Spring '08 Meeting of the Eastern Long Island Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation
Meeting Minutes
March 28, 2008 Meeting
Thirty Surfrider activists participated in the Autumn meeting of the Eastern Long Island Chapter of Surfrider Foundation on March 28, 2008. John Duck's Restaurant in Southampton provided the meeting site. (Shortly after the meeting John Duck's closed its doors for the last time after 75 years in business - John Duck's was a great local institution and supporters of Surfrider - we are all sorry to see them go.)
Chapter Co-Chair Tom Naro opened the meeting by introducing our guest speaker, Amber Sabrosky. Amber is a Biologist with The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation and is one of the leaders of the Marine Sea Turtle Rescue Program. The Rescue Program is the only program approved by NYS for the rescue of marine turtles and marine mammals.
Amber described the Rescue Program as well as the sea turtle and marine mammal database the Program maintains.
- The database provides valuable information regarding the movements of these animals, so even observations of healthy animals is important.
- She urged everyone to call the Program’s hotline (631-369-9829) whenever a sea turtle or seal is observed, whether the animal is in distress or not.
- In the event an animal is in distress, call the hotline and be prepared to describe the animal’s condition and location. A rescue team will be dispatched.
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Attendees asked several questions about the Program, volunteer opportunities, tours of the Riverhead facility and other topics.
Co-chair Mara Dias provided an up-date on our fund raising event for defraying the legal costs of defending the Montauk 8 (8 surfers who were issued tickets for surfing on the north side of Montauk Point).
The benefit concert at Stephen’s Talkhouse last November plus the sale of t-shirts created by Peter Spacek especially for this campaign generated approximately $3,000. (Someone indicated that they saw a Surfing is Not a Crime tee shirt in the Caribbean, this past winter!) Thanks to all the bands and volunteers who helped make the event a success.
Tom Naro reported that our Second Inter-scholastic Surf Games contest will be held at Ditch Plains on May 31. This is also the date for Barefoot Wines to kick off their Beach Rescue Project which will include a beach clean up at Ditch followed by a party at Second House Tavern in Montauk, where G. Love will perform. Barefoot Wines has been very helpful to the Chapter by donating $10,000 to our Move the Lighthouse campaign.
The Chapter is putting on a Respect the Beach Program on June 20 at Clayton Huey Elementary School in Center Moriches. Mara has spear-headed this initiative for several years. She was successful at convincing Gene Gentile, Duke Casper, and Thomas Muse to help with the program on June 20.
Tom Naro indicated that the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum’s Energy Fair is scheduled for July 12 and 13. The Chapter will have an information table at the fair. Mick Hargreaves will staff the table and is looking for additional volunteers for the event.
Tom also solicited additional volunteers for the telephone tree that is utilized prior to Chapter meetings to get the word out about the meeting.
Vin Zorbo briefed the Chapter on emerging plans for the Army Corps of Engineers to pump beach fill onto beaches in Westhampton. Vin indicated that historically, beach fill is comprised of sand that is a different texture & usually contains more dirt than the sand on the beaches to which the beach fill is pumped. He urged the Chapter to work with him to oppose the beach fill effort. Chapter members voted to support Vin in his effort. Vin will organize a committee to oppose the Army Corps plans.
Mara provided an up-date on the decision process regarding the Broadwater LNG facility. Since the Chapter meeting, we were happy to report that our new Governor David Paterson has taken a firm position in opposition to the Broadwater project. This is an important victory for all environmental organizations that have worked long and hard in opposition to the Broadwater project!
Mara also reported that the East Hampton Coastal Legislation has been approved by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and is now law. The Chapter was at the forefront of pressing the Town of East Hampton to adopt very aggressive coastal legislation. This is an important victory for our Chapter and other organizations that pressed hard for this legislation over the course of many years!
P. Claire Pertalion briefed the chapter on the status of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill. The bill has two important elements:
- It adds a 5 cent deposit to most non-carbonated beverage bottles, including plastic bottles.
- It funnels unclaimed deposits to a NYS environmental fund. Currently, unclaimed deposits accrue to the bottling companies.
Thomas Muse and Jay Levine provided an up-date on the chapter's Move the Lighthouse campaign.
- Thomas Muse met with EH Town Supervisor Bill McGintee to confirm his support for our position. McGintee’s chief concern is the deleterious impact the Army Corps’ construction project will have on Turtle Cove. That seems to be enough to put McGintee in our corner. Thomas indicated that he will write a letter to the EH Town Board in an effort to gain broader Town Board support for our position.
- Jay Levine reported on a series of meetings that he, Tom Naro and Chris Manthey had in Albany in February with Assemblyman Fred Thiele, Wint Aldrich, and Liz Gordon from the NYS Department of Parks and Historic Preservation. Aldrich is the deputy commissioner for Historic Preservation. The meeting was effective in that it disabused Aldrich of several false notions he had regarding the Army Corps’ proposed revetment. This meeting was part of the Chapter’s on-going political initiative focused on getting the Army Corps to give serious consideration to relocating the Lighthouse as an alternative to another seawall at Montauk Point.
Joe Giannini briefed the Chapter regarding the on-going legal battle to win dismissal of the 8 tickets issued to surfers who were surfing on the north side of Montauk Point. There have been a series of motions and counter-arguments. Joe continues to believe that we have a strong case, but perhaps an unsympathetic judge.
