Letters to the Editor: Truck Beach 06.23.16

Traditions Are Outdated?

East Hampton

June 13, 2016

Dear David,

In the April 20 copy of that other East Hampton newspaper, on page B4, near the top of the third paragraph, Ms. Cindi Crain is quoted in the story: “Times have changed,” said Crain. “The way Grandpa Joe enjoyed the beach has no bearing now.”

Wrong, Ms. Crain, your statement is exactly why the locals here, many of whom depend on tourism and second-home owners for their livelihood, are up in arms about the continued influx of new people who do nothing but try to change the way things are. 

I know of what I speak, I am a 32-year transplant myself. I moved to Montauk with my wife and 5-month-old daughter from Queens. We were looking to start a new life here; we did. It was hard at first and after having our second child became harder still, but through hard work we were able to stay. We were able to buy a home in East Hampton and settle down and raise our kids. I have never regretted that decision from that day to this. This town and its people are so generous and open to people who offer something and contribute to the town they love, but are critical of those who do not.

The main difference between us is I moved here to live, to offer something of myself, and take a little of what this town has to offer in return — a different way of life, an unhurried pace, and a way of looking at something. You, by your words and actions, want to change that way of life. The traditions and the old ways that make this town one of the undeniable gems of the Eastern Seaboard are outdated? You couldn’t be more wrong.

I feel sorry for you; you will never know what it’s like to live here. You are only a person passing through. Say what you have to say and be gone from here. The town and its many thousands of locals will be better off without you. 

Best to you, David,

TONY GANGA

Environmental Facts

Amagansett

June 14, 2016

Dear David:

The Town of East Hampton has made it clear that the condemnation of Truck Beach and another 1,500 feet of beach to the east of Napeague State Park will perpetuate S.U.V. use on our beaches. But let’s look at the environmental facts of that activity:

Prior to the 1991 beach-driving regulations being enacted, the town obtained a negative declaration under the state’s Environmental Quality Review Act, be ause it claimed no environmental impact would occur from S.U.V. use on the beach. 

A mere eight years later, in 1999 — following a multi-agency collaboration and 30 public hearings — the town released its Local Waterfront Revitalization Program, its bible of management of East Hampton’s shorelines that is still the standardbearer today. The L.W.R.P. stated that:

“Off road vehicles have damaged features or prevented regrowth of the fragile vegetation which stabilizes the dynamic dune system.” (Flooding & Erosion Policies, V-75)

O.R.V. use has “decimated” and “destabilized a dune, causing a blowout that allows floodwaters to enter behind the dune into the Marine Boulevard area.” (Flooding & Erosion Policies, V-76; Public Access, VII-53)

“In Napeague intensive O.R.V. beach traffic from Marine Boulevard east into Napeague State Park has impaired the beach ecology by damaging vegetation, decreasing nesting habitat and compacting wrack forage for shorebirds. Beach grass growth is retarded by O.R.V. traffic, reducing the stability of the beach in storm conditions and its ability to recover from storm erosion. Excessive traffic has expanded the dune opening at the Marine Boulevard O.R.V. access, forming a flood corridor into the back dune residential area.” (Public Access, VII-54)

“Along Napeague Beach on the Atlantic shoreline, a complete 24-hour closure [to O.R.V.s] is recommended.” (Public Access, VII-66)

The primary dune [at the access point at Marine Boulevard] should be restored. (Flooding & Erosion Policies, V-108) 

The final 2007 L.W.R.P. stated that “the conditions, issues, and opportunities identified in the 1999 draft L.W.R.P. remain relevant and appropriate today.” 

Since 2007, not only was the Napeague beach not closed to vehicles, but instead nearly 20,000 additional beach driving permits have been issued — the burden of which falls on the compromised Napeague Beach, where no amount of dune or beach restoration has been allowed.

