Ocean Exhibit at the Montauk Lighthouse Shares the Dismal Facts of Shark Finning and Whaling, But there’s Hope!
by Brendan Hallinan
During our September 27th trip to the Montauk Lighthouse on the eastern most point of Long Island the Coastal Cultural Experience class of SBUSH was reminded of the present-day tragedies happening to our whale and shark populations. It is very wildly known that Sharks and Whales are target for their fins, teeth, meat, and oil and that these industries are leading to devastating declines in both shark and whale populations. One of the things that the Ocean Exhibit at Montauk Lighthouse Museum does a fine job of is education the public of target problems that are leading to the continuation of the Shark Finning and Whaling industries.
A placard in the entrance to the exhibit informs that while shark finning is banned in the United States, the trade and sale of shark fins is legal. By banning the hunt but allowing the trade of shark fins the US has done nothing to reduce the impact of finning on shark populations, all we have done is encourage other nations to export fins to the US. There is a push to pass the Shark Fin Trade Elimination Act in congress. As of September 18, 2019, the bill has been ordered to be reported by the Yeas and Nays with 16 for and 13 opposed to the bill in the subcommittee in its current form (https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/737). This bill would ban the sale and possession of shark fins nationwide and thus remove all US demand from the shark finning market. It is a good step towards protecting our shark populations worldwide.
The other major industry that this exhibit elucidated was the whaling industry and how the Right Whale population of Long Island is doing today. Whaling is historically a huge trade for long islanders. Sag Harbor and Sagoponack were part of the largest whale oil trades in the state in the 17th and 18th century, and the Montauk Lighthouse relied on 450+ gallons on whale oil a year to operate until the Oil Vapor Lamps replacement by electric lights. The exhibit featured 450 Right Whales painted along the floor of the fog house building representing all members of the remaining population. With a gestation period of 12 months and one calf per pregnancy coupled with a first reproductive age of 10 the Right Whale needs long periods to recuperate its population (https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/north-atlantic-right-whale). As of late 2018 there were 3 mortalities and no births recorded, meaning a further decline in the population. There have been 3 calf sightings in 2019 which should be added to records at the end of the year. Threats that whales are facing today include vessel strikes, being caught in fishing gear, and underwater noise pollution which interferes with whale communications, long distance travel, and hunting.
The Silver lining to this is that through research and education we can spread awareness of the endangered or declining populations of whales and sharks and encourage legislation and human practices that reduce our impact. The use of shark fins is declining in younger generations and the consumption of whale and shark product is tabooer than ever before. Groups such as OCEANA, who provided the information for the ocean room at Montauk, are helping to pass new scientific research on to the public which can lead to the support for appropriate legislation and shifts the cultural importance of products that are not sustainable.
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Pictured is the 450 painted Right whales on the floor of the old foghorn building by Miles Partington. Each image once represented a Right Whale in the wild but today the painted whales outnumber the real ones.
Photo by Ana Noel, Sept. 2019 |
Erosion, Changing Life as we Know it
by Katelyn Castler
Erosion is a natural occurrence that occurs just about everywhere on earth. The slow process is not always noticeable to the eye. But within a few decades, where you thought there was land, may have disappeared. The natural phenomena has been a great problem for Long Island’s historical symbol; the Montauk Lighthouse. When the lighthouse was first constructed in 1796, there was about 300 feet between the light house and the ocean. Today, due to erosion, there now exists less than 100 feet.
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| Figure 1. Replica of the Montauk light house in 1796. (Notice the vast distance of land between the lighthouse and the coast. |
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| Figure 2. The light house on Septempber 27th, 2019. Over 200 years have past and the coastline has significantly been washed away. |
Erosion occurs by waves hitting the coast, wind along the land, and even precipitation. To start, the ground underneath the lighthouse consists of different layers of sediment. The sediment is layered similarly to this order; soil, clay, sand, maybe more clay, rock, ect.. When the wind and rain hit the island and run down towards the coast, they carry along these sediments. The waves will then pick up the sediment and carry them along further west along the southern coastline of Long Island.
Giorgina Reid, a Long Island local, recognized the erosion problem in 1970. She came up with an idea to stabilize the Long Island coastline with a system of terraces. These terraces would prevent sediment from washing off the coast into the sea. The terraces were built with reeds which act as a seal, preventing sand from sifting out. They also hold the soil together with their roots. Her project took about 17 years to complete. Her terraces were a great success. Now today she is celebrated in the Montauk lighthouse museum as the one who saved the lighthouse.
