b'C H A P T E R N I N ETo Chathams director of Coastal Resources, the project has tangible value. Its giving the Town an opportunity to understand its beaches more than its ever had before, says Ted Keon.That data set has never existed.The time and effort are usually beyond what we can do, particularly when there isnt a dire need to have it for a specific project. Braving the nasty winter air, a pair of the first Beyond that, the results arevolunteers go about the task of determining how much one of Chathams beaches has informative enough to make Keonchanged in the past three months.think that C. B. Ws sweep shouldGordon Zellnerbe widened to include Pleasant Bay areas, such as at smaller, more narrow beaches like Scatterees. In the past, sand has been brought in from Aunt Lydias Cove to nourish Scatteree. Doing transects there, says Keon, would help us get a good understanding of how the Pleasant Bay shoreline changes compared with other beaches.For the FCW crews, theres a bonus beyond just the satisfaction of doing a volunteer stint. Her teams, explains Jane Harris, have a strong interest in scientifically identifying changes in a beach close to where they live and where they walk. By going from semi-annual to quarterly profiling, thats likely, she believes, to increase the sense of camaraderie among our volunteers and their feeling of ownership of the project. In short, in this FCW undertaking, everybody benefits.Chatham Beach Watchers go on location quarterlyand after any major storm.Their efforts provide an ongoing perspective on beach changes that Chatham has never had before.Gordon Zellner167'