Eugene Alper reported on a meeting with Ron Foley, Director of the Long Island region for NYS State Parks. Eugene, Tom Naro and Joe Giannini met Foley and Tom Dess, the superintendent of the State Parks in Montauk, in January. While exploring Montauk Point State Park together, Alper, Naro and Giannini discussed the situation at the park with Foley and Dess and asked Foley to open the park up to surfing. Foley seemed interested in hearing all sides of the story, but to date, there has been no movement to create a surfing policy other than “No Surfing” at Montauk Point.
Tom Naro closed the meeting by thanking all who attended the meeting and reminded everyone to check the chapter's website www.surfriderli.org frequently for the latest information on chapter affairs.
A date and location for our next meeting will be set shortly.
Spring '08 Meeting of the Eastern Long Island Chapter of the Surfrider Foundation
Meeting Minutes March 28, 2008 Meeting Thirty Surfrider activists participated in the Autumn meeting of the Eastern Long Island Chapter of Surfrider Foundation on March 28, 2008. John Duck's Restaurant in Southampton provided the meeting site. (Shortly after the meeting John Duck's closed its doors for the last time after 75 years in business - John Duck's was a great local institution and supporters of Surfrider - we are all sorry to see them go.) Chapter Co-Chair Tom Naro opened the meeting by introducing our guest speaker, Amber Sabrosky. Amber is a Biologist with The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Preservation and is one of the leaders of the Marine Sea Turtle Rescue Program. The Rescue Program is the only program approved by NYS for the rescue of marine turtles and marine mammals. Amber described the Rescue Program as well as the sea turtle and marine mammal database the Program maintains.
Co-chair Mara Dias provided an up-date on our fund raising event for defraying the legal costs of defending the Montauk 8 (8 surfers who were issued tickets for surfing on the north side of Montauk Point). The benefit concert at Stephen’s Talkhouse last November plus the sale of t-shirts created by Peter Spacek especially for this campaign generated approximately $3,000. (Someone indicated that they saw a Surfing is Not a Crime tee shirt in the Caribbean, this past winter!) Thanks to all the bands and volunteers who helped make the event a success. Tom Naro reported that our Second Inter-scholastic Surf Games contest will be held at Ditch Plains on May 31. This is also the date for Barefoot Wines to kick off their Beach Rescue Project which will include a beach clean up at Ditch followed by a party at Second House Tavern in Montauk, where G. Love will perform. Barefoot Wines has been very helpful to the Chapter by donating $10,000 to our Move the Lighthouse campaign. The Chapter is putting on a Respect the Beach Program on June 20 at Clayton Huey Elementary School in Center Moriches. Mara has spear-headed this initiative for several years. She was successful at convincing Gene Gentile, Duke Casper, and Thomas Muse to help with the program on June 20. Tom Naro indicated that the Sag Harbor Whaling Museum’s Energy Fair is scheduled for July 12 and 13. The Chapter will have an information table at the fair. Mick Hargreaves will staff the table and is looking for additional volunteers for the event. Tom also solicited additional volunteers for the telephone tree that is utilized prior to Chapter meetings to get the word out about the meeting. Vin Zorbo briefed the Chapter on emerging plans for the Army Corps of Engineers to pump beach fill onto beaches in Westhampton. Vin indicated that historically, beach fill is comprised of sand that is a different texture & usually contains more dirt than the sand on the beaches to which the beach fill is pumped. He urged the Chapter to work with him to oppose the beach fill effort. Chapter members voted to support Vin in his effort. Vin will organize a committee to oppose the Army Corps plans. Mara provided an up-date on the decision process regarding the Broadwater LNG facility. Since the Chapter meeting, we were happy to report that our new Governor David Paterson has taken a firm position in opposition to the Broadwater project. This is an important victory for all environmental organizations that have worked long and hard in opposition to the Broadwater project! Mara also reported that the East Hampton Coastal Legislation has been approved by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation and is now law. The Chapter was at the forefront of pressing the Town of East Hampton to adopt very aggressive coastal legislation. This is an important victory for our Chapter and other organizations that pressed hard for this legislation over the course of many years! P. Claire Pertalion briefed the chapter on the status of the Bigger Better Bottle Bill. The bill has two important elements:
Thomas Muse and Jay Levine provided an up-date on the chapter's Move the Lighthouse campaign.
Joe Giannini briefed the Chapter regarding the on-going legal battle to win dismissal of the 8 tickets issued to surfers who were surfing on the north side of Montauk Point. There have been a series of motions and counter-arguments. Joe continues to believe that we have a strong case, but perhaps an unsympathetic judge. Eugene Alper reported on a meeting with Ron Foley, Director of the Long Island region for NYS State Parks. Eugene, Tom Naro and Joe Giannini met Foley and Tom Dess, the superintendent of the State Parks in Montauk, in January. While exploring Montauk Point State Park together, Alper, Naro and Giannini discussed the situation at the park with Foley and Dess and asked Foley to open the park up to surfing. Foley seemed interested in hearing all sides of the story, but to date, there has been no movement to create a surfing policy other than “No Surfing” at Montauk Point. Tom Naro closed the meeting by thanking all who attended the meeting and reminded everyone to check the chapter's website www.surfriderli.org frequently for the latest information on chapter affairs. A date and location for our next meeting will be set shortly. |
