The Breach from Sandy

[surfstix1963]

Bellport, New York (PRWEB) March 28, 2013
A near-capacity audience, with individuals representing the scientific, environmental, commercial and residential communities all along The Great South Bay heard a compelling discussion on the breach at The Old Inlet in a gathering sponsored by SUNY Stonybrook?s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) on Saturday, March 23 at Bellport Middle School. Save The Great South Bay (STGSB) brought about a hundred attendees to the event out of the approximately 600 in all.

Saturday's discussion focused on the breach at The Old Inlet, which was reopened by Hurricane Sandy. Some politicians, most notably Senator Schumer and Suffolk County Executive Steven Bellone, have been calling for The Old Inlet to be closed, blaming it for the repeated flooding of various South Shore communities.

Here, an array of environmental groups, baymen, scientists, anglers, local residents and local officials, some of whom have been flooded out themselves, spoke out in favor of leaving the breach alone, presenting the data to show that the breach is in no way contributing to flooding, while noting the dramatic improvements in water clarity, oxygen and nitrogen levels, and a return of wildlife.

Saturday?s 2 1/2 hour discussion, keynoted by Dr. Charles Flagg of SoMAS, with presentations by Kevin McAllister or Peconic Bay Keeper and Joseph Gagliano, Chairman of The Bellport Village Waterfront Commission, laid out a compelling case. In the end, of the 600 attendees, only one spoke in favor of closing the breach, citing repeated flooding. As for the actual cause of the repeated flooding, the panel offered this sobering conclusion: It appears to be part of a much larger "sea change," one that extends from the Carolinas to Maine, and which appears to have its origins in global warming and its effects on sea ice, weather patterns, and ocean currents.

"As such", commented Marshall Brown of STGSB, a broad, large scale and long term plan needs to be implemented for all our coastal communities. Numerous issues have to be addressed -- habitat destruction, storm runoff, continued extreme weather, housing in areas that will become increasingly flood prone, as well as septic tank seepage, with nitrogenous waste already our ground water making its way inevitably into the bay.?

The local and state politicians who support closing the breach chose not to attend Saturday?s meeting, and were not represented by staff. In favor of leaving the breach alone and exercising their First Amendment rights were individuals from approximately 20 different organizations, including? but not limited to:
The Sea Run Brook Trout Coalition, Brookhaven Affiliated Civic Organization, The Nature Conservancy, Citizens Campaign for The Environment, Long Island Sound Lobsterman?s Association, Coastal Conservation Association, South Bay Cruising Club, Operation Splash, The Village of Bellport, Surfrider Foundation, Pattersquash Creek Civic Association
About STGSB:

STGSB, founded this August just prior to Sandy, is a new organization that in 2013 has gained thus far nearly 550 members. This spring and summer, it is planning several events to increase awareness of the bay?s plight, offering how people can get involved in the effort to restore the bay for their children and grandchildren. More information on the issues at hand can be found at http://www.savethegreatsouthbay.org and on Facebook athttp://www.facebook.com/groups/savethegreatsouthbay or at http://www.facebook.com/SaveTheGSB.
STGSB thanks Desktop Alert Inc. http://www.desktopalert.net with generous funding support in helping STGSB restore a healthy, vital Great South Bay.

[jigfreak]

Wow you guys have salinity studies and everything. At least someone over there is lighting a fire under the asses of the politicians. I don't know much about that great south bay so I don't know if my words make sense. sure do wish people over here would have fought the same way when the mantoloking bridge was breeched. We have needed a new inlet for years. Seems like you too. Hope you get it good luck

[buckethead]

Yeah but in jersey we have hundreds of millions in real estate along that corridor. Maybe that isn't the same for the fire island beaches and inlet. Isn't that a lot of sand dunes and scrub grasses surfstix? Isn't that near where the dead hookers were found?

[surfstix1963]

Further out east we have the big dollar A-Holes who get what they want.No the hookers were found well to the west of that we used to camp over that way every weekend when I had my truck camper with the LIBBA gang.This broke through on the Federal side it happened once before and they spent millions to close it to appease the public but the bay was never cleaner we could watch fluke wack a bucktail in 20 ft. of water then it returned to the sump it was until now.We will see what happens, the army corp should just build a jetty and stop wasting money on sand.What drives me crazy is if you build a house on the beach don't expect it to stay there Mother nature will take it eventually.I worked over there for many years and watched houses just fall into the water only to be rebuilt again power of money.

Yeah but in jersey we have hundreds of millions in real estate along that corridor. Maybe that isn't the same for the fire island beaches and inlet. Isn't that a lot of sand dunes and scrub grasses surfstix? Isn't that near where the dead hookers were found?