Helene's Blog

Thanks to Dell Cullum, East Hampton Town had its 3rd Annual Shoreline Beach Sweep.  Dell organized local environmentalists throughout the town to put aside April 23rd to give our beautiful beaches a good spring cleaning. He hoped this would be a trash clean-up day like no other.

Members from the East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue and swimmers from the East Hampton Hurricane Swim Team gathered at Georgica Beach for the 3rd Annual Beach Sweep.

From left to right - Owen McCormac, Helene Forst, Emmett McCormac, Olivia Brabant, Ethan McCormac, and Aidan McCormac helped pick up trash from the entrance of Georgica Beach all the way to the pond and back.

We were proud to have collected a lot of trash - ropes and plastics, cans and bottles. Two of the kids got community service for the time spent cleaning up one of their favorite community beaches.

Dell said that, "Organizing the annual Shoreline Sweep with CCOM's Great Montauk Clean Up took a few emails and an okey dokey, but it all worked itself out."  Many other groups joined in the effort - East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue, the Custodians of Lazy Point, East Hampton Middle School Surfrider Club, East Coast Surfer Girls, Amagansett Chamber of Commerce and several more. What's so impressive to me was that the list grew and grew until every beach was covered in the town. Dell's goal was to gather awesome environmentally compassionate folks and create a gigantic force to universally help remove trash and debris from Wainscott to Montauk. I'm proud to say, we did accomplish that. We did make one huge difference this year as we celebrated Earth Day and showed our planet, particularly our home town, that we cared. Kyril Bromley, a photographer from the East Hampton Press, shot this picture of members of East Hampton Ocean Rescue and the Hurricanes swim team while they were helping to clean up Georgica Beach. From left to right are: Aidan McCormac, Joan Ross, Helene Forst, Olivia Brabant, Stephanie Brabant, Owen McCormac, Jack Forst, Ethan McCormac, and Emmet McCormac. MY HEARTFELT THANKS GO OUT TO DELL FOR ALL HE DOES FOR EAST HAMPTON TOWN. ​

SURFRIDER FOUNDATION

EASTERN LONG ISLAND CHAPTER

Saturday, April 23, 2016 (rain date April 24th) The 3rd Annual Shoreline Sweep

Join Surfrider and help clean East Hampton's beaches, anywhere from Wainscott to Montauk. You can sign up and get more information from Dell Cullum at Kachina35@gmail.com or 631-377-6555.

ImaginationNature.com will also have updates up until the event.

  The 54th Annual St. Patrick's Day Parade will kick off from Edgemere Road at 11:30 am Sunday March 20th 2016 in Montauk New York. The Parade runs up Edgemere Road and then turns on to Main Street passed the reviewing stand on the green under the watchful eye of MC Rick White and finishes at the end of Main Street by the IGA. Come early to get a good vantage point to see New York's second largest St. Patrick's Day Parade. Starting at 10:00 am on the green, the Montauk Chamber of Commerce will be serving hot soup in your very own St. Patrick’s Day Parade souvenir mug. Montauk’s finest soups are made and donated by local restaurants. For more info contact the Montauk Friends of Erin.  

8th ANNUAL AM O'GANSETT ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE

 

I know I might be a little prejudice, but as a newly elected lieutenant to Squad 8 of East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue, I decided to write lyrics to a song about how amazing our organization is. After writing it, my friend and fellow squad member, Peter Gideon, suggested several additional changes to the lyrics and melody. I thought it might be fun to post the lyrics on my blog. I hope you enjoy it!

RESCUE SWIMMERS ALWAYS ON CALL

By Helene Forst and Peter Gidion

Instrumental Opening Chords: G D C D

                (G)                      (D) In the Town of East Hampton                  (C)                  (G) There dwells super heroes (C)                          (G) Brave ocean swimmers        (C)                 (D)     (D) On call all the time.

        (G)            (D) No matter the day           (C)                 (G) No matter the weather                (C)          (G) They always respond                (D)                (G)       (G) From morning till night.

(Chorus)

(G)                    (D)    (C)           (G) They’re the brave and courageous (C)           (G)              (C)                  (D)         (D) Vol - unteering, training with smiles (G)            (D)          (C)         (G) Raising money, helpng others (C)                     (G) Pure super heroes         (D)               (G)      (G) On call all the time.

