After Crowds Trash Cedar Beach, County Implements Improvements

SOUTHOLD, NY — After large crowds swarmed Cedar Beach County Park in Southold recently, setting up tents, failing to maintain social distancing protocols, and leaving behind a trail of litter and human waste, Suffolk County and town officials took action.

Town and county officials met at Cedar Beach on Saturday to announce plans to "stem the recent, and often times overwhelming, tide of non-resident visitors to local beaches," a release from Suffolk County Legislator Al Krupski said.

The changes which include signage — the signs inform visitors that the beach is for county residents only, that visitors should practice social distancing and carry out their own trash, and that the beach closes at dusk — were prompted by the prior weekend’s crowds at Cedar Beach many of failed to wear masks, Krupski said.

The initiatives are aimed at protecting public safety and environmental resources.

“We welcome Suffolk County residents to county parks, including to our beaches, but we simply can’t accommodate non-residents at a time when we are trying to bounce back from a pandemic," Krupski said." All visitors to our parks must follow the rules. Behavior displayed here last weekend was unacceptable, both in terms public health and disregard for natural resources.”

An attendant has been hired to confirm that individuals are Suffolk County residents; those visiting must show a driver's license or a Suffolk County Green Key to the attendant in a new booth. In addition, the county has enlisted the services of a private security firm and limited park hours to sunrise to sunset.

Krupski thanked Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone and Acting Parks Commissioner Jason Smagin for their prompt attention and intervention after the past weekend’s events, as well as Southold Town Supervisor Scott Russell and Southold Police Chief Martin Flatley for their contributions for keeping the park, as well as other local beaches, safe and clean "during this challenging time,” Krupski said.

In addition, Southold will erect “no parking signs” on the road leading up to the beach, as that is where non-residents had been parking. Officials said Southold police will continue to monitor the park and enforce town, county and state laws as necessary.

Flatley said the department had been “issuing 50 to 75 tickets every weekend” for a variety of violations at the spot.

“We are pleased to work with Legislator Al Krupski to help implement a plan to bring order back to Cedar Beach. Al has lobbied Suffolk County agencies for some time to provide better management so that recent events could have been avoided altogether. His hard work has paid off and I believe we will see a profound effect for the better as we move into the summer season,” Russell said.

Russell also said that the issues at Cedar Beach, while not new, "have certainly been exacerbated in recent years." Krupski, he said, has long advocated for more management and oversight on the county beach; Suffolk County has an array of parks and beaches to manage.

"I know it hasn't been easy," Russell said, but Krupski's "dogged determination has really made a difference here."

The improvement plan, Russell said, will have a "profound effect for the better."

The supervisor added that he believes the results will be seen immediately; he thanked Krupski and Bellone, who, despite a busy schedule managing the county during the pandemic, found time to address the Cedar Beach issue, important to local residents.

“Living on an island, we are instinctively drawn to our surrounding coastline and waterways for decompression and recreation,” said Suffolk County's deputy presiding officer Kara Hahn, chairwoman of the Suffolk County Legislature’s environment, parks and agriculture committee. “For Suffolk County residents to truly get the spiritual and emotional nourishment they seek from visiting our beaches, it will be incumbent on all of us to be social responsible by remaining socially distant and take personal responsibility by taking trash with us for appropriate disposal when leaving the park.”

Krupski said the reason the response to the crowds was so overwhelming is those who were coming left such a mess behind.

"They drew so much attention to themselves. They left so much garbage. Every fish they didn't want to keep, they left on the beach and killed. They used the beach as a bathroom. When you have a scenario like that, you make yourself very unwelcome," Krupski said.

The problem is occurring across the entire East End, he added.

Since the new plan was implemented, Krupski said all was running smoothly. He added that there had been great cooperation with Cornell Cooperative Extension, which has a shellfish hatchery at the site.

"They are very concerned about the impact of the water quality, with all these people using the beach as a bathroom," Krupski said.

The local community has been very engaged in reporting violations at the beach and has been helpful, Krupski said.

After a crowd swarmed Cedar Beach in Southold over Memorial Day weekend — fishing in large groups, setting up unauthorized food and watercraft sports trucks, littering, failing to practice social distancing, and even defecating on the beach — Suffolk County commenced the crackdown.

One resident, who asked that her name not be used, said she drove to Cedar Beach, a spot she has been frequenting for more than 30 years to walk and enjoy the osprey, terns and other wildlife.

"For the second time in a week, I drove there and left," she said. "I drove there this morning and the parking lot was almost full ... While there, I saw an illegal food vending truck, a box truck with watercrafts to rent and a continue flow of cars. There also was a city taxi."

Hours later, she said: "We took a boat ride and passed the beach. It was packed. There were tents, some people wore masks, many did not. There obviously was not any social distancing. This beach has three, small trash cans. There are no rest room facilities. Lately, when I walk in the back area it is nothing but human feces and used toilet paper. It is so disgusting."

'It has to stop'

In recent weeks before the county initiated the improvements, the beach had been littered with filament, broken poles, garbage, and discarded fish hooks, she said, adding, "It has to stop."