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A Surfer’s Point of View...
Throwing Montauk Out with the Trash
by Debra Rose

Montauk is all about the water. Atlantic views along Old Montauk Highway. The Surfcasting epicenter, famous for seafood and restaurants on the water. World-class beach breaks and a surfer’s paradise. Home of Gosman’s Dock, Yacht Cubs and Marinas. Bone-white beaches, tranquil lakes, sprinkled with swimmers, kayaks, and children on boogie boards. The Historic Landmark of the Montauk Lighthouse overlooking majestic cliffs along the very tip of Long Island. And in recent months, notoriously known for beaches littered with garbage.

Montauk’s beaches are some of the most stunning in the world; pristine white sand sprawled beside rich hues of navy, sea-foam green water, precious waves and picturesque breaks along the coast. So why do we treat our home, the playground for children, and this little corner of our planet that we so enjoy and look forward to visiting, like a dumpster? Rubbish from fireworks, cans, bottles, plastic, cigarettes, tires, Styrofoam, cardboard tubes, rope, netting and miscellaneous debris washes up on our shores and collects in abundance along our beach every day. For a community that relies primarily on fishing, surfing and tourism, why wouldn’t we want a more beautiful beach, a safe environment, and a healthier marine population?

When we are not aware of our own impact on the environment, plants, animals, oceans and ultimately we, as a community, suffer. Would we want people to bring and dump garbage around our own house or apartment, on a daily basis? By disposing of trash properly before it even reaches the beach, we are already showing our commitment to and involvement in having respect for our ocean and shores. Burying beer cans after a bonfire, putting out a cigarette in the sand, leaving empty bags and food containers, are simply not acceptable. It is criminal. East Enders live for their coast and ocean, but when you arrive at the beach, we are finding a lot more than sand and surf. What if the pollution became so noxious that it necessitated our beaches to be closed for the summer?

Eight out of ten pieces of trash found on the beach come from land-based sources. Us. Plastic is one of the most prevalent, persistent and harmful materials that is destroying our beach community and killing our marine life. Animals ingest, and are entangled by, pieces of plastic that hamper their ability to swim, eat and breathe. By mistakenly consuming plastic materials believed to be food, animals die when plastic winds in and clogs their internal organs, prompting starvation. Toxins absorbed by plastic seeps into their reproductive tracts and blocks nutrients critical to survival. When litter and garbage eventually saturates our oceans, it becomes unsafe to swim in the water or walk on the beach. Pollutants in waters teeming with toxins impacts our own health and can cause anything from a sore throat to meningitis and gastro-intestinal problems. Shards of glass and slivers of metal can cause harmful cuts. And for a town so reliant on the livelihood of the fishing industry, toxic trash eventually harms the fish and shellfish caught that we buy in fish markets, order in restaurants, and grill at our cookouts.

Not picking up after our pets on the beach and on the street brings toxins to our beaches, oceans and to us. Oil on the street, lawn fertilizer in grass, and garbage scattered in our parking lots eventually drain into the water and settle on our beaches where we sit, swim, play and eat. How many brochures for beautiful Montauk feature hefty tallies of bacteria that cause rashes, and ear infections, or publicize the importance of being up-to-date on tetanus shots, vaccinations and taking vitamins to ward off contagious illnesses?

Raking the beach may seem like a desirable option, yet it is more harmful to our oceans and the beach. By uprooting natural vegetation, bird’s nests and sand dunes are disturbed. Roots below the surface of the sand responsible for reducing beach erosion are injured by beach raking, an urgent issue in Montauk and for our Lighthouse.
It is up to us. Before you toss something in the sewer or choose not to recycle that bottle, realize that by properly disposing of garbage and by trying to recycle waste can greatly affect our own well-being and the health of our water and beaches. If you have a six-pack, cut the plastic rings before you throw it in the garbage in case it does reach our ocean and entangles more animals. Surfrider Foundation sponsors Beach Clean-Ups all year, all over the country. Participate in one (www.surfrider.org). Wherever possible, use products with minimal packaging and buy alternative, recyclable materials. Most importantly, educate yourself and those around you. Teach your children at an early age to recycle, throw trash in the proper receptacles and to become involved with keeping our environment pure. Get involved. It is your beach, your children’s beach, and Montauk’s beaches that you will be saving.

For information for the Environmental Protection Agency: http://www.epa.gov/

For Earth 911: http://earth911.org Please email questions or comments to: themontauksun@yahoo.com

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