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Managed Retreat – 99 Invisible Podcast

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Managed Retreat – 99 Invisible Podcast

"Some locals like Danny Couch, who became a representative for Save the Lighthouse, advocated for the idea of building a solid concrete wall around the lighthouse. But Pilkey had maps and diagrams showing how sea walls are actually counter-productive and often lead to accelerated erosion. Then one day Pilkey met an engineer named Dave Fischetti, who suggested a novel compromise: instead of building a sea wall or letting the lighthouse fall into the ocean, why not move it? Even though the lighthouse was 200 feet tall and weighed 4,800 tons — engineers had moved bigger structures. And this presented an opportunity, to test something that planners call “managed retreat.” The idea is that, as sea levels rise, we won’t be able to defend every coast with a giant wall. Instead we’re going to have to make plans to abandon certain areas and make choices about what to move out of the way. Pilkey thought that if Buxton could be convinced to move this big lighthouse, it might show that managed retreat is feasible."

Some former coal towns turn to nature tourism as a new economic driver

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Some former coal towns turn to nature tourism as a new economic driver

"There’s a national storyline about West Virginia and parts of Pennsylvania, and it goes something like this: As the steel and coal industries fade, small towns are dying out. But for the past twenty years, some entrepreneurs have quietly been working on a different narrative, one that harnesses the natural beauty in these areas to build the economy. About 10 years ago, after being downsized from a job in computer sales, Rod Darby wanted control of his career. He drew up a business plan for a pub and restaurant in West Newton, a small Pennsylvania town along the still-developing Great Allegheny Passage. The GAP bike trail, as its known, stretches 150 miles, from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland. Darby shopped his pub idea around."

Ski mountains endure record warmth

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Ski mountains endure record warmth

I am sure in a few years, New York will be installing $100 million steam plants and anhydrous ammonia chiller lines on the state ski slopes and probably providing aid for private resorts. Oh, and don't forget the cost of running natural gas lines to remote locations to fuel the boilers.

That said, I wonder if that is constitutional to build giant steam plants and run miles of chiller lines in forest preserve, despite the constitutional amendment permitting the state-operated ski resorts.