Hello!

As we close out Women's History Month, I cannot help but think of women like Hilda Lindley, Kay Carley, Lillian Disken, Dorothy Disken, and Carol Morrison who fought tirelessly to protect Montauk’s environment. As founding members of CCOM, it was their historic and monumental contributions that helped shape the Montauk we all know and love. 

With the arrival of Spring, we have exciting events to announce: the Montauk School Science Fair (CCOM organizes & participates on the judging panel), our 3rd Montauk on My Mind virtual open house, and the Great Montauk Cleanup. Read on to find out more. We can’t wait to see you! 

Additional sand on Montauk’s downtown beaches is expected next month as part of the town’s ongoing commitment to the downtown beach emergency stabilization project, begun in 2015.

However, this project is not sustainable over the long term and as such, we continue to advocate directly with our elected officials and the Army Corps of Engineers for delivery this year of the promised pumping of 450,000 cubic years of ocean-dredged sand on 6,000 feet of Montauk’s downtown beach that is part of the federal Fire Island to Montauk Point (FIMP) plan.

FIMP provides an intermediate sand-only solution to addressing the coastal resiliency of our vulnerable community but is just one part of a much larger, longer-term comprehensive plan to protect the Montauk downtown area in the wake of sea level rise and climate change. CCOM has been deeply involved in the development of this longer-range approach, the Coastal Assessment and Resiliency Plan (CARP), working with other key agencies, including East Hampton Town and New York State. Specific CARP recommendations for implementation are expected to be announced shortly.

CCOM President Laura Tooman will be a panelist at the Press News Group’s event, “The Rising Tide- Montauk 2024: A Changing Landscape at Island's End” at Gurney’s on April 28th, 12-2pm.

Spring marks the return of juvenile (glass) eels to Big Reed Pond as part of their unique life cycle and migration from the Sargasso Sea.

Two years ago, we shared a video of these juvenile eels entering Big Reed Pond. Both the American eel and river herring, or alewife, require our protective estuarine systems to complete their life cycles but are often restricted by dams, habitat loss, or other impediments.

Stay tuned for our upcoming webinar on May 12th to hear about our efforts to restore historic access to Little and Big Reed Ponds for these important migrants.

CCOM is proud to be entering our 10th year in partnering with Surfrider Foundation’s water testing program, Blue Water Task Force (BWTF).

Since 2013, CCOM staff and volunteers have been collecting water samples in Montauk, Amagansett, and East Hampton, and performing bacterial analysis at our lab in the CCOM Office. In the busy summer season, we process over 30 water quality samples per week and ensure that our data are shared widely. For more information, please visit CCOM’s water quality page. 

If you missed our March 17th Montauk On My Mind open house event, not to worry, we have you covered! You can view the recorded March open house.

The Press News Groups “Rising Tide - Montauk 2024: A Changing Landscape at Island's End” Panel Discussion. CCOM President Laura Tooman will be on the panel. Purchase tickets HERE

(Rain Date: Sunday, May 1st, 10am -1pm)

Do you have a favorite spot in Montauk? Help keep it pristine by joining CCOM’s Annual Great Montauk Cleanup!

Spring is in the air! It's a great time to clear out the cobwebs and make the most of your property.