You already know what we are facing—after the hottest year on record in the US since we started recording temps in 1880; forest fires, floods, droughts, the impact of rising temperatures on our forests, agriculture, oceans and marine life; the complexity of contaminants in our drinking water and bays, and in the air; the increased diseases attacking species of trees, and the collapse of birds, insects and native bees. We could go on and on, but we sense you know at least some of this existential crisis we are facing. SO WHAT CAN WE DO LOCALLY? This is the question
A nationwide campaign to stop billions of unused straw, utensils, napkins, condiment packets, and other accessories that are routinely included take-out and delivery orders. Surfrider Foundation of Eastern Long Island Chapter is attending a public meeting on December 15th at 10:30AM at LTV Studios: 75 Industrial Road, Wainscott. The public is invited to attend and speak. Plastic is a serious problem globally, but we can help to minimize plastic items that are found on our beaches, landscapes, waterways, and sadly, in marine animals. Restaurants are urged to ask customers if they need utensils before providing them for take-out purchases. Your
East Hampton Town Trustee and member of the Board of Trustees of the Life-Saving Station, David Cataletto, will be on hand to help with the First Annual Christmas Tree-Lighting. The local Kiwanis organization and the Coast Guard Station are working together to provide a festive event for all in our community – there will be FREE hot cider, cookies, joyful holiday music, and children’s arts and crafts. The Kiwanis Club of East Hampton would welcome and greatly appreciate donations of any new and unwrapped gifts for “Toys for Tots”. The donated gift(s) Kiwanis will be given to children in need
Block Island wind turbines as seen from the beach in Montauk. Photo: Jane Bimson “Change is hard but essential if East Hampton Town and the wider world are going to mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change, officials of the Nature Conservancy said this week in the wake of the United States government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment, issued last week. Coastal retreat is inevitable, said Alison Branco, the Nature Conservancy’s director of climate adaptation, and people will have to become accustomed to seeing energy-generation sites, said Jess Ottney, the group’s New York director of policy and strategy, though
Photo courtesy of Long Island Power Authority (LIPA) “Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on Monday the completed installation of the first of 12 turbines for the South Fork Wind farm, which will be the first completed utility-scale wind farm in the United States in federal waters. When completed, the 130-megawatt wind farm, situated in a federal lease area around 35 miles off Montauk, will generate electricity sufficient to power approximately 70,000 average-size houses, eliminating up to six million tons of carbon emissions, or the equivalent of taking 60,000 cars off the road annually over a 25-year period, according to the wind
MONTAUK, NY — A new day dawned this week, representing a milestone in the quest for renewable energy, as the first offshore wind turbine for South Fork Wind was installed off the coast of Montauk. All 12 turbines are expected to be installed by the end of 2023 or early 2024. Read the full article here: Patch.com
UPDATE: The Trustees have left the Public Comment period open until 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 27, 2023 for anyone wishing to submit a written comment. You may email your comments to trustees@ehamptonny.gov. If you prefer to use USPS, please mail them to P.O. Box 7073 Amagansett, NY 11930. The Trustees have spent the past two years inspecting and creating an updated inventory of the docks in Trustee jurisdiction. As a result of these inspections, the Trustees have identified several potential policy considerations aimed at streamlining processes and creating a singular cohesive policy for the siting, approval and annual regulations of
Dock on Three Mile Harbor “Five people spoke during the East Hampton Town Trustees’ public hearing on Monday regarding whether the body will permanently prohibit new docks in Three Mile Harbor, where docks are not prohibited now on its eastern shore, and enact other changes to its dock policy.” Full article by Christopher Walsh: The East Hampton Star
Group says NOAA must strengthen safeguards and improve enforcement to save this species from extinction Photo – Center for Biological Diversity Oceana released a new report finding that most boats are speeding through slow zones designed to protect critically endangered North Atlantic right whales, of which only around 340 remain. Oceana analyzed boat speeds from November 2020 through July 2022 in slow zones established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) along the U.S. East Coast and found that 84% of boats sped through mandatory slow zones, and 82% of boats sped through voluntary slow zones. This report, which provides an
Every Fall we rake our leaves away to reveal the green lawn we’ve pampered during the Spring and Summer seasons- all the fallen leaves of yellow, orange, and brown are actually not “dead” leaves, but filled with organic nutrients that return to the soil making it a rich organic fertilizer! Local landscapers are reporting more homeowners are opting out of blowing leaves off their properties – and that’s a positive move in the right direction for the environment in a multitude of ways. Fall leaves in East Hampton October 2023. Photo Susan McGraw-Keber. “Leaves form a natural mulch that helps
Dock Surveys Underway The East Hampton Town Trustees heard recommendations from a subcommittee charged with formulating an updated policy on docks on Monday, following an inventory of structures in waterways under their jurisdiction initiated almost two years ago. Although formal language is yet to be drafted, the recommendations and subsequent discussion confirmed their understanding that there are noncompliant structures in trustee waters that will have to be brought into compliance or removed, and that in some instances previously issued permits could be revoked. Read the full article by Christopher Walsh here: The East hampton star
Please be advised, the Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the Town of East Hampton will hold a public hearing on Nov. 13, 2023 at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall to hear public comments regarding extension of the prohibition on the construction of new docks in the currently unprohibited portion of Three Mile Harbor. The Trustees will also hear public comment on potential policy changes regarding docks and annual agreements. Francis J. Bock, Clerk The Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the Town of East Hampton
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.
