By Chris Munzing
This month marks the 35th anniversary of Earth Day, and the 20th year that Point Lookout will celebrate it by cleaning up the community.
"It's the natural beauty of our town that many of the residents enjoy," said Frank Ryan, president of the Point Lookout Civic Association. "They spend a lot of time on the beach, and it's also our main line of defense against storms."
Ryan said that Point Lookout residents gather about four times a year to clean up the beach and other parks. The Earth Day cleanup is the first of the year, and also serves to inform Town of Hempstead officials what areas of the community need to be addressed.
"We take a look at areas that need help, like the beach, the parks," Ryan said. "And we make a checklist of things that need to be taken care of before the beach season starts in June."
Ryan said that Town of Hempstead employees assist in the cleanup and provide trash cans and dumpsters. Ryan added that he expected Town Hempstead Parks and Recreation Commissioner Ron Masters to help with the cleanup.
The civic association is also hopeful that the cleanup will bring more attention to the severe erosion that plagues sections of the beach. Ryan said that Point Lookout is committed to addressing that problem with the United States Army Corps of Engineers beach re-nourishment project, whether Long Beach participates or not.
