Letters

Letters to the Editor

RIVERHEAD
This is who we are
So far this week, I’ve gone night scuba diving with my son at the Reeves wrecks, surfcasting on Roanoke Point and kayak fishing off Herod Point. As someone who was born on Long Island, these are the kinds of things I grew up doing and they continue to be my passions. It’s part of being a Long Islander. I’m not alone. Almost every time I go to Roanoke, I see a woman surfcaster with a family name that goes back over 300 years here. I often see a gentleman west of Reeves who has been on our beaches since before I was born. We are Riverhead Town residents, we pay our taxes and buy the $60 per year beach driving permit that gives us the right to use our vehicles on the beach to access the areas where we pursue our treasured activities.
The No Trespassing/Fishing signs on the shoreline just east of the Wading River Town Beach are an ugly disgrace. If you can’t tolerate the occasional beach vehicle that passes by, then why did you buy beachfront property where this has been permitted since the time those vehicles were powered by horses? Now anglers, divers and others who have used these beaches for decades have to change because you’re here? I can’t imagine anything more selfish.
I applaud the recent statements of Riverhead Supervisor Sean Walter. He’s quoted in last week’s News-Review article on the topic as saying, “We’re going to enforce the rights of the public to use that beach. We’re not going to allow one or two property owners to dictate who can and can’t use a public resource.”
The Long Island Sound shoreline is a priceless recreational resource for Riverhead Town, and because of our beach driving privileges, all of it is accessible to our residents. I’m very appreciative to Mr. Walter, and to the many town government leaders over the past 300-plus years, who have protected the beach access that is a major part of life on eastern Long Island.
John Skinner

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CALVERTON
Thanks for fighting for fishermen
As past president of the East End Surf Fishing Club, I am appalled about Riverhead Councilman John Dunleavy’s statement in last week’s News-Review that “the town should ban driving on the beach altogether.”
This is insane. All my life I have been a resident of this town and have fished these shores for the past 55 years. The only problem we ever had is with some of the homeowners, unfortunately, who do not own the waters. Why should a few families control our access to our beaches!
As a taxpayer, I demand my rights to have access to the beach as in the past.
There should be no reason for the town to meet to enforce beach regulation, as was Councilwoman Jodi Giglio’s idea. There’s far more important issues to address in this town than worrying what our local fishermen are doing.
Let us live and enjoy one of the very few things there’s left here for us to do, especially respecting our “Ole Salts,” who spend a great deal of their time relaxing and fishing the local shores.
On behalf of the East End Surf Fishing Club, and many of our concerned residents, we would like to thank Supervisor Sean Walter for everything he is doing for us concerning our involvement with fishing our local beaches and our access to them. We commend you, supervisor, for finally getting the job done. We need the support of our local government. We’ve been there for you; please be there for us.
Kay Davis

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BAITING HOLLOW
Lack of access dooms EPCAL development
In Michael White’s nostalgic column about motorsports on Long Island (“Motorsports just seems to be more ‘us,'” Riverhead News-Review, July 1), he reflects on NASCAR traffic a decade ago when he lived in Delaware. He then goes on to “romanticize about old-time Long Island