Analysis of the Coastal Protection Experience in Three Towns on Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Coastal protection permitting data from 780 Notice of Intent submissions is presented from three towns on Cape Cod, Massachusetts to analyze the coastal protection permitting experience since the creation of the Massachusetts Wetlands Protection Act in 1978. Notice of Intent records serve as a measure of demand for coastal protection and indicate that demand is rising in the towns of Truro, Wellfleet and Eastham and there appears to a trend towards soft coastal protection alternatives. A number of potential anthropogenic and natural variables are discussed that could influence demand for coastal protection permits but no clear trends are identified. Municipal decision-making processes should to be refined to plan for upward trends in coastal protection permitting to take advantage of wide regional expertise in the field.