From 30,000 feet the shore looks to be all the same—130 miles of a very thin and vulnerable line of sand—and Long Beach Island is the poster child. A closer look reveals an intense, dense variety of buildings and human activity with a few preserved bits of land. Behind it are bays, estuaries, and marshes—essential nurseries for fish and habitats for shore birds. These 85 images are a variety of eye-catching and colorful scenes that await a willing photographer or painter.