The frightening erosion along the Camp Ellis shoreline in Saco, as reported in the April 15 Maine Sunday Telegram, is placing millions of dollars’ worth of property, and the well-being of shoreside residents, at great risk.

Your reporters accurately identified the core reason for the erosion that has occurred over the past century: the 128-year-old jetty that has changed the way that sand and sediment move along the shoreline.

Today, this erosion is accelerating due to the effects of climate change on the severity of storms that batter the coastline, and the rise of the ocean’s level (eight-tenths of a foot over the last century.)

The residents of Camp Ellis and other seaside communities need short-term solutions to prevent further damage. But a long-term strategy is required to mitigate the overall impacts of climate change.

Each of us citizens can help put that strategy in place. Please call or write to U.S. Rep. Chellie Pingree, and urge her to join the bipartisan Climate Solutions Caucus. Learn about real-world, practical solutions to climate change, such as the carbon fee and dividend. Think about how you can change your life, just a little bit, to reduce your carbon footprint.

The Army Corps of Engineers must act to save Camp Ellis property now. But you can act, too, to save our coastal communities for the future.

Bob McKillop

Portland