I have sent the following letter to Linda Albo. I encourage others to do the same.

<<Linda Albo
President
North Shore Beach Property Association of Rocky Point, NY
P.O. Box 601
Rocky Point NY 11778

Dear Ms. Albo:
As a citizen, taxpayer, fisherman, beachgoer and someone who grew up fishing the beaches of Rocky Point, I am disgusted and appalled by your organization’s stance on beach access for the general public and your recent comments on News 12. The North Shore Beach Property Association of Rocky Point may own the beach above the high tide mark, but they certainly do not own the beach below the high tide mark. The Public Trust Doctrine which was around long before the NSBPOA was established in 1928 and will be around long after the NSBPOA, gives the general public rights to access the beach below the high tide mark. This is in place to give all citizens access to the beach, just not a select few who live near the beach. Your stance that citizens who want legal access to their beaches can only get it by paying your private association $250 to join is appalling. We already have legal access to these beaches and you can’t legally stop anyone from using these beaches.

First of all, there is a zero percent chance of myself or anyone I know paying your organization $250 to access what is legally ours to begin with. Aside from that, what about people who can’t afford this fee? What about the elderly, the handicapped, families with kids who just want to enjoy a day at the beach but can’t afford $250? The economy is terrible, unemployment is at a record high, but you have the nerve to make a flippant remark that per day the cost is less than a box of worms. $250 might be affordable to wealthy beachfront homeowners, but people who can’t afford this are being discriminated against.

I am aware of fences that have been erected at the end of Broadway and Friendship Drive. These fences are not legal and are blocking access by the general public to public beaches from public roads. Worse yet, the fence at Broadway now has greased pipes underneath it. Not only is this further blocking legal access, but it is danger to the health and safety of the public.

The fisherman are stewards of the beach. We very much value beaches and do everything we can do to keep them clean and safe. Whatever we bring on the beach, we take off and more. We organize and participate in beach cleanups. We are an extra set of eyes on the beach and when we see illegal activity we report it. Fishing gives kids a productive activity to do and promotes respect for our natural resources. Generations of kids are being deprived of learning how to fish and instead resort to less desirable activities which can be harmful to their well being and the general public’s well being. I grew up fishing the beaches of Rocky Point, at that time my family couldn’t afford $250 so I can go and fish, thankfully back then it wasn’t required. I have fond memories of getting on my bike and going fishing, a lot of what I learned back then has made me a respectable, law abiding productive citizens. Many kids who now are like me back then are being deprived the same experiences and life lessons that I received.

Feel free to distribute this letter to your board of directors and your membership. Are they aware of the actions of the NSBPOA and your stance on beach access? Do they agree with it? Are they aware that there is possible illegal activity by the NSBPOA? I believe your stance is morally and socially wrong; how about your members? The beaches are for everyone, not just a select few. Is your membership happy about keeping people off of public beaches? What about the effect reduced beach access is having on the local economy? People who come to the beaches spend money locally. As access is taken away, so is money to the local economy. If local businesses fail and people leave the area, Rocky Point will become a ghost town and property values will fall. Are they ready to legally defend themselves from criminal and civil penalties if it is found that the NSBPOA is breaking the law, violating the rights of the public and discriminating against segments of the population?

I have friends, family, fellow fisherman, fellow club members, and fellow beachgoers who live in Brookhaven and beyond and will not let our rights be violated. I am aware that fisherman and citizens alike have tried to work with local politicians and the NSBPOA to resolve this situation, but it has fallen on deaf ears. Fishermen are an extremely dedicated group with a tremendous amount of resolve. We fish all hours of the day and night. We brave cold, heat, wind, snow and rain to do what we love to do. We have many sleepless nights, we walk miles as we fish, we deal with locals who try to restrict our access. There are thousands of us locally and millions of us nationally. The same determination and resolve we use when we fish, will be used to defend our rights to access the beaches; that I can guarantee you. It is a shame that it has come to this, but we will not let our rights be violated any more. I urge you to work with local fishing and non fishing groups to come to a resolution. Myself and many others will pursue every legal, social and political option to rectify these situations and will never stop fighting to protect our rights.


Sincerely,
John E. Russell
>>