Thursday, October 1, 2026
Brianna Amey and Ailah Castro, two juniors at Long Beach High School, secured a $100,000 grant from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation on March 31. The funding, obtained in collaboration with the Long Beach Latino Civic Association, will be used to continue their research project on soil, water and air quality around the bay area and along Long Beach’s south shore.
“Understanding how we can improve our environment is the goal,” Helen Dorado-Alessi, president of the Latino civic association, said.
Amey and Castro’s curiosities sparked after being approached by Cody Onufrock, an environmental systems and society teacher at the high school. Amey said she jumped at the opportunity because she saw it as a meaningful environmental effort, noting how data collected since 2016 could influence further changes. For Castro, it was her interest in the environment.
“I love nature,” Castro said. “I saw the project as an opportunity to explore our community.”
Part of their research revolved around the Long Beach Incinerator on Water Street, which was demolished back in 2008. Later that decade, an Environmental Site Assessment indicated the presence of semi-volatile organic compounds and metal concentrations at the demolition site and the immediate surrounding area.
Working together with the girls, the civic association aims to use the grant money for air monitoring systems by the Long Beach Bridge, as well as by the ocean. They will look to add water monitoring equipment for a section of the Town of Hempstead’s Water Conservation network that runs through the city and Lido Beach.
Onufrock has partnered with the Latino civic association since 2009 and has worked on their Miyawaki forest — a type of tree-growing method — as well as beach cleanups. “It’s an opportunity for us to do something that protects the environment of Long Beach,” Onufrock said, noting his interest in environmental science.
For more than 30 years, the Latino civic association has made efforts to empower those in need, becoming a community staple through relief efforts, providing essential and nonessential services, and being a support system for its members.
With the support of the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, they aim to reduce the adverse effects of pollution by implementing targeted interventions that improve air and water quality, enhance public health and promote sustainable practices.
Dorado-Alessi said that a high concentration of Hispanic families live near the bayfront. She noted the importance of keeping them informed, while joining in on infrastructure projects reshaping the city’s north shore.
“We want to make sure the Hispanic community understands what’s going on while focusing on an issue anyone in Long Beach can benefit from,” Dorado-Alessi said.
