Environmental Advocate: East End Beaches Are Healing

Despite a hurricane and several winter coastal storms, many of the East End's ocean beaches are starting to heal, while others are still struggling, according to one environmental advocate.   

"It's been a rock and roll winter," said Aram Terchunian, of First Coastal Corporation. "The time sequence of all the storms never allowed for a full beach recovery, but now they are starting to enter that cycle."    

From West Hampton Dunes to Montauk, Terchunian said many of the beaches are already in pretty good shape for the season. In part, it is thanks to artificial beach rebuilding, especially in the areas of  East Quogue and Quogue and Tiana Beach in Hampton Bays, he said.         

But, he said, there is also a natural healing starting to occur.        

"People first stepping onto the beach will say, 'Wow, the beaches are really wide,’" Terchunian said.        

The beaches appear wider, he said,  because many of the bluffs were demolished by the storms; however, he said, a wider beach is also the first sign of a healing beach.        

The wider the beach, the better, he said, explaining that a wide beach provides for more sand to blow up toward the bluffs, renourishing them.        

"Without a wide beach, a dune can't survive and the beaches won't recover," he said.          

With that, there are some beaches that are wide, but there is a concern because they are too low. "When beaches are low, they tend to be wetter, preventing sand from blowing," he said.         

Beaches in this category, he said, include Georgica and Sagaponac — the story is the same in Wainscott.         

"There has been a lot of rebuilding in those areas, but they are still in sediment starvation mode," he said.         

A different problem persists from East Hampton to Montauk — the beaches are low, but are also narrow, Terchunian said. "I am worried about these beaches.”       

Hopefully, he said, in time they will heal and natural-grass plantings and snow fencing will help to capture and essentially farm the sand, but one of the most important things beachgoers can do is not to walk on the dunes. 
        
"Always use a crosswalk, even if it is not convenient,” he said, adding that helping to keep beaches clean is vital. "Always carry off the beach one more thing than you brought.”