Group Lobbies For Rockaway Surfing
The PRESS, 11/04
By Jack Buehrer
Surfers and lawmakers in Queens say they are close to scoring a huge victory for waveriders all over the city.
Activists in the Rockaways are pushing to reform laws that prohibit local surfers from utilizing parts of Rockaway Beach, which they have dubbed "the only surfable beach" in New York City.
Members of the New York chapter of the Surfrider Foundation, a global, non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of and access to the world's oceans, have formed a branch tentatively called the Rockaway Environmental Committee and teamed up with local politicians to urge the city to revise restrictions that prohibit surfing along the seven-mile stretch of beach starting at Beach 90th Street. Though law enforcers have often looked the other way over the years, recently, surfers have been ticketed by police in the area and surfing enthusiasts have grown increasingly concerned.
"We're working with the [parks and recreation department] to get them to actually state on their regulations that this area is actually designated specifically for surfing, rather than swimming," said Joel Banslaben, Rockaway resident and chair of SurfriderNYC, which formed in 1999. "At the end of the day, hopefully forming this committee will represent to politicians that we're serious about this. This is a serious issue to a lot of people."
And the politicians are listening.
Councilman Joe Addabbo, Jr. as well as State Assemblywoman Audrey Pheffer both worked with the group earlier this year to successfully overturn a provision in the state's health code dating back to 1850 that prohibited even visiting the beach unless life guards were on duty. Changing that law has proven to be the final obstacle in the path toward making Rockaway Beach the first-ever legally surfable beach within New York City limits. Addabbo said he's confident the city will formally legalize surfing on not one but two Rockaway beaches, the other likely location being "somewhere downtown." He's currently in discussions with the parks department as the two sides are trying to close all loopholes before making an official announcement later this month or in November.
"Surfing is a positive thing for Rockaway," he said. "So much bad has been written and said about Rockaways, and here's something positive. [The Surfriders] are a unified bunch. People come from all over to surf these beaches. We wanted to do something for them and hopefully we're getting near the tail end of this process."
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Check out Robert Skorney's gallery of the best Rockaway swell in recent memory.
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