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CAMPAIGNS
The Group for the East End is your local environmental watchdog from Eastport to Montauk and across Shelter Island. Our team of environmental planners and advocates works to pass broad-based legislation (such as the local 2% real estate transfer tax called The Community Preservation Fund) and smaller initiatives (such as rebates for retiring old underground fuel tanks). We also collaborate with civic groups to protect valuable East End resources, such as the Tuckahoe Woods. At times, we ask our supporters to write letters about important environmental issues to our elected officials. These letter-writing campaigns can be found on our Action Alert page. What is common in all of our campaigns is the protection of the key resources that keep the East End of Long Island from becoming just "Anyplace, USA." |
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Living At
Peace With Nature
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 STOPPING FOREST FRAGMENTATION Habitat loss is the most significant reason for species decline around the world and on Long Island. Development on Long Island has made it difficult for many animals to survive as undeveloped lands are chopped up (fragmented) into isolated "islands" of habitat. On Long Island there are at least 20 species of birds that require large forest blocks for survival. Without open space protection, many of these "area-sensitive" and "forest interior" species will continue to decline and may vanish from Long Island. Roads that cut through continuous habitats hurt animals that use both sides of the road as part of their home range or territory. Habitat fragmentation provides increased access for domestic pets, nest predators (species that take over or raid bird nests) and introduced "non-native" animals that decrease the chances of survival for area-sensitive and forest interior birds. Forests are more than just a stand of trees. These habitats contain several distinct but interrelated life zones. Natural forests on Long Island contain canopy trees (oaks, pines, hickory), understory trees (dogwood, shadbush) a shrub layer (huckleberry, blueberry, scrub oak) and a groundcover of leaf litter, including low-growing plants and a critical zone of decomposition that supports countless worms, insects, microbes and fungi that provide food for wildlife and release nutrients into forest soils. What You Can Do Don't rake up the forest floor. Leaves and brush here provide cover for box turtles, salamanders and ground birds, and provide food for many other species. Don't cut understory trees and shrubs, leaving just the mature trees behind. Set aside space on your property as a natural wildlife area. Connect such an area to existing natural areas and leave it alone. Confine clearing and human activities to central locations on your property. Where possible, leave dead trees standing, as they provide great habitat for many birds and small mammals. Educate yourself about invasive vines, such as barberry and bittersweet, which can overtake and kill native plants, shrubs and trees. Consider building a brush pile on your property, where you can place fallen and trimmed branches. These areas are significant to wildlife and keep useful natural materials out of landfills and incinerators. Vote for propositions and candidates that support land and habitat protection. Be concerned about forests in other parts of the country. Buy recycled paper products.  PROTECTING WETLANDS A wetland is an environment that is permanently flooded (pond) or seasonally flooded (kettle pond) or has saturated soils (marsh or swamp). Wetlands are among the most productive natural systems. Nearly 50% of Long Island's wetlands have been lost to filling and development. Wetlands regulations have slowed but not stopped the destruction of wetlands. Wetlands provide significant year-round habitat for resident and migratory shellfish, fin fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals. Wetlands are natural filters that protect ponds, lakes, bays and harbors from the pollution contained in storm water runoff. Wetlands vegetation can utilize the nutrients found in storm water runoff and protect surface waters from the effects of excessive nutrients. The "ditching" of many local wetlands for mosquito control has damaged wetlands and altered the natural habitat. Wetlands provide flood protection by collecting and storing storm water, and slowly releasing this water back into the surrounding environment over time. Wetlands protect upland areas from the impacts of erosion by absorbing the force of wind and wave energy that would otherwise scour more sandy upland soils. What You Can Do If you live next to a wetland, create a large buffer of natural vegetation between your home, landscaping, clearing, etc. and the wetland itself. Reduce your use of fertilizers and pesticides that can find their way into wetlands. Minimize pathways, clearings and access points to the shoreline. If you are considering a dock, build it to the smallest dimensions to prevent shading and disturbance of wetland vegetation. Don't fill wetlands. If you see a wetlands being filled, report it to: New York DEC at 877-457-5680 NY Marine Habitat Protection: 631-444-0295 New York Tip Line: 1-800-TIPP DEC Southampton: 631-287-5710 East Hampton: 631-324-0496 Shelter Island: 631-749-0772 Spend some time enjoying the beauty and diversity of wetland ecosystems. Contain the runoff from your property. Gutters should drain into drywells. Reduce runoff by minimizing the amount of paved surface on your property. Don't mow your wetlands. Encourage others to do the same.  