(G)                                     (D) The Chief, and the Captains,  (C)                                (G) Lieutenants and Members (C)                   (G)        (C)            (D)    (D) A group of many, working as one       (G)                  (D)               (C)                (D) Relentless, tenacious, bounding, astounding (C)                       (G)             (D)           (G)     (G) Braving the elements, always on call.

(G)                                 (D)                          (C)          (D) The jet skis and paddleboards and rescue swimmers         (C)         (G) Are all in position         (C)               (D)       (D) To guard and protect               (G)                        (D) From Main Beach to Montauk               (C)           (G) They cover the races (C)             (D)               (C)        (G)         (G) Tri – athalons and healing events.

(Chorus)

(SOLO (INSTRUMENTAL)

               (G)      (D)   (C)               (G) They waterproof all of the children (C)                           (G) Teaching with purpose (C)                         (D)      (D) So no one will drown (G)                            (D)   (C)             (D) How lucky this town is to have them (C)             (G)           (D)       (G) Ocean Rescue always on call             (C)          (G)      ( D)          (G)    (G) Yes, Ocean Rescue always on call.

  Experience the confusion, bravery, and hope of the Vietnam War era through the eyes of  fourteen-year-old Jake Edwards, in author Helene Forst's poignant coming-of-age novel, Stocked - 1969.

The world has gone completely crazy.

At least that's how it looks to fourteen-year-old Jake Edwards, whose whole life is upended in the blink of an eye.

Struggling with dyslexia and unable to read, Jake is sent to live with his wacky grandmother in the Adirondack Mountains in a last ditch effort to further his education.

But with his older brother off to war and America divided over its role in Vietnam, Jake finds himself learning a lot more than what's taught in the classroom.

Stoked - 1969 is a moving portrait of life in a time of crisis. Author Helene Forst seamlessly weaves together history, poetry, and a riveting tale of a young boy learning to question the world around him for the very first time.

Available for purchase at:  

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Stoked-1969-Helene-Forst/dp/1518899218/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1454943344&sr=8-1&keywords=stoked+1969

CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/5840295

Meet the author:  https://heleneforst.com.

  The East Hampton Environmental Coalition is made up of 17 environmental groups totaling approximately 6,000 members. As a member of the Coalition, I was proud to be part of the writing process for the East Hampton Green Guide, a publication that summarizes its members' environmental concerns and offers recommendations for plans of action they hope local politicians will embrace as Election Day approaches. My topic was concerned with a 21st century sustainable energy grid update. East Hampton is defined by the unique character of its hamlets, villages, and countryside. However the hardening and upgrading of our electric grid has not been harmonious with the unique nature of the existing character of the community. PSEG-LI’s installation of 65-foot toxic utility poles laden with pentachlorophenol (penta), has contaminated our air, soil, and groundwater, destroying the aesthetic beauty of our residential areas, devaluing our homes, and creating a situation that negatively effects the health of its residents and our environment. Penta belongs to a class of dangerous chemicals that has left a toxic legacy around the globe. It is classified as a probable carcinogen by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). It is highly persistent and migrates down-gradient under conditions such as heavy rains, snow melt, and runoff to potentially contaminate drinking water and surface waters. Cancer-causing chemicals should not be leaking from utility poles into communities. It’s time for the United States and for New York State to ban pentachlorophenol. There are approximately 1 million utility poles treated each year with Penta. Senator Charles Schumer reported that over 95,000 of these toxic poles have been installed on Long Island. And to our dismay, PSEG-LI continues to harden our electric grid by installing thousands more Penta laden poles. Soils samples taken near utility poles in East Hampton showed concentrations of PCP more than 300 times New York’s permissible limits for poisonous substances. In a recent water test requested by the Village of East Hampton and East Hampton Town, the groundwater was found to be contaminated with 5 poisonous chemicals that are part of the penta formulation. ACTION PLAN • Support the New York State Bills to Ban Pentachlorophenol. • Recommend that all new electric grid upgrades be placed underground. • Recommend that composite poles be used when replacing utility poles. • Support projects that encourage the use of alternative, sustainable energy sources such as wind and solar. • Support legislation that requires utility companies to obtain permission from local government before they can work in a town or village and require the utility to provide a SEQRA before said work. • Remove all Penta poles along the 6.2 mile route between East Hampton and Amagansett, clean up the contaminated soil, and bury the lines. If poles need to be used, create a pilot program in East Hampton using composite poles.

