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By Joan Pope
The decade from 1966 to 1975 was a pivotal era for the American Shore & Beach Preservation Association (ASBPA), marked by growing national influence, technical innovation, and a deepening commitment to reconciling coastal development with shoreline protection.
National Recognition of Navigation Impacts
In 1968, Congress took a significant step in recognizing the unintended consequences of federal navigation improvements on adjacent shores. Legislation authorized the Secretary of the Army, acting through the Chief of Engineers, to investigate, study, and construct projects specifically for the prevention or mitigation of shore damages attributable to federal navigation works. Importantly, the costs of installing, operating, and maintaining such projects were to be borne by the United States, reflecting a new level of federal responsibility for the nation’s coasts.
ASBPA’s Expanding Role and Influence
During this period, ASBPA was recognized as a key mediator and coordinator in national resource affairs. In a 1969 paper for Shore & Beach, LTG Frederick Clark, Chief of Engineers, noted, “your Association has the potential and the opportunity to become big and influential in national resource affairs….you are in a better position than anyone ….to provide the reconciling, mediating, coordination, services …so urgently needed today”.
The Association’s bi-annual journal issues grew in size and scope, and the early 1970s brought concerns about financial stability and the need to build membership. Under the leadership of President Morrough P. O’Brien (1972–1983), ASBPA emphasized research needs, such as wave measurements and case histories, and established an Editorial Board led by Joe Johnson and a dozen coastal luminaries.
Photo of the Waterways Experiment Station from History of the Waterways Experiment Station, 1968, USACE, public domain.
Technical Advances and Research Leadership
The decade saw a surge in technical research and publication. Notable papers included analyses of nearshore profiles along North Carolina’s Outer Banks, research programs at the Coastal Engineering Research Center (CERC), studies on long-period variations in sea level trends, and comprehensive reviews of groins and groin fields. The Association also highlighted research activities at CERC and the Waterways Experiment Station (WES), and published artist concepts for improvements at Miami Beach.
Shore and Beach October 1967
Legislative Milestones
The 1968 Congressional authorization for the Secretary of the Army to address navigation-related shore damages was a landmark in federal coastal policy. Section 111 of the Continuing Authority Program allowed for the recognition of the damaging effects of certain navigation improvements on adjacent shores, with the United States bearing the costs of installing, operating, and maintaining mitigation projects.
The years 1966 to 1975 were a time of growth, challenge, and innovation for ASBPA. By advocating for balanced solutions, fostering technical excellence, and shaping national policy, the Association helped ensure that America’s coasts would be managed with both development and protection in mind—a legacy that continues to guide its mission today.