Who are you?

1. Tom 06.13.07 / 12pm

   Great website and great cause! I grew up on the south shore of Long Island in the 60’s and 70’s (Sayville). Spent my summers, and the first four years out of high school working on the bay. Best years of my life. It’s been 30 years, but alot of who I am today was forged when I was on that body of water working side-by-side with my grandfather six days a week. They say you can’t go home again, but Sayville, and the Great South Bay will always be my home. Looking for opportunities to help.
2. Jaclyn Ciamillo 06.13.07 / 1pm

   Growing up in South Sayville was the best thing that ever happened to me. For starters, I have so many memories with friends and family that have been down by the water. In addition to the memories that were made, places such as Land’s End have not only provided me with inspiration for school work, but have also helped me to discover my love for photography. Now it is an activity that I do every single day. I love to run down by the water in the mornings. It is an outlet for me when I have stress in my life. I have never taken my location for granted. I wish that the Great South Bay was not so polluted. It would have been nice swimming in it as a child during the summertime. I was hesitant to go in for so many years (my feelings have not changed now that I am a grown woman). Either way, I love Sayville and hope to raise a family here one day myself; Maybe by then it won’t be considered gross to take a swim in the bay. I am all for helping to improve the waters.
3. Jane Byrne 06.13.07 / 7pm

   Growing up on the South Shore was a great experience. With the beach and the Great South Bay right at my fingertips there was always something to do, whether it was sailing, boating or just chilling out on the beach. Also with the Great South Bay I was able to lifeguard down there a few times which was always a relaxing time. I could not have asked for a better place to grow up.
4. Tricia Smallwood 06.14.07 / 8pm

   I talk to people about growing up on the South Shore of Long Island with a sense of pride. Growing up on the shore was a catalyst for me taking sailing lessons, summer beach houses on fire island, learning to be a strong swimmer and most importantly it provides a keystone for all the my most fond memories from elementary school till now. I’ve always found that growing up on the shore has instilled a sense of peace in me that is only possible when I sit on a shore, look out into the water and am accompanied only by the sound of the tide waxing and waning against the dock. Living on the bay is very much a part of my identity, down to the most superficial of characteristics such as my affinity for flip flops year around to my almost instinctual gravity toward the water in a significant amount of my photography. Since I grew up on the shore while I was traveling Europe I was never homesick as long as there was a body of water and a stretch of sand or a sturdy dock. For all of those reasons and much much more consider me a strong supporter of restoring and maintaining the quality of our shore line and water.
5. Lindsey 06.26.07 / 8pm

   Living near the water has been such a great experience for me. I cannot imagine a more beautiful place to grow up. Many people take it for granted, but we are so lucky to be so close to something so amazing. This website is a great way to remind people of the beauty that is all around us.
6. Kimberly Cisek 07.06.07 / 1pm

   To the water I have walked to think about life, to make decisions, to celebrate happy moments, to wash away past experiences, to grieve deaths in the family, to splash the coolness on my face and to listen to the sounds of its waxing and waning against the shore. The water always listens to my indecisiveness, recommends suggestions for the betterment of my life, celebrates in my happiness, consoles me when I grieve, refreshes me when I am overheated and plays music to my ears. After having lived in Bayport for twenty six years, Back to Baysics has encouraged me pause and reflect upon all that the Great South Bay has offered me. This campaign is encouraging me to give back to the Great South Bay.

   My earliest memories are of me and my cousins playing in the Bay, out on a raft, swaying back and forth singing “Rock the boat, don’t tip it over” and then falling into the water with a laugh and a splash. Another early memory is digging my feet in the sand while my dad worked the rake and I clammed with my toes. Now, I bring my nephew to this same beach, but I do not foresee him partaking in these experiences. While we run along the edge of the shore and skip rocks, we oftentimes walk cautiously around the beach glass and throw away litter. As of late, people are bringing down furniture and leaving it on the beach. Afraid he might cut his foot on the glass carpeting the shore, we stay along the edge.

