currents throughout the whole Sound that are capable of eroding and moving a fair bit of sediment. Currents are strongest in the Sound's eastern end, but tidal ranges are three to five feet greater in the western end. Erosion and transport by tidal currents is especially important in salt marshes and mud flats, as they are generally protected by headlands or barrier beaches from the erosive power of wind and waves.

In many places along Connecticut's Coast, tidal currents have been employed to turn millstones. Because of the influence of a drowned coastline, there are few waterfalls or rapids near the Coast where communities could establish a mill, tapping the Earth's gravity to grind their grist. But out in the marshes, there are many spots where tidal currents come swooshing through tight channels. The early colonists utilized this form of water power with special tide-mills. In the late 18th century, techniques were developed for running tide-mills off both incoming and outgoing currents, greatly increasing the popularity and efficiency of these set-ups. By building tide-mills, the coastal communities let the sun and the moon - instead of the Earth - grind their corn.

Winds, waves, and tides don't do all the daily work of cultivating beaches and salt marshes. Vegetation, primarily grasses, secures their efforts into some permanence in the natural order. The tough, thick root systems of cattails, beach grass, reed grass, and salt-water cordgrass hold onto and stabilize newly deposited sediment. Otherwise, new additions might soon be lost by the next change of tide or wind direction.

Grasses are especially important for stabilizing the dunes at the crest of a beach. Unfortunately, careless feet and off-road vehicles often tread on the dune grass and kill it. Once the grass is gone, nothing is left to hold the dunes, and they soon disappear. With the dunes gone, the complex dynamics of a beach are upset, often leading to erosion. Dunes are natural seawalls that help turn back high storm waves and prevent flooding of the shoreline. Destruction of dune grass may thus lead to increased storm damage to boats, homes, and roads on the mainland.

Another process that keeps Connecticut's Coast moving is the continued rise of sea level. This is probably the most difficult process to observe in the coastal battle of the elements, and perhaps the most

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