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What You Can Do

A picture of the view from Lyon Mountain in the Adirondacks. Photo found on the NY State DEC's website. The picture on the right is of Bayberry Beach.

The Good News:

The environmentalist movement and economic forces have done wonders for the United States environment. Beaver, black bear, white-tailed deer, bison, coyote, mountain lion, alligator, bald eagle and many other species have increased in numbers. The amount of forested land in the United States has also increased dramatically. At the turn of the twentieth century, 20% of New York State was forest covered, now almost 70% is (Timothy Fahey, Natural Resources Professor at Cornell University, 2003.)

With all this good news, why do we need to worry about preserving Bayberry Beach? This leads us to the bad news...

The Bad News:                     

Unfortunately, coastal ecosystems, such as pine barrens and salt water marshes, have not faired so well. According to the June 11, 2006, New York Times article, "Pushing Officials to Control Growth," by Valerie Cotsalas, a Regional Plan Association report states that only 6000 acres of land will be left for development on Long Island by 2050, if development rates and zoning regulations do not change.

But who cares if Long Island is developed if there are all those woods upstate?

The ecosystem of Long Island's coast is different from the ecosystem found upstate. The upstate forests consists of white pine, red pine, beech, striped maple, red maple, ash, hemlock, hickory, and many other common species, most of which can be found from Southern Appalachia to Canada. Long Island's coastal forests consists of pitch pine, scrub oak, and a lot of other species you will not find upstate.  There are similar ecosystems to the forests found on Long Island, (New Jersey also has a large Pine Barrens reserve and you will find pitch pine forests along the coast of New England), but similar to the Pine Barrens on Long Island, they are only a fragment of what it once was.  This is because you will only find these types of ecosystems along the northeastern coast, an extremely developed region of the country. Whatever "little patches" remain, must be protected, because besides these "little patches," there isn't much. This is the reason I would rather see 10 acres of forest cut down upstate, than one acre on Long Island. For more information about the Pine Barrens, use this link (if link doesn't work, just copy and paste onto toolbar): http://training.fws.gov/library/pubs5/web_link/text/li_pine.htm.

What You Can Do

Picture on the left is of Uncle Sam. Three other pictures taken from Bayberry Beach.

Now that you understand the importance of Long Island's Pine Barrens, you are ready to learn what you can do to help protect the Long Island Pine Barrens and Bayberry Beach.

1. DRIVE CAREFULLY! I can not stress how crucial this is. I once saw an Eastern Box Turtle run over on Ocean Avenue. It was still alive, though it's shell was broken, so I called the animal shelter. A worker came by and picked it up, he told me they were going to try to fiberglass the shell. Driving carefully includes driving at a reasonable speed, being aware of your surroundings, and being careful when you back up. If Ocean Avenue is a mile long from Main Street to the flag pole, than going 60 mph as opposed to 30 will only save you one minute! So you might as well do 30 and be safe. Not only will this help wildlife, it is also better for the kids in our area.
2. MOW CAREFULLY! While mowing the lawn be careful, at Munn County Wildlife Rescue in Hampton Bays, I was informed that a lot of young rabbits are injured or killed by lawn mowers. They are very curios and will raise their heads from underground dens when they hear the lawnmower noise.
3. Help a turtle or snake cross the road, if it is safe. If it is a turtle that may bite (e.g. a snapping turtle), move the animal with a stick.
4. Leave what is wild on your property wild. In areas of the country as densely crowded as ours, every little bit matters. I am not telling you not to have a yard, all I am saying is, if possible, keep some of the brush.
5. Plant local species such as bayberry and pitch pine instead of the more common species such as white pine and maple, or even worse... invasive species such as Chinese Wisteria.
6. Speaking of invasive species, if you see one, get rid of it.
7. Donate to environmental charities such as the Nature Conservancy and Long Island Pine Barrens Society.
8. Advise adolescents not to enter Bayberry Beach after sunset. The beach is closed at night.
9. Enjoy the nature of Long Island. There are several great parks and preserves on Long Island, and if you do not want to get in a car, you can enjoy nature just by walking to Bayberry Beach.
10. Vote for politicians who want to preserve land. Sometimes the idea of developing federal land on Long Island is brought up to lower the price of land. But this is only a temporary solution since the land would be built up very fast, hence lowering the supply again and raising the price. Anyway, do we really want more people on Long Island? Aren't the roads crowded enough?
11. Help preserve Bayberry Beach. Go to the association meetings and make sure your voice is heard. The Bayberry blocks used to be wetlands mixed with pine forests. The wetlands have been filled in, but we can still save our little pine forest.
12. Finally, educate your kids. They may be clichés but they're true: people can not love what they do not understand and children are our future. By making your children aware of Long Island's amazing forests and wetlands, you help them appreciate it. Since they appreciate it, they will make sure it is preserved in the future.

Below are pictures of Bayberry Beach for your enjoyment.