Earth Day 2018

Every April since 1970, many Americans have celebrated Earth Day. While the holiday does not have the buildup of Christmas or the whoop-de-doo of the Fourth of July, it has become tradition in many places to take a hike, clean up roadsides and wrack lines, or take part in other outdoor activities. Numerous local organizations have laid on events this year, among them the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton and the Nature Conservancy’s Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island.

No mention of nature on the eve of Earth Day would be complete without noting the hard work by members of the Southampton and East Hampton Trails Preservation Societies, as well as state, county, and town workers, who keep the trails mapped and accessible, assuring access to beaches and waterways, sometimes in the face of strong opposition from waterfront property owners. Important, too, are all the voters, who have consistently supported open space preservation for decades.

The East End is an outdoors lover’s paradise. This Earth Day, let’s all make a pledge to get out there and enjoy it — and to pick up a few pieces of litter as we do.