On June 7, the town received a positive SEQRA declaration and, remarkably, appeared to be stunned by it. The gentleman of AKRF Inc., the town’s environmental consultant, who presented his environmental findings, stated that “it will be important to discuss the conformance of the [condemnation] action with the L.W.R.P. . . . The [condemnation] project [has] the potential to result in one or more significant adverse environmental impacts. . . . There is the potential for cumulative impacts [from] long-term continuation of the same [activities, such as beach driving] with regard to threatened species, dunes, grasses as well as other environmental effects.” 

To restate, the L.W.R.P. called for a complete cessation of driving on the beach in Napeague, and the town turned a blind eye and continued to pummel the beach and dunes with S.U.V.s. For the town to be selectively aggressively enforcing the L.W.R.P. in some areas such as Montauk and defying the L.W.R.P. in others defies the entire point behind the treatise, which is backed by the state and federal governments. And forget about the cost of compensating the owners of the beach in a condemnation action; to pursue condemnation for a beach that has already been tragically destroyed by S.U.V. use only for the purpose of continuing S.U.V. use there for eternity would leave East Hampton environmentally bankrupt.

CINDI CRAIN

Safe Access for Everyone

Privatizing the Beach

East Hampton

June 20, 2016

Dear David,

On behalf of the board of Citizens for Access Rights, its members and supporters, and anyone who enjoys East Hampton’s beaches and the rights and traditions that come with public access and ownership, I would like to say a special thank-you to all of those who took time out of their busy schedules to testify at the State Supreme Court in Riverhead. As we on the East End are well aware, it is a busy time of year for everyone, and your time and effort have not gone unnoticed. Everyone who enjoys the beaches in East Hampton and all they have to offer owe you a debt of gratitude. 

It is vital that anyone who enjoys East Hampton’s beaches gets involved with the fight to protect public access and ownership and the rights and traditions associated with public access before it is too late. The beach you enjoy may not be threatened at the moment, but if the plaintiffs in the Seaview and White Sands lawsuits are successful, you can bet that others will be lining up to file lawsuits privatizing the beach or dictating its use. CfAR urges everyone to get involved before it is too late.

See you on the beach (at least for now),

TIM TAYLOR

President, CfAR

Shepherds of the Beach

East Hampton

June 20, 2016

To the Editor:

When I moved here in 1982, the first thing that I did was to buy a four-by-four to fish and enjoy family time on what has now become known as Truck Beach.

During the intervening years I have never witnessed any child or adult in danger. What I have observed are many locals who take special care of the beach and the environment. Compare the trash left behind on the “public beaches” even with trash cans, and you will see how spotless Truck Beach is. What is brought in is carried out, sans trash cans. Truck Beach attendees are basically the shepherds of the beach there, and take great pride in doing so.

It would be travesty if the homeowners trying to secure the beach for themselves were to prevail. Unfortunately, it would be just another local tradition and right lost to the 1-percenters, who are here for three months.

BRUCE N. STEVENS

Preserve Beach Access

East Hampton

June 20, 2016

Dear David,

 I was very disappointed by the position taken in The Star’s June 16 editorial “Beach Driving at Risk in Truck Beach Stance.” With your conclusion that “unfortunately, town officials, eager to capitulate to the four-wheelers, may be setting themselves up for an even greater loss — one that ultimately brings an end to the hard-fought, 350-plus years of public use of the beaches for such purposes as surfcasting and commercial fishing . . . running the risk of losing the whole thing,” you appear to be taking sides against doing everything possible to preserve beach access. With the court case concluding and possible beach condemnation on the horizon, we should applaud both the town board and the trustees for their efforts to preserve the public’s free beach access.

 I’d like to remind you of the prophetic words of a previous member of the Star family, the late Jeannette Edwards Rattray, who wrote this in support of the East Hampton Trustees (paraphrased here): “Without the vigilance of East Hampton Trustees to look out for the public’s waterfront rights, no beaches might be left today where the East Hampton public might go without encountering a No Trespassing sign.” 

We are first and foremost a beach community, and beach driving is an intrinsic part of the culture here. Beach activities, including beach driving, in addition to being time-honored traditions, are also the reason that thousands of people flock to our community to live and visit. Our beaches generate millions of dollars’ worth of real estate and tourist revenues for our town. Sadly, some of the very people who are attracted to our way of life and buy into our community are the same ones who want to change the rules once they’re here. 

