Government Contact List

However, we know that stress placed on our elected officials by other disaster areas in need
and pressing national and world events could put

For that reason we strongly urge our members and the general public
to write,
e-mail,
or call
our elected officials
to keep them apprised of our dire situation.

The more letters and e-mails these officials receive highlighting issues that put our shoreline in peril, the better.

We need to safeguard our shores for all Long Islanders and for future generations.
With federal and state budgets already stretched thin, we must join together
and make sure saving our beaches stays at the forefront of our elected officials’ minds.

For your convenience, we have provided a short letter on Beach Erosion
which you can copy, cut, and paste, all or any part, into an email document.

Suggested Subject Lines:

Funds Needed for Beach Replenishment
Dredging & Replenishment Urgently Needed
Costal Erosion Needs Your Attention
Help Us Safeguard Our Shoreline
Our Beaches are in Danger

The Nor’easter of April 2007 caused enormous damage to the barrier beaches along Long Island’s south shore. Another coastal hurricane or major storm could easily wipe out our beautiful barrier beaches. For the 2.8 million people who live on Long Island, our beaches provide priceless relaxation and recreation.

Our Babylon Barrier Beaches are in dire jeopardy. I urge you to support funding for the dredging and replenishment of these ocean beaches now.

The coastal barrier beaches not only offer leisure resources, they also provide a protective buffer for the mainland of Long Island. Additionally, it has been calculated that Ocean Parkway handles 22,000 commuters (each way) daily. Putting those cars onto the State Parkways would cause severe congestion for Long Island drivers.

Lastly, dredging Fire Island Inlet for the beach replenishment is vital in order to keep our waterways clear for commercial and pleasure boats, as well as the U.S. Coast Guard.

Beach replenishment is a critical issue for all residents of the south shore of Long Island. I urge you to make replenishment a priority before it is too late.

Our barrier beaches are a critical habitat for many birds and other species, some of which are listed as “Threatened” or “Endangered”. In the nor’easter of April 2007 all of the piping plover eggs on the Babylon Barrier Beaches were washed away.

The secondary dunes all along the beaches were destroyed, flushing out and drowning burrowing mammals, reptiles, and crustaceans. Dune stabilizing plants were just taken away with each succeeding wave. Our beaches need to be replenished as soon as possible

The nor’easter caused severe flooding of the Great South Bay salt meadows and disrupted or destroyed the nests and burrows of countless shore birds, water fowl, and various other small animals. This flooding condition lasted for several days after the storm.

This is because the Fire Island Inlet has become clogged with the sand trapped along the normal east to west littoral drift. When excessive water rushes into the bay with extraordinarily high tides and excessive rain, it doesn’t flow back out to sea as quickly because of the accretion of sand. The result is extensive flooding of the salt marsh meadows, the bay islands, and residential properties all along the shores of the bay.

Because the bi-annual Fire Island Inlet dredging and westward beach replenishment program was stalled, critical habitats were severely disturbed by a single storm.

I urge you to support a program to dredge Fire Island Inlet and replenish the State and Town beaches west of the Inlet this fall before another storm can wreak more havoc on our fragile environment.

ISSUES TO MENTION If You Compose Your Own Copy

1.) Erosion and storm damage to the barrier beach ocean front is substantial.
Another coastal hurricane or storm could wipe out beaches in the Gilgo State Park
and the Town of Babylon beaches at Gilgo and West Gilgo, as well as the Town of Oyster Bay Beach at Tobay Beach.

These reducing beaches are the primary habitats for shore birds, some of which are listed as “threatened” and/or “endangered”.
The spring nor’easter already wiped out shore bird nests that were on the Gilgo area beaches.
Other animal species and plant varieties inhabit the beaches which have become drastically diminished.

2.) Our ocean beaches are key recreational locations for Long Islanders.
If they have to be closed due to erosion it would have a big impact on the Town of Babylon residents who,
at times of high gas prices, prefer to use their local Town Beaches rather than travel afar.

3.) The coastal barrier beaches are a protective buffer for the mainland of Long Island.

It is speculated that, if the barrier is breached, flooding would occur as far north as Sunrise Highway.
There is an infrastructure currently in place and heavily used which would cost many millions of dollars to repair or replace.
The highways, bridges, beach parking areas, etc. have been in place for many decades and Long Islanders rely on them.

It has been calculated that Ocean Parkway handles 22,000 commuters daily.
Putting those cars onto the State Parkways would cause even more severe congestion for Long Island drivers.

4.) In the past, the sand for beach replenishment has come from dredging the Fire Island Inlet.
Keeping the inlet unclogged and clear is important because it is critical for many commercial and pleasure boats,
as well as the US Coast Guard.

Additionally, when the inlet gets clogged with the sand that gets trapped along the east to west littoral drift,
it interrupts the normal flow of water out of the Great South Bay.

High water trapped in the Great South Bay causes flooding all along the south shore mainland communities.
As bay tides have become higher many, many of the older homes in the southern areas of the Town of Babylon
are regularly flooded whenever there is a weather event which produces heavy rain.

5.) Dredging the Fire Island Inlet and replenishing the sand on the ocean beaches westward
must be done this coming fall and winter.

A large hurricane or a big winter storm could devastate the South Shore
and end up costing many times over what dredging and pumping in 2007-08 will cost

Save the Beaches encourages you to e-mail or write your local and state officials
about issues that impact the future of our beautiful beaches.

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