Sept. 7 was one of those perfect post-summer days — clear blue skies, low humidity and ocean temperatures warmer than they’ve been all year. A perfect beach day for the West End, Long Branch, beachgoers, who had decided that although Labor Day may be the official end of summer, it was too nice a day to spend anywhere else. But Carl Jennings, director of recreation for the City of Long Branch, told me in a phone conversation that since Long Branch beaches are officially closed, amenities such as garbage receptacles and lifeguards are no longer available to the public.
Well, the beaches may be closed, but the food stands and bathrooms are still open, and the people are still coming. They are generating lots of garbage — garbage that is showing up all over the beach, creating an unsightly and possibly unhealthy shore environment. Carl explained he was ordered to remove the garbage cans by City Administrator Howard Woolley.
The basic message is that, because the summer season is over for the city government and fees are no longer being collected, there remains no responsibility to place receptacles on the beach and collect trash left there. Does this mean clean beaches are a seasonal economic issue?
We need to leave the trash receptacles on the beach until early October. If the city budget can’t accommodate this small fee, why not do what so many other coastal towns outside New Jersey do — post a sign letting people know the beaches have a policy of carry-in and carry-out between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Supply plastic bags, and let the residents of New Jersey take responsibility for keeping our shoreline and oceans clean all year-round. Further, post steep littering penalties and fines between Labor Day and Memorial Day — and enforce them.
Local officials sometimes seem to think beaches and the ocean somehow disappear when the summer is over. But they need to be kept clean year-round, not only during some special beach sweep event. Our beaches and ocean are not just a summer tourist attraction — they are a wondrous natural resource that deserves our respect and protection.
Janice Hirschorn
Elberon section
of Long Branch