You are right in stating “Leadership is needed now to guide the battle over Truck Beach, and other . . . stretches like at Three Mile Harbor.” But your calling these stretches “abused” is offensive. We need leadership not just from government but also from our local media, to protect, not give away, citizens’ right to free beach access. Right now the issue is beach driving, but it can’t be stated strongly enough that caving in on this issue sets the most dangerous of prece ents, because after driv­ing, the next issue might be the freedom to simply walk on our beaches.

 Public-access decisions should not and cannot be dictated by a small, elite group of homeowners with the funds to indiscriminately bring lawsuits against the town. Your editorial is effectively saying that anyone who has the nastiness and deep pockets to sue our government should be given carte blanche to set beach-access policies. You admonish local officials not to “dig in” but to look the other way, throwing the public’s long-held traditions under the bus. You mistakenly maintain that crowds have grown so large, we’ve run out of space to accommodate four-wheeling. Why not apply the same silly logic to our overcrowded roads that often deliver these smug plaintiffs to our town? Should we ban all automobiles on crowded roadways because an accident might occur? Accidents occur on our roads all the time, yet we still welcome tourists. Conversely, no four-wheel accidents on Truck Beach have ever been reported.

 You suggest the public find an area that “is not plunked in front of other residents’ houses” for beach driving and all-day access. There are homes all along the coastline, so this is not a solution. There have been beachfront homes for decades, but only now has a certain class of homeowners chosen to upset the balance that has always existed between the locals and those “from away.” I’m guessing that if the late Rusty Drumm, long a journalistic voice for the common folk, is looking down right now on current events, he would not be pleased with threats against the rights and well-being of the “bubs” and local beachgoers.

 The beachfront homeowners now bringing lawsuits should have done their due diligence before they purchased their homes overlooking sands that have been used by East Hampton citizens for centuries for recreational purposes. Perhaps the town should find a way, going forward, to legally inform new purchasers of waterfront properties that the beaches belong to the public!

 A large and diverse group of East Hampton citizens, including second-home owners, are working hard to keep beach access free for all. We would prefer our newspaper of record to have our back, rather than sticking the knife in it.

JAY BLATT

Family-Friendly

East Hampton

June 20, 2016

Dear Editor,

I am writing to you to express my sincere sadness that the issue of beach driving on Napeague Beach has even been brought to a trial. The fact that a select few want to take away such a valued tradition to so many families who work so hard in this town year round is so upsetting. 

I admit because of the business my family is in and the lack of days off we get as a family in the summer, we do not get to enjoy Truck Beach as much as we would like, but what I can tell you is some of our family’s favorite memories are from the days when we do make it down there. We arrive early with our children and meet up with friends and enjoy the serenity and feeling of community that we all long for. We get to watch older children be mentors to our younger children, teaching them how to paddleboard or the newest beach game. We catch up with friends we may not have seen in a while because of the work schedules we all keep. It may only be one day a week or maybe even every other week, but that one day off spent on that beach gives us the refuel we need to keep going.

I am also deeply insulted that the homeowners say we are putting our children in danger. I can assure you, as there is nothing more important to me than my kids, I would never put them in a dangerous situation. Driving onto Napeague and enjoying a day with family and friends who all look out for each other is not dangerous. What is dangerous is how recklessly people drive down my street all summer long, so much so that I cannot let my children ride a bike or even walk next door to a friend’s house. I understand the dangers and therefore have put rules into place to keep them safe. I am not trying to bring anyone to trial to ban public driving down my street so that my children can enjoy it for themselves. 

The thought that the tradition of driv­ing onto Napeague Beach may be taken away from so many families now and in the future is deeply unsettling. I hope that this lifelong family-friendly tradition is not taken away from us, and generations to come will continue to enjoy this as have the generations in the past. 

NICOLE and 

DAMIEN O’DONNELL