Carolina Environmental Diversity Explorations
The northern Outer Banks · By Dirk Frankenberg and Blair Tormey
Recreation and dune stability
Figure 14. Tracks from recreational vehicles at Coquina Beach. Vehicles can rework the profile of the beach, often leading to further erosion of the dunes. (Photograph by Blair Tormey. More about the photograph)
The National Park Service has allowed nature to take its course at Coquina Beach. Although the palisade dunes built in the 1930s continue to buffer the beach from frequent overwash events, heavy recreational use has threatened the stability of the dunes. Humans often cause irreparable damage to dune vegetation by walking in non-designated areas. In addition, the frequent recreational vehicle traffic reworks the profile of the beach, often destroying the berm and leaving the dunes exposed to greater wave energy. In time, the palisade dunes will erode away, leaving this stretch of coastline to return to its natural overwash-dominated state.
