Tybee Sand Not Turtle-Friendly

Researchers say Tybee Island's freshly renourished beach still needs work to ensure that federally-protected loggerhead sea turtles will nest there. The federal government spent $11 million pumping fresh sand onto Georgia's largest public beach last fall. But a turtle expert with the state Department of Natural Resources says the sand is too compact for finicky sea turtles to lay their eggs. The DNR's Mark Dodd says much of the beach needs to be tilled to make the sand soft enough for turtles before the nesting season starts in May. Tybee Island Mayor Jason Buelterman says the city will be happy to foot the bill - an estimated $10,000 or more - because officials often cited nesting turtles when lobbying Congress for the beach renourishment funds.

(Associated Press)

Tybee getting beach renourishment

Tybee Island’s beach is getting an 11-million dollar injection of new sand. The project headed by the Army Corps of Engineers is the first time since 2000 that the state’s largest public beach has been renourished with new sand to repair erosion. Tybee’s beach has been in dire need of help, with portions so eroded it has disappeared underwater during high tide. The Army Corps began the project last week by pumping sand from the ocean floor. Work will be complete sometime in January after around 120,000 truck loads of sand have been spread.

Eroded Tybee beaches get a fix

Restoration of Tybee Island's badly eroded beaches will begin Oct. 1. The 90-day project will extend from Tybee's north jetty to another jetty on the south beach. A pipeline will route sand from about a mile and a half off the south end of the island. The pipeline will import a total 1.2 million cubic yards of sand.