Heavy equipment operators remove old dune fencing and other debris from a badly eroded section of beach in North Wildwood, N.J., Monday, May 22, 2023. The Jersey Shore town, which has been locked in a high-stakes, long-running legal battle with the state of New Jersey over how to protect its beaches while waiting for a federal and state beach replenishment project that is at least two years away, got emergency permission last week from state environmental officials to repair damaged dunes before the start of summer tourism season this weekend. (AP Photo/Wayne Parry)