Have you been to Harkers Island lately? What images come to mind? Wind-shaped oaks, sandy lanes, wooden skiffs in various stages of construction in side yards, stewed hard crabs and conch chowder at the Island Restaurant (known as "Liston's" locally), and small trawlers in the harbor? Not long ago, there was nothing but woods and sandy beach to the west of the bridge when crossing to the island; that's where locals took their kids to swim.

Harkers Island is changing fast.

The long strip of wild beach is now a Millionaires Row of sorts, as large houses and long docks break up the view, shrinking public access to a token plot right next to the bridge. "Liston's" has been sold, as has a low-income trailer park, Barbour's Harbor and other landmarks.

Old oaks and pines are disappearing, and humble cottages floated over from Diamond City after the storms of 1899 are being replaced by towering beach homes, or "martin houses" as one local calls them. Descendants of the "Cay bankers"-- many carrying time-honored skills in boat building, quilting, decoy carving, and fishing -- are compelled to move off-island as the storm of a real estate frenzy washes over them.

Harkers Island is but one example along the coastal plain of North Carolina. You name it, wealth is changing it -- Ocracoke, Carolina Beach, Calabash, Bayboro, Sea Level, Columbia. On the beach and up the rivers, small village life and rural austerity wane beside gated communities, subdivisions and eight-bedroom, nine-bath "rental machine" structures -- nine toilets in one waterfront house, multiplied by how many houses?

Whatever the math, that's a lot of flushing, and along with an increase in asphalt, fertilized lawns and marinas it is no wonder we are losing productive shellfish beds every year.

Long Beach Pier, Salter Path Family Campground, countless Mom and Pop motels, fish houses, boat yards, working harbors for charter, sport and commercial boats -- these places are getting sold for what Realtors call the "highest and best use," the most lucrative being condominiums.

Who can blame the struggling business owners who stand to make more money selling their land than they did in a lifetime of work? Pity those who would prefer not to sell, but can no longer afford to pay their property taxes thanks to encroaching high-dollar developments that drive up values. Be aware that this trend affects far more than the coastal communities themselves: getting lost in these transactions is public access to public trust resources.

If we lose our fishing communities, how will the average citizen gain access to a Pamlico Sound flounder, a Core Sound shrimp or an offshore tuna? If we lose our motels and campgrounds, where will vacationing Tar Heels stay? Few can afford the price tag of a rental McMansion. If we lose our piers, where will the casual anglers and kids drop their lines? Where will canoers and kayakers put in, as huge swaths of riverbank go private and allow no trespassing? As coastal real estate values rise, are we losing the simple pleasures and outstanding quality of life long accessible to everyone no matter what income level?

Other states are grappling with the issue of coastal gentrification and loss of public access as well. Over 70 percent of voters in Maine approved amending the state constitution to allow commercial property to be assessed according to "current use" rather than "highest and best use" in an effort to protect their fishing communities. Eighty-five percent of Maine voters approved a $12 million Lands Conservation Bond, part of which will fund a Working Waterfront Access pilot program.

On the federal level, Maine Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins secured $181 million for coastal initiatives, part of which will go to preserving working waterfronts and public access in a matching grant program available to all coastal states.

North Carolina is renowned for its coastal beauty, bountiful resources, and rich maritime heritage -- but if we don't act soon these benefits will slip away or be enjoyed to the exclusion of many. It is not too late to consider bold initiatives that would protect public access and working waterfronts. If you haven't been to Harkers Island, Carolina Beach, Hatteras Village, Sunset Beach or any other coastal town or village lately, come witness what is happening for yourself -- after all, it's your coast.

(Barbara Garrity-Blake is an anthropologist specializing in fishing communities. She serves on the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission.)

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