This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Skeet Shooting: Yacht Club Tradition or Nuisance?

Neighbor calls practice noisy and threatening to the environment.

A group of Sea Cliff Yacht Club members gather at the far end of the club dock to set up the equipment for skeet shooting, every Saturday morning.

While club members said that they've been skeet shooting for five or six years and that members of clubs in Manhasset and Port Washington also have weekly shoots, several nearby residents are not sold on the practice. 

Kenneth Gutwein, whose home on Shore Road is up the street from the yacht club, has called for the shoots to end.

Find out what's happening in Glen Covewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"This is extremely hazardous to both wildlife and humans in the surrounding area," Gutwein said. "The noise is highly disruptive to the neighborhood."

Gutwein said that he's reached out to many of the area's legislators hoping to enlist their support to end skeet shooting at the yacht club.

Find out what's happening in Glen Covewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

In skeet shooting clay discs, called pigeons, are launched from a machine. The shooters then aim their shot guns at the clay target.

Club member Ken Aebly of Glen Head said that he values the sport and the camaraderie that goes with it: "It's fun; we're shooting clay pigeons for a score."

Roberta Greenspon–who lives on The Boulevard directly opposite the yacht club dock–said that while she'd noticed that the weekly shoots resumed recently after they had stopped for a while, she doesn't mind them.

"It really doesn't bother us," she said, speaking for herself and her daughter Johanna; "but I can see that it might [bother] others."

The noise levels are like "little pops," Greenspoon said. "We're sort of aware of it in the background."

Sea Cliff residents Ellen Kamp and Megan Sirianni Brand have dealt with the aftermath of skeet shooting when they participated in the annual cleanup at Sea Cliff Village Beach, immediately adjacent to the yacht club.

Kamp said that the effects of skeet shooting between the main part of the beach and the part nearest the yacht club are clear: "We find considerable amounts of clay; you can really see the difference," she said.

Brand–who recently organized a fundraiser for wildlife harmed by the Gulf Coast oil spill–pointed to another problem: "Clay is not biodegradable," she said.

While shells from skeet shooting turn up during the beach cleanups, Brand said the practice would be "no big deal if the shooters would clean up after themselves."

Editor's Note: The original statement that rifles were used was incorrect and has been changed to shotgun on Dec. 15.. 

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?