Andrew S. Lewis on "The Long, Slow Drowning of the New Jersey Shore"

August 22, 2021

Profiling exemplary coastal journalism on the NJ coast.

In this episode, hosts Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham talk to Andrew S. Lewis about his recent essay in New York Times Magazine, "The Long, Slow Drowning of the New Jersey Shore." Supported by the Pulitzer Center’s Connected Coastlines reporting initiative and complete with stunning photography by Devin Oktar Yalkin, this long-form article captures the full spectrum of issues facing the New Jersey coast, and asks what the future might look like for its many communities. Subjects discussed include: Andrew's approach to researching and writing the article; the people he met doing his research including scientists, engineers, coastal managers,  mayors, and artists; the changes he has seen on the shoreline over his lifetime; future competing New Jersey shore visions; and, much more.

Show Transcription
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Peter Ravella & Tyler Buckingham

Peter and Tyler joined forces in 2015 and from the first meeting began discussing a project that would become Coastal News Today and the American Shoreline Podcast Network. At the time, Peter and Tyler were coastal consultants for Pete’s firm, PAR Consulting, LLC. In that role, they worked with coastal communities in Texas, Florida, and North Carolina, engaged in grant writing, coastal project development, shoreline erosion and land use planning, permitting, and financial planning for communities undertaking big beach restoration projects. Between and among their consulting tasks, they kept talking and kept building the idea of CNT & ASPN. In almost every arena they worked, public engagement played a central role. They spent thousands of hours talking with coastal stakeholders, like business owners, hotel operators, condo managers, watermen, property owners, enviros, surfers, and fishermen. They dived deep into the value, meaning, and responsibility for the American shoreline, segment-by-segment. Common threads emerged, themes were revealed, differences uncovered. There was a big conversation going on along the American shoreline! But, no place to have it. That's where CNT and ASPN were born.