We achieve this mission through implementation of our strategic plan, while being guided by our history and adhering to our bylaws.
ASBPA has adopted a three year strategic plan for 2019-2021.
During this time, ASBPA will continue to hold an annual National Coastal Conference and Summit, publish Shore & Beach as a peer-reviewed journal, develop educational content on timely coastal issues, and advocate for federal funding for coastal restoration, research and shore protection.
Additionally, ASBPA will develop resources to connect coastal managers and coastal researchers on the most critical challenges facing our coast, advocate to expedite coastal project delivery, and encourage regional resilience planning along the entire developed coastline of the United States.
To achieve all its external goals, ASBPA is committed to growing as an organization.
The strategic plan includes goals, objectives and strategies for Science and Technology, Government Affairs, Education and Outreach, and internal resources.
Download the Executive Summary of the ASBPA Strategic Plan. (PDF – 861 kB)
The American Shore and Beach Preservation Association was founded in 1926 by individuals who recognized the need for an organized effort to combat erosion, a serious problem in many coastal areas. Experience had shown that long stretches of shore were affected, making protective efforts by individual property owners or small communities futile. The expertise required to design comprehensive programs of protection was largely lacking. In bygone days, the needs of navigation were regarded as paramount and there was no redress available for damages to adjacent shores by navigation works.
The founding members of the Association were active in persuading the Congress to enact legislation authorizing Federal sharing of the cost, first of erosion studies of specific problem areas and, later, of project works. Then, as now, this required data collection, research on coastal processes, and the development and the use of analytical techniques and hydraulic models (and, today, numerical models as well).
Download the ASBPA Bylaws (updated 2019). (PDF – 378kb)