Over the past two years, the changes to Dewees’s Front Beach have been dramatic.  Now, change is coming to the North Beach.  Judy, her sister Christie and I walked the North Beach in a gusty drizzle this morning just before high tide.  We are on turtle patrol and walked from the telephone poles to Osprey walk.

The night before, the ocean created “wash overs” in several areas.  There’s one that’s particularly large on the turn from the North Beach to Front Beach.  The base of the dunes were also eaten into, creating some small “cliffs.”  They’re not like the 6-8 foot cliffs north of Osprey Walk, but some reach 3 feet and a few are 4 feet.  Barrier islands are forever changing and it’s cool to see nature at work.  Many island residents, however, are ready for the sand to start flowing back onto the island.

One small area is accreting sand (that’s the opposite of eroding).  It’s the area around the sandbar that has attached to the island north of Osprey Walk.