But because of the political giving, the mechanism for dealing with these problems has not been responsive. One key state body unresponsive to the need for bold initiatives is the Coastal Resources Commission, the 15-member board that regulates development in 20 coastal counties. Once considered innovative, the CRC enacted the 1985 seawall ban, one of the nation's first. Seven Martin appointees are still on the CRC, and some Hunt appointees are even less friendly to the environment. As a result, reforms upsetting to developers get sidetracked while some older policies are rehashed.
Developers see waterfront property as a different treasure.
Soon the sounds will include the musical flapping of rigging lines against masts bobbing from the bay breezes. Two aerial photographs of creek side land in Pamlico County, owned mostly by Weyerhaeuser, record the pace of development. The 1986 picture is bare of houses. Nine years later, houses dot the subdivided land, with piers lining the creek. Now the state is about to close the creek to shellfishing because of pollution.