What Needs Dredging?

    Diane McNally, clerk of the East Hampton Town trustees, reported at their meeting on Tuesday that the trustees were copied on a letter from Suffolk County to Supervisor Bill Wilkinson regarding the 2013-14 dredging season. The county, she said, seeks an up-to-date condition assessment of waterways affected by shoaling, including a map of soundings, by July 27.

    The trustees considered locations in several waterways, including Hog Creek, Napeague Bay, Accabonac Harbor, Three Mile Harbor, and Northwest Harbor. They will meet again before the deadline, by which time they will have prioritized waterways requiring dredging.

    Stephanie Forsberg, a trustee, delivered an aquaculture report, which she described as positive. “The good news is we don’t have any harmful algal blooms,” she said. “We’re looking actively. We don’t have anything of concern.”

    Waterways will be monitored for brown tide, she said, referring to the bloom of algae that nearly eliminated the bay scallop population from the Peconic Estuary in 1985. Soon, she said, given higher-than-average water temperatures, waterways will also be monitored for red tide, the harmful algal bloom that kills fish and makes shellfish dangerous to consume.

    Nat Miller, a trustee, had opened Tuesday’s meeting by thanking his colleagues for their support. In brief remarks, Mr. Miller, whose boat, fishing equipment, and truck have been vandalized in recent weeks, reaffirmed his commitment to the trustees’ stewardship of the town’s common lands.

    Over his lifetime, he said, “I watched commercial fishermen, contractors, homeowners just do what they want. The cheating, the poaching — it never worked. It was for greed, whether it was for five bucks or five million. It destroys the town. It got to me, to the point where I decided to run for trustee.”

    “I don’t believe we enforced or started any new things,” he said of his two years as a trustee. “We’ve tried to reinforce codes that have been on the books for 30 years, 40 years.” Mr. Miller considered quitting his post, he told his colleagues. “Ultimately, I had to provide for my family. I want to thank the board. I think the community thinks I’m doing a good job,” he said, to applause.