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HERALD Celebrating Earth Day
Pope Francis is remembered
Students learn about nature
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VOL. 127 NO. 17
APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2025
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Oakcliff grad is new CEO of U.S. Sailing By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com
Courtesy Dawn Riley
Charlie Enright, a former Oakcliff sailor, and his team were the first Americans to win the Ocean Race in 2023. He has now been named CEO of US Sailing.
When Charlie Enright first jumped on a boat at Oakcliff Sailing in Oyster Bay in 2011, no one might have guessed that in less than 15 years he would become CEO of US Sailing. Enright, a prominent figure in the sailing world, with a decorated history at Oakcliff and beyond, was announced as the new head of the nation’s governing body of sailing on April 14. His journey from young sailor to leading the most prestigious sailing organization in the United States reflects his deep-rooted passion and commitment to the sport, as well as the lessons he learned sailing in Oyster Bay. Enright, 40, a native of Bristol, Rhode Island, made clear his enthusiasm for his new role, emphasizing his lifelong connection to sailing. He learned to sail at age 5, he said, and had been on CONTINUED ON PAGE 2
Friends of the Bay finding ways to clean the beaches By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com
A new initiative led by Friends of the Bay aims to tackle litter along local beaches with the help of both infras t r u c t u re a n d c o m m u n i t y involvement. Three new self-service beach cleanup stations — waste collection baskets with signs encouraging beachgoers to pick up litter — have been installed in recent months at Centre Island and Beekman beaches in Oyster Bay and, most recently, at Soundside Beach in Bayville. The stations are the first step in a broader effort by Friends of
the Bay to reduce pollution and inspire environmental stewardship year-round, according to the organization’s executive director, Christine Suter. “We’ve been wanting to do this for a while,” Suter said. “There are other places on the island where they have self-service cleanup stations, and so we’re doing this in partnership with the Town of Oyster Bay’s Department of Environmental Re s o u r c e s a n d t h e P a rk s Department, as well as with the Village of Bayville and Mayor Steve Minicozzi.” The first cleanup station was installed just before International Coastal Cleanup Day —
last Sept. 21 — at Centre Island Beach on the Sound, which Suter said consistently needs attention during Friends of the Bay’s monthly cleanups. The second station followed on April 8, at Beekman Beach, chosen for its location in a corner of the bay where wind, tide and human activity lead to an accumulation of debris. “Also, it’s good to have it there just because we have our friends down at the WaterFront Center,” Suter said, “who can use it for educational purposes there and keep an eye on it.” A third cleanup station was installed at Soundside Beach on Tuesday, the first in collabora-
tion with the Village of Bayville. “They reached out to us and said they would like to put one, with our permission, at Soundside Beach, which, at the time, we g ranted them the approval to do,” Bayville Mayor Steve Minicozzi said. “Once the signs came in, they provided the basket and the pole and the village installed it.”
Minicozzi described the process as “painless” and said the only cost to the village was the creation of custom signage. “Every little bit helps,” he added. “And if the community could lend a hand by grabbing a basket and, you know, picking up various little bits of paper or bottle caps, etcetera, it’s a CONTINUED ON PAGE 4