February 27, 2013 – 1:42 pm
Like the Dracula Monster, Liberty Gas is Back By Rav Freidel, Concerned Citizens of Montauk Big energy isn’t fiddling around while New York and New Jersey rebuild the coastline after Sandy. They’re, once again, trying to fast track both oil exploration and the industrialization of the Atlantic Ocean. First they tried to place Broadwater, a [...]
November 28, 2012 – 1:12 pm
By Bob Stern, President Concerned Citizens of Montauk No one likes being the one who blurts out that there is no Santa Claus – least of all CCOM, which is a group of neighbors of low lying coastal properties being buffeted by the likes of the “Frankenstorm” Sandy. It would be nice if we [...]
September 25, 2012 – 10:04 am
In many ways photography is an exercise in fitting a thousand pounds of reality into a ten-pound bag. One would think that in a place as beautiful as Montauk, great pictures would be easy. Montauk is full of great vistas, interesting places, wonderful people, and amazing light. But as photographers quickly find out, the more [...]
September 6, 2012 – 8:52 pm
Lest we think that “tail costs — the true end cost of a human activity or error” is merely an abstract concept: Estimate of total cost of Fukushima — could be $300 billion and counting to Japan. Tepco, the nuke company, is getting bailout money that could go to $137 billion. Total cost of [...]
What leads some people to take irresponsible risks for unsustainable rewards? Starting in the 1980s, researcher Bob Goldman surveyed elite athletes and found that 50% of them asserted that they would take a drug that would kill them within five years if it got them an Olympic gold medal. Goldman conducted the survey biannually for [...]
Memorial Day on the East End is an opportunity for all of us to express gratitude and appreciation for the men and women who died while serving our country. It’s also the beginning of what we call “The Season,” when increasing numbers of people come to enjoy Montauk’s natural wonders. That’s why CCOM participated in [...]
April 25, 2012 – 11:21 am
This Spring, CCOM launched an initiative to introduce local students to the natural wonders of our area. With funding from the Andrew Sabin Family Foundation and Parks & Trails New York, we began a four-month Environmental Internship program with seven sophomores and juniors from East Hampton High School. Our interns are working with National Park [...]
April 19, 2012 – 10:01 am
This week, we welcome guest blogger Jim Zajac, President of the East Hampton Trails Preservation Society, who is one of the mentors guiding our seven student interns from East Hampton High School as they learn about Montauk’s natural environment. Jim is a wealth of knowledge and we encourage you to get to know and join [...]
I am coming up on my first anniversary of beekeeping in Montauk. I started by taking a weekly, 8-month course at the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Riverhead. (This same course is now being offered at South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton.) Through the class, I purchased 2 hive set-ups and 2 young colonies of [...]
February 28, 2012 – 4:00 pm
It appears that the “tail cost” – the true total cost of human activity — is a bill needing to be paid, even in space! As reported in the New York Times this week, a new study warns that extraterrestrial clutter has reached a point where, if nothing is done to clean it up, a [...]
February 15, 2012 – 11:32 am
Thank goodness concerned citizens are showing up in court when the Surf Lodge case is on the docket, demonstrating their interest in its outcome. Three-plus years in and the bar/restaurant has yet to pay fines for the 686 charges filed against it. Violations include conducting work without a building permit, no certificate of occupancy, no [...]
January 9, 2012 – 9:45 pm
On Saturday, my wife, Rachel, and I went for a breathtaking hike along the new Amsterdam Beach trail. According to my GPS, the hike is approximately one mile from the parking area to bluffs. From there we walked a short distance eastward down to the beach. We have walked most of the trails in the [...]
