegally-stored items also smother and kill the beach grass that supports and helps sustain the dune. Without beach grass, windblown sand is not trapped in the dune, creating weak spots that can be breached by flood waters during coastal storms.
