In May and June, motorists on the East End should be alert for turtles crossing the road. Turtles are long-lived and well-adapted to their natural environment. They can retreat to their shells for safety when predators threaten them. However, the turtle’s shell does not protect it from being struck by a car or truck while crossing roadways. In New York, thousands of turtles are killed each year when they are struck by vehicles as they migrate to their nesting areas, which is one primary reason New York’s turtle populations are declining. What You Can Do to Help Local Turtle Populations:
At the previous Trustee meeting, it was announced that this year’s annual “Largest Clam Contest” will be held on Sunday, October 5th, from Noon until 3 P.M. at the Amagansett Life-Saving Station on Atlantic Avenue. Although the Trustees had considered September, it’s already stacked with numerous events on the month’s Sundays, the traditional day for this contest. The most favorable tides for clam digging will be the week before October 5th. The Largest Clam contest is the Trustee’s traditional community event, complete with the popular clam chowder contest. Entries are for New England and Bonac recipes! Three judges will sample
Citizen scientists of East Hampton are invited to join the Trustees! The Trustees are gearing up for the annual horseshoe crab monitoring season, which will begin this month and continue through June. Beginning this weekend, the count of the mating horseshoes will occur during the evenings at high tide during the full and new Moons. Tagged horseshoe crab Photo Jim Grimes As in previous years, the program is sponsored by the State Department of Environmental Conservation, Stony Brook University, and Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Marine Program. “Citizen scientists” from the public are encouraged to participate throughout the 30 sites in the
NOTICE TO SHELLFISH HARVESTERS (DIGGERS) AND SHIPPERS **2025 Vibrio parahaemolyticus (Vp) CONTROLS, HARVEST, HANDLING, and OTHER TIME TO TEMPERATURE REQUIREMENTS** REMINDER THAT Vp CONTROL MEASURES FOR POSTHARVEST HANDLING AND IMMEDIATE COOLING OF OYSTERS AND HARD CLAMS, AS APPLICABLE, UNDER NEW YORK STATE DEC’S 2025 Vp CONTROL PLAN BEGIN ON MAY 1 ALL SHELLSTOCK MUST BE SHADED AT ALL TIMES FROM MAY 1 THROUGH OCTOBER 31 The control measures are intended to reduce the potential for postharvest growth of Vp in hard clams and oysters and risk of Vp illness to shellfish consumers due to consumption of shellfish harvested during the warmer weather months when Vp illnesses are
Kim Quarty- New Executive Director of Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation “We are very pleased to introduce you to our new Executive Director, Kim Quarty. Kim joins our team as a distinguished professional conservationist and has worked with the Peconic Land Trust since 2008, most recently as the Director of Conservation Planning. We are very excited to have someone of Kim’s caliber join our organization and hope you will be able to meet her soon.” The Trustees look forward to collaborating with Kim Quarty and Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation for annual improvements and maintenance necessary to ensure that the
Join Suffolk County Legislator Ann Welker, Surfrider, and SOFO at Long Beach Road with a bucket, gloves, and a smile! Time: 3:00 – 5:00PM Register at Volunteer.Surfrider.org – See the link below. https://x.gldn.io/e/gCWmLAoTDSb
The NYSDEC is alerting the public of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza / Photo: adobe stock With the increased incidence of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) across the country, the NYS DEC has been monitoring the occurrence and impact of this virus within New York State. The virus quickly spreads across populations and has the ability to infect mammalian species, such as dairy cattle, cats and other scavengers that may feed on infected animals. In light of this, the NYSDEC has launched an Avian Influenza Reporting Form where the public can report suspected avian mortalities directly to the agency. The public
On April 2nd, Dr. Christopher Gobler of Stony Brook University gave a report about our local waterways and how we can help during the changing climate conditions that have adversely impacted the conditions for marine and plant life. Record-breaking temperatures, dangerous bacteria and worsening water quality are all affecting Long Island’s bays, according to the latest annual “State of the Bays” lecture. The lecture highlighted several alarming developments, including a more than 60 percent rise in groundwater nitrogen levels since the late 20th century. This has contributed to a 90 percent decline in critical marine habitats, such as eelgrass and
Cornell Cooperative Extension- Marine Program will be conducting a bottom trawl survey throughout NY state waters from Smith Point Inlet to Montauk Point on approximately April 12-18, 2025 (See chart below). The East Hampton Town Trustees commissioned the study of fish migration near the proposed landing site of the South Fork Wind Farm Export Cable. The Cornell bottom trawl survey will be conducted to provide a consistent sampling of finfish and invertebrates in the affected area and an associated reference area. Survey data will be used to document fish populations, as well as to inform the environmental review process that
North Atlantic right whale vessel speed restrictions reduce the likelihood of lethal collisions between vessels and these endangered whales. A visualization illustrating the risk right whales face every day. It shows the migratory path of a 1-year-old right whale satellite-tagged off the Virginia/North Carolina coast in March 2021. Credit: NOAA Fisheries. Right Whale Migration in an Urban Ocean Endangered North Atlantic right whales are at heightened risk for vessel strikes because they spend a lot of time at or close to the water surface. Vessel strikes are a primary threat to the species. Right whales can be very difficult to
This year’s Montauk Friends of Erin Parade took place on March 30th. Joining in the parade were the East Hampton Town Trustees and students of the East Hampton Middle School, seen here with Trustee Ben Dollinger. The photo, taken by Trustee and Middle School teacher, David Cataletto, was joined by his students who are members of the Surfrider Club and the newly established “Do Good, Be Good Club” that helps our community by doing good deeds for our citizens! Along with the Trustees, former Southampton Town Trustee, now our Suffolk County Legislator, Ann Welker, joined in the fun by giving
During the regular meeting of the board held on Monday, March 24, 2025, the East Hampton Town Trustees passed a resolution accepting a proposal submitted by Seacoast Enterprises Associates, INC to manage the Transient Mooring Program in Three Mile Harbor from 2025 – 2029. The passed and adopted resolution can be found below. 2025 – 31 Resolution accepting Tranisent Mooring Prop.Download
Statement from Orsted Regarding Mooring System in Use
“As part of the fish monitoring study outlined in the SFW Fisheries Study Work Plan, the Stony Brook University team is conducting a regular visit to the sensor array off Wainscott today to collect data from sensors, replace batteries, and deploy new retrievable moorings alongside the previous moorings. As the Stony Brook team is deploying new moorings alongside the existing moorings there’s no change to the mariners briefing, our standard method for updating mariners on the presence of equipment in navigational waters. Members of the fisheries outreach team, in collaboration with the research team, have worked with the fishing community to select an alternative mooring, one that is smaller, lightweight and retrievable, and is more compatible with commercial fishing in response to the feedback we’ve received from the community on original deployment of cement moorings.”
Images of the mooring system and a diagram are shown below.