  As a member of Squad 8 in East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue, and a member of the Public Relations Committee, I took part in helping to issue a warning about swimming safely at the ocean beaches this summer. The press release is informative, and so I decided to put it on my blog for people to read.

Have a safe summer filled with beautiful memories!

East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue National Beach Safety Week Press-Release - June 7 - 14, 2015

Chief Ed Reid, and Assistant Chief Mike Forst, along with all members of East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue, would like to announce that National Beach Safety Week begins Sunday, June 7th and ends the following Sunday, June 14th.   Our waters can be a wonderful recreational resource, but they can also be treacherous. Lifeguards are provided in an effort to reduce the number of accidents at our local beaches, but we cannot do the job alone. An informed public is essential to maintaining adequate levels of beach and water safety. The objective of National Beach Safety Week is to make citizens aware of the need to be safe while in and near the water with special emphasis on the hazards associated with Rip Currents. This objective stresses the following: Learn to Swim – Promote the YMCA and the Junior Lifeguard Program. Swim Near a Lifeguard. Swim with a Buddy. Check with the Lifeguards on daily conditions. Obey Posted Signs and Flags – And know your location for 911 calls. Keep the Beach and Water Clean – What you pack in, pack out! Learn Rip Current Safety. Enter Water Feet First. Wear a Life Jacket when appropriate or mandated. Use Sunscreen and Drink Water. The United States Lifesaving Association (USLA), a national non-profit organization, and your local chapter, Hampton Lifeguard Association (HLA), are dedicated to improving beach safety in America. Our membership includes professional beach lifeguards in this area, joining lifeguards from across the country. Thank you for considering this request. Your support will help make our beaches a safer place for residents and tourists alike. You can spot a rip current by the line of foam making a mushroom cloud in the surf. Rips can sweep even the strongest swimmer out to sea. If you find yourself caught in a rip current relax and use your head. Don't panic. Don't fight the current. Swim parallel to the shore line and then head towards the beach.  If you can't escape, float or tread water, and call or wave for help. Check out the website of East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue at: http://www.easthamptonoceanrescue.org Sincerely, EHVOR Public Relations Committee    

  "There is no such thing as a neutral educational process. Education either functions as an instrument that is used to facilitate the integration of the younger generation into the logic of the present system and bring about conformity to it, or it becomes the 'practice of freedom', the means by which men and women deal critically and creatively with reality and discover how to participate in the transformation of their world." - Richard Shaull, as quoted in the Forward of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed (2009) James Clavell's, The Children's Story, is a must-read commentary for both children and adults that addresses such topics as brainwashing and mind-control, education, freedom, patriotism, and religion. The message of Clavell's short novel is a frightening one as he demonstrates the power an educator holds over impressionable young minds. How successful will today's children be in sifting through the enormous amount of information they are presented with every day? We can take this yet another step further and wonder how equipped today's adults are in filtering through the massive amount of information they are presented with from newspapers and TV? Clavell suggests that we need to cast doubts on how our school systems operate. Over the last few months, these doubts have been demonstrated by the opt-out protests taking place all over Long Island. He further suggests that we need to cast doubts on how our government works. Is it for the betterment of our health and safety, or is it for big business and the money it generates? One of the most important elements of the teachings that take place in our schools is to promote critical thinking - to think out of the box. We encourage our students to learn and analyze and apply the knowledge they've acquired to help them make educated decisions. Yet when these students become adults and they choose to exercise this inherent freedom of critical thought, they are more often than not  met with disdain for their efforts. There are dangers inherent in the freedoms of critical thought as we exercise our right and responsibility to question our educational system and the operations of our government. No doubt, there is safety in conformity. It's easier to be silent and stand back watching in disbelief as our government operates, creating laws and opportunities for industry to pollute our air, and soil, and water in the name of progress. When we question the use of GMO foods, the pollution caused by fracking, the applications of herbicides and pesticides on our lawns, the uses of carcinogens in our detergents and household products, and the use of toxic chemicals to treat utility poles, we are considered the thorns in society. Conformity, silence, and agreeing with the status quo is what our educational system and our government really wants from its citizens. So why teach critical thought? Disagreeing, voicing an educated opinion, the very basis of a democracy, isn't welcomed. It is my belief that critical thinking is necessary to keep a balance on the way our schools and local, state, and federal governments operate. It's the people who dare to be outspoken, the people who have the courage to challenge the laws of the land who should be congratulated for taking the time and energy to stand up for what they believe in - a quality education where every child learns how to read and write, and that the planet will be safe for the seventh generation.            

