As New Jerseyans consider how to build what Gov. Chris Christie calls a “21st century shore” in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, environmental scientists, regional planners and policymakers on the western side of the state said the “Restore the Shore” approach is too limited and will likely prove harmful to human and aquatic life.

Speaking at the Partnership for the Delaware Estuary’s (PDE) biannual conference in Cape May this week, some of the nearly 300 attendees from New Jersey, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and elsewhere called on elected officials to better acknowledge storm-devastated waterfront communities beyond the shore and to realize that worsening long-term weather patterns guarantee that simply “restoring” damaged areas to their previous state will repeatedly expose them to destruction.