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| Figure 3. An image of the reeds used to protect the sediment from erosion. |
Renovations to the Lighthouse
by Claes Christian Rozenveld
Photo 1 (Lighthouse circa 1796)
When the lighthouse was first built in 1796, it had only the bare necessities. Having just the lighthouse and the keeper’s dwelling on the property, it was very low tech compared to today. At the time, the tower was 297 feet away from the edge of the bluff.
Photo 2 (Lighthouse circa 1860)
After 64 years of the lighthouse being in its original state, it was finally given upgrades. A new house was built onto the base of the lighthouse, and the tower was built taller to accommodate the introduction of the Fresnel lens.
Photo 3 (Lighthouse circa 1903)
In 1903, the first Fresnel lens was replaced with the 3 ½ order Fresnel lens. The Day Mark was also added, which is a way of differentiating the lighthouses. A wireless telegraph station was also built at this point.
Photo 4 (Lighthouse circa 1943)
During the Second World War, a camouflage tower was built to the side of the lighthouse. This tower was used by the military as a protection of sorts against any damage being done to the lighthouse. A gun bunker was built to the south and was equipped with cannons and other weapons for defense. A fishing pier was also built to facilitate surf casting.
Exploring “The End” of Long Island
by Arthur Cody
The first site of our trip was the montauk lighthouse. Montauk itself has often been referred to as “The End” as its the farthest east point on Long Island before the Ocean. The point has also been known as a place that marks the end of Journeys. Whether it was a voyage at sea for whaling, or as a symbol that welcomes immigrants to America, the Montauk Lighthouse stands as a light to sailors on dark nights.
The picture above shows the remains of a building that used to sit at the top of the cliffside of Montauk Lighthouse. It was knocked down the cliff due to the instability of the ground around it and flipped upside down as it fell. It is an example of how strong the erosion is at Montauk.
When we had finished our discussions and trekking at Montauk, we stopped at the Napeague bay overlook. Which gave us a view of Napeague Bay and Harbor. This area has the thinnest stretch of land on Long Island that disconnects the Ocean from the bay.
The beach we stopped at was located right across from the Walking dunes, an area in which large piles of sand, upwards of 50 feet, are piled up due to the angle at which the winds push sand into that area. This beach is more orange looking than most due to a higher than normal concentration of Iron in the sand. This harbor is also known to be an excellent are for seagrass beds and has recently been involved in seagrass restoration.
Montauk and World War 2
by Lucas Wong
This past Friday, we went to “The End”, Montauk Point. We explored the lighthouse and had a lecture on the history of it. The light house was built in 1796 and continued to be used until today. When World War 2 started, the US Army took over the light house. They built a tower to look out for German battle ships and submarines.
Montauk Light House (right) and the watch tower (left).
Next to the lighthouse, the Army opened Camp Hero in 1942, a military base that had two small bunkers with two 16 inch guns in each. They also had a bunker with two smaller 6 inch guns. The bunkers were buried underground for more camouflage and protection from any attacks. Camp Hero was built to protect New York from being invaded. If the watch tower saw any German ships, they would notify the bunkers and they would shoot the ships down.
The old bunker that held the 16 inch guns now rests at the bottom of the sea wall around the lighthouse.
Post World War 2, Camp Hero was decommissioned. Due to erosion, one of the bunkers were showing. They hosed the layer of dirt below the bunker and brought it down. The bunker can be seen today when you walk around the lighthouse. There were rumors of the military running secret experiments. A show was created, called Stranger Things, based on the rumors of the experiments.
Montauk Lighthouse Blog Post
by Sandra Reyes
Lighthouses in themselves played a very important economic and social role during the time of the colonies. The Montauk lighthouse was approved by President Washington in 1792, who at the time represented the New York Chamber of Commerce on discussions related to the construction of the lighthouse. Since trade with Europe helped the economy in a positive way, Washington believed that, with the help of the lighthouse, New York would become a major spot for national trade with other countries. The main purpose of the lighthouse was to guide ships towards the harbor, but it also warned ships when they were getting too close to land on dark, foggy or stormy nights.
The site for the montauk lighthouse was purchased for $250 and consisted of 13 acrs; the purchase was approved by Washington. The whole project took 5 months to complete and by 1797 the lighthouse keeper lit the candles for the lamps in the tower, thus making it operational. It was kept under civilan command until World War II when the united states army took it over as part of the Eastern Coastal Defense Shield. In 1942, the US army even built a watch tower next to the lighthouse to be able to watch for germans attempting to reach the coast; which consisted of two 16-inch gun batteries of two guns each, and a battery of two 6-inch guns. The lighthouse tower itself was originally all white and its single brown stripe was added in 1903 to make it easier for ships to recognize it; as well as also this being the year they changed the lens to make it easier to see from farther away.
