Beaches

On Long Island, Huntington residents are calling for the town to improve protection of Crab Meadow Beach from the environmental impacts of nearby development.

Beaches in both Nassau and Suffolk counties will remain open for swimming well into September.

The mayor of Southampton Village has partnered with a nonprofit group to provide the Shinnecock Nation with 100 beach parking passes.

At least five swimmers have been bitten by sharks this summer on Long Island beaches. And while the encounters have resulted in some minor injuries, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said these sharks pose little threat to humans.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is directing state agencies to increase shark monitoring at Long Island beaches. There have been at least five shark attacks in the last two weeks on Long Island.

Smith Point County Beach temporarily closed for swimming Wednesday morning after a surfer was bit by a shark.

Demonstrators marched down the main streets of Southampton and East Hampton, carrying signs that read, “Tax the Rich.” They called for increasing taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers to fund affordable housing and to fight climate change.

A law signed by Governor Kathy Hochul last week gives the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation until 2024 to come up with a new set of rules for the commercial harvest of all types of crabs. They can impose new size, catch and possession limits and restrict seasonal harvests.

The Shinnecock Tribal Nation will rally at Cooper’s Beach on Saturday in an effort to urge the Village of Southampton to allow tribal citizens free beach access.

Olivine sand was added to the shoreline to remove carbon dioxide from the air. If successful, this could help Long Island fight ocean acidification and greenhouse gas emissions.