Publications

Holding Back the Tide: The Thirty-Five Year Struggle to Save Montauk. A History of the Concerned Citizens of Montauk

Concerned Citizens of Montauk was formed in 1970 to oppose developers’ attempts to build 1,400 houses near Big Reed Pond. Their eventual success resulted in the creation of Theodore Roosevelt County Park. From their the organization evolved into one New York State’s most effective environmental organizations. Over 40 years CCOM has been vital to seeing 70% of Montauk preserved in its natural state, stopped the federal government from dumping toxic waste in Long Island Sound, creating the Community Preservation Fund—which has raised more than half a billion dollars for drinking water protection and land preservation on Long Island—educating school children about the natural world and more. Today CCOM boasts more than 800 members. Holding Back the Tide tells how a group of concerned citizens came together to ensure their community remained a place worth living and an inspiration to others.