KEEPING GROUNDWATER PURE The surface of Long Island was created 15,000 years ago by sediments left behind during the last ice age. Precipitation (rain and snow) remains the sole source of Long Island's drinking water, which is stored in saturated soil layers (called aquifers). Freshwater (groundwater) in the aquifers becomes salty and unusable as you go deeper beneath eastern Long Island. Long Island's shallowest freshwater reserves are on the East End. Development can, and has, contaminated groundwater with sewage, pesticides, fertilizers, toxic chemicals and salt (from over-pumping) - harming local surface waters and drinking water supplies. Between 1983 and 2002 there were nearly 450 toxic spills reported just in the town of East Hampton. Thousands of East End residents rely on private wells for their drinking water. Despite tremendous growth in the human population over the last decade, Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island Towns do not have formal groundwater management plans to assure the future protection of clean drinking water. What You Can Do Contact your local Town Board and ask that they develop a groundwater protection plan. For contact information, please see the government links section of this web site. If you have a private well, have it tested annually by the County Health Department (631-853-2251). NEVER dump oil, gas, pesticides or any other toxic products on the ground, in sewers, in water bodies or down the drain. Contact your Town Hall and find out when the next Stop Throwing Out Pollutants (STOP) day is scheduled so that the town can properly dispose of your toxic products. Reduce the use of fertilizers and pesticides on your property. Underground home fuel storage tanks can leak. If you have one, replace it (see below). REPLACE YOUR UNDERGROUND FUEL TANK Underground home fuel storage tanks can leak. You can help prevent a significant source of groundwater pollution by replacing your old underground heating oil tank with a new above-ground indoor tank. For information on getting a tank rebate contact: Southampton Town The Southampton Town Building Inspector at 631-287-5700 East Hampton Town The East Hampton Town Building Inspector at 631-324-4140 Suffolk County The Suffolk County Fuel Tank Rebate Program at 631-854-2519 New York State New York State may continue its Fuel Oil Storage Tank Credit on the New York State Income Tax Form. Check your tax forms or see http://www.tax.state.ny.us/ for details. For information about double walled above-ground oil tanks: This Old House http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/knowhow/heatingcooling/ article/0,16417,214872,00.html Roth Tanks http://www.roth-usa.com/usa/Pfueltank-c.html Granby Tanks http://www.granbytanks.com/usa/home.shtml Schütz Tanks http://www.schuetz.net/schuetz/en/energy_systems/ heating_oil_tank_systems/index.phtml For information about below-ground oil tanks: New York State Department of Environmental Conservation http://www.dec.state.ny.us/website/der/bulkstor/ publications/pr6hmown.html  LIMITING YOUR LAWN The U.S. has 20 million acres of residential lawns. For many Americans, their lawn is a source of pride and joy that they spend countless hours and large sums of money maintaining. Unfortunately, this love affair with the "perfect" lawn has some problematic side effects. Three million tons of fertilizers are applied to these lawns each year; a significant portion of this ends up contaminating groundwater, lakes, ponds and estuaries. Each year 40 million American lawnmowers are responsible for 5% of the nation's air pollution. U.S. municipalities use 30-60% of their annual fresh water supply to irrigate lawns. A New York State study of bird mortality found that 1 of 6 deaths was the result of exposure to pesticides and toxins used in lawn care. What You Can Do Minimize your lawn area or eliminate it completely and replace it with native grasses, shrubs or trees that require no fertilization, irrigation or pesticides. Establish your lawn by using a mixture of hardy grass seeds, including fescues. Wean your lawn of fertilizers. If you need to fertilize, do so only every 3-5 years and use slow-release organic fertilizer. Set the mower blade at 3 inches high to shade out dandelions and leave clippings on the lawn as natural fertilizer. Do not use chemical pesticides (including insecticides, weed killers and fungicides) or synthetic fertilizers. These will kill the beneficial organisms in the soil. If you employ a lawn care company, make sure you know what they are doing!  PROTECTING WILDLIFE During the spring and summer, many wildlife species are nesting or rearing young and are very vulnerable to disturbance. Female turtles seek open, sandy areas to dig nests and lay eggs; their search may lead them into roads and into the path of automobiles. (See What You Can Do below.) Recently fledged birds are learning to fly and may be found on the ground. Deer often leave their tiny, scentless fawns concealed in vegetation while they forage for food. If disturbed by noise, dogs, vehicles or pedestrians, nesting shorebirds (terns, plovers, black skimmers and oystercatchers) may temporarily abandon their nest, subjecting eggs and chicks to predation by gulls. What You Can Do If you are absolutely certain an animal is injured or orphaned, contact a trained wildlife rehabilitator for advice (Wildlife Rescue Center of the Hamptons 631-728-9453; Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Education 631-369-9829). Otherwise, leave wild animals alone. Avoid the temptation to keep young wildlife as pets. Be alert to wildlife when driving. Be careful of traffic before moving turtles off the road. Pick up the turtle by its shell and move it off the road, in the direction it was heading. Do not move turtles to other distant locations. Stay well clear of shorebird nesting areas; report unfenced shorebird nesting areas to your town government: East Hampton Town Natural Resources Department 631-324-0496; Southampton Town Trustees 631-283-6000; Shelter Island Highway Department 631-749-1090; North Fork 631-477-2368; Brookhaven/Riverhead NYSDEC 631-444-0305. |
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