 

 SURFRIDER FOUNDATION

EASTERN LONG ISLAND CHAPTER

Saturday, April 11, 2015 (rain date April 12) The 2nd Annual Shoreline Sweep

Join Surfrider and help clean East Hampton's beaches, anywhere from Wainscott to Montauk. You can sign up and get more information from Dell Cullum at Kachina35@gmail.com or 631-377-6555.

ImaginationNature.com will also have updates up until the event.

 

EARTH HOUR

2015

VOTE EARTH! 

YOUR LIGHT SWITCH IS YOUR VOTE

 

Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 to 9:30 PM local time

 

Join hundreds of millions of people around the world and turn off your lights for one hour to show your commitment to climate change action now.

It's time we speak up and demand a better future for our planet.

ARE YOU IN?

172 countries and territories around the world are committing to reduce their carbon emissions in an effort to work toward a new global agreement to tackle climate change. Now is the time to raise our voices and demand strong action from world leaders.

What starts as a simple flick of the light switch for Earth Hour brings us all together in a collective display of our commitment to creating a better future for the planet. We need your help to ensure our commitment is stronger than ever and seen all around the world.

Turn out your lights for one hour on Saturday, March 28 at 8:30 pm local time and take a stand against climate change.

Many landmarks around the world are participating:

Ghiradelli Square - San Francisco, CA

Staples Center-  L.A., CA

Gateway Arch - St. Louis, Mo

Kennedy Space Center - Merrit Island, FL

Duluth Aerial Lift Bridge - Duluth, MN

Navy Pier - Chicago, IL

World of Coca-Cola - Atlanta, GA

National Cathedral - Washington, DC

The Empire State Building - New York City

TELL YOUR FRIENDS

We only have ONE PLANET. Live a ONE PLANET lifestyle. Make a pledge to reduce your energy footprint.

Earth Hour 2015 is on its way to becoming the largest display for climate change action ever.

SIGN UP FOR EARTH HOUR:

http://www.worldwildlife.org/earthhour

text and graphics provided by earthhour.org

To Friends Who Support The New York State Bi-Partisan Legislature Resolution To Ban Pentachlorophenol: We need to support New York State Assemblyman Fred Thiele and New York State Senator Ken LaValle for the legislation they've introduced into the NYS Legislature to ban pentachlorophenol. Their resolutions have been sent on to the Environmental Conservation Committee for Review. Until two days ago, there were zero public comments under the bills. There needs to be an outpouring of support for this legislation to protect our health and environment. Please go to: http://open.nysenate.gov/legislation/bill/S1879-2015 At the bottom of the page is the comments section. You will have to sign in with facebook, twitter, google or disqus to comment. I registered with disqus. It asked for minimal information and was seconds to do. Then you can type in your comments. Once I finished, I copied and pasted what I wrote and went back to the top of the form and clicked on Assembly Bill 2013. Then I pasted the same information into the assembly bill comment section at the bottom of that page. Disqus will send a confirmation email to you at the email you used to register. You must confirm that it is yours before they will make your comments public. Assemby Bill: A02013  Prohibits the use of pentachlorophenol with regard to new or existing transmission utility poles or facilities. Senate Bill: S01879 Prohibits the use of pentachlorophenol with regard to new or existing transmission utility poles or facilities. These bills will protect our children, ourselves, our pets, our wildlife, our soil and our sole source aquifer water source. In addition, contact your friends and relatives in other parts of New York who have different State Senators and State Assemblymen. Encourage  them to go into the website and write the names of their Legislators on the comments section telling them to support it too. Let’s make New York State the Leader in the Country on this issue.