Rockaway Wave Obituary Of Bernard Blum
Environmentalist, Wave Columnist

Bernard "Bernie" Blum, a longtime Arverne resident, environmentalist and Wave columnist, died September 30. He was 64. Blum was born on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. His family moved to Arverne in 1956, when he was 14 years old. Blum was later the founder and president of Friends of Rockaway, a citizen's group dedicated to the protection of Jamaica Bay. He served on the Jamaica Bay Taskforce, and regularly attended meetings on local environmental issues. Bill Mulcahy, a friend of Blum's and fellow Friends of Rockaway member, called Bernie one of Rockaway's "greatest guardians." "Bernie and I were closer than just fellow environmentalists. