Coastal barrier island researchers learn lessons from Ike
destruction When more than 20 coastal barrier island researchers
arrived on Galveston Island in early January, many had never
seen the level of destruction wrought by Hurricane Ike. They
came from New England, the Pacific coast and all points between
where ocean meets U.S. soil. From a common interest in coastal
barrier islands and their multitude of questions that emerged
from the rubble that still litters Galveston and neighboring
Bolivar Peninsula has emerged a goal. The team, funded by the
National Science Foundation, aims to develop a "research-
management-outreach framework to sustain barrier island
ecosystems," according to Dr. Rusty Feagin, ecosystems
management scientist for Texas AgriLife Research and one of the
conference organizers. Feagin is part of the Coastal Barrier
Island Network project, a joint effort with Wake Forest
University and the New Jersey Institute of Technology. "Barrier
islands do so many things and are of tremendous value,