   I want my nephew to experience the same joy of the Bay as my family and I did growing up. I consider the Great South Bay a family member because of its loyalty and reliable and constant-nature. But, as of late, I am concerned with the Bay. Like a family member who is aging, the Bay seems to be ill and old. Like my family member, I want to take care of it and make it feel youthful and alive. Besides picking up glass and litter, I wonder what else I can do.
7. Christian Fritz 07.09.07 / 11am

   The bay is so many things. It is an escape from everyday life, it is a place to fish, a place to enjoy boating and watch sunsets. It is a place to watch mother nature at work during storms and during extreme cold spells when she freezes. It is the place I grew up on from Bayport beach, West Sayville docks, Connetquot river all the way to Fire Island. So many incredible memories from the bay with family and friends, I just hope that many generations to come can enjoy it the way I have.
8. Ian 07.10.07 / 1pm

   I am not surrounded by water, but my house is. I think this has impacfed my life. I get to be really free when I swim in the bay. Please understand that I have autism and the Great South Bay and it’s beaches are very comforting to me. I love to see the waves and to hear the waves. You will not get this the way I do but that is O.K. We ALL benefit from the bay in different ways; each of us receives a positive energy from the bay that we love. I would like to assist you in this endeavor to save OUR bay and it’s beaches…it belongs to each of us.
9. Theresa Lewando 07.13.07 / 1am

   I grew up on the bay. My great grandfather moved to the Canaan Lake neighbohood of Patchogue when the houses were still bungalows. His son owned the R&F marina, my mother worked at the parts store, and I learned how to drive my grandfather’s boat by the time I was ten. We spent countless hours anchored in the Great South Bay swimming on the sunniest of days, and learning about the constellations under a shimmering blanket of stars by night. It was so long ago that I felt I could swim safely in that once awesome water. Now, my favorite thing to do is to watch the sun sink into the horizen, reflecting the purples and oranges on the rippling tides, remembering the better days of our bay. I hope that one day the bay will be safe to swim in again. I hope I can take my children to Corey beach and not worry they’ll get sick from the water. I hope all the South Shore towns band together and, as they say, make our Great South Bay great again…
10. Drew 07.16.07 / 8am

    My wife and I named our youngest daughter, Caitlin Bay, after the Great South Bay. To us, the GSB is still a place of inspiration, beauty, comfort and contemplation. We hope that we will be able to preserve this treasure and that our daughter will be able to enjoy it with her family for future generations.

    “You must be the change you want to see in the world.”
    -Gandhi
11. Lisa Silverstein 07.17.07 / 9am

    There’s no place like the Great South Bay anywhere I have been. I grew up on the Connetquot River and have wonderful memories sailing, swimming (yes, swimming), clamming or just relaxing on the bay. Fire Island is truly a treasure that protects it. My father built a ketch, the Antigua, to be the perfect bay boat. My children grew up to love it too and make sure they enjoy the bay and all it has to offer. It’s where my husband and I go to relax and find peace. It’s protection is so important and this project is a great way to raise awareness. Thanks!
12. Gail Latella 07.22.07 / 10pm

    I watch people at the West Sayville dock taking undersized crabs every year. I watch people take female crabs. I believe that people would be more compliant with regards to sustainable harvesting if they were informed and encouraged to “let them go, let them grow.” Metal posters with information about markings of male and female crabs, and suggestions to throw the females back might help. Rulers nailed on the docks with acceptable sizes for fish and crabs would also help. The Nature Conservancy has volunteers who have been instrumental in protecting the plover and tern nesting areas. Why not a similar program to inform the people who are crabbing and fishing from our docks. Also, how about garbage cans that are not open to the wind and the gulls?
13. Ryan Fitzpatrick 08.30.07 / 12pm

    Outstanding website Rob. Your passion for our bay is shared by many, but props for taking the initiative on this. There aren’t any places I’ve ever been that compare to the area surrounding the Sayvilles. The history of the Great South Bay should be required learing in High School; how else will the youth have the right perspective? The more who care, the better the bay. Thanks for caring.

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