Accabonac Protection Committee

by Cile Downs In case you haven’t heard of it, this is a good time to learn about phytoremediation: from phyto (plant) and remediate (fix or cure) — it means using plants to clean up pollution. The most amazing things can be accomplished by green, growing plants, which can collect or even actually digest a great variety of pollutants, from radioactive substances, petroleum and heavy metals to […]

by Arlene Coulter There has been a great deal of concern expressed lately about East Hampton’s Solid Waste Treatment Facility on Springs Fireplace Road. There has not been nearly as much discussion, although there should be, regarding the problems produced by over-burdened septic systems, and the impact of an ever-increasing number of septic systems on our fragile ecosystem. The members of the Accabonac Protection Committee believe that […]

by Nick Bryan APC invited Bob DeLuca, President of Group for the East End, to speak to our Steering Committee about our groundwater and our harbor waters. He feels that the East End’s focus now desperately needs to be: • WATER PROTECTION• WATER DISTRIBUTION• WASTE MANAGEMENT He said that, at best, 25-40% of nitrogen in our septics goes into the ground and therefore our water. It’s a […]

One of the most moving presentations we have ever witnessed occurred at a Town Board “Brown Bag” meeting in 2009 when a group of fifth graders from Springs School did an impressive show-and-tell of two designs for a bridge they had developed with input from volunteer architects to replace the footbridge across Pussy’s Pond. They were assured that whichever design was chosen would be built. Although Town […]

From Baykeeper Kevin McAllister: “Nitrogen-enriched groundwater from household cesspools (onsite wastewater treatment systems) is a substantial pollution problem. Signs of excessive nitrogen loads – algal blooms, fish kills, and the explosive growth of invasive weeds already dominate many ponds and bays… “Nutrient pollution from the tens of thousands of cesspools in our region is a monumental threat to our waters, yet it has been largely ignored. Suffolk […]

In our continuing campaign to restore the Barbara Barnes Hale Refuge to its old meadow condition, we’ve noticed a very interesting thing: the neat dovetailing of meadow restoration with Town Councilman Stanzione’s Open Vistas Program. We entirely agree that open vistas were the rule in Springs from the time of the first white settlers and possibly before that. We’re deprived of an important community value when we […]

by Anita Wright In early November 2010, East Hampton Town Board voted unanimously to use Community Preservation Funds to pay for a large portion of the price to acquire the Maloney Property. A big thanks is in order to The Nature Conservancy and generous community members who raised the remaining balance. This 2.2-acre meadow in the heart of Springs was a critical open space acquisition from both […]

by Anita Wright In December 2010, the Accabonac Protection Committee was awarded a $5,000 grant from The New York Community Trust, made at the suggestion of Serena Altschul, 2010 recipient of the Friend of the Creek Award and our neighbor on the Harbor. In addition to supporting our ongoing work to protect the Harbor, the grant will help fund making a new film in the “Long Live […]

by Arlene Coulter We wholeheartedly thank Peconic Baykeeper Kevin McAllister for his hard work and we congratulate him on settling the lawsuit against Suffolk County Health Department’s Vector Control regarding spraying. Our concern with spraying over the tidal marshes has generally met with frustration. Each year, we have sought to restrict it but without success. So we’re cheering the good news that they’ll be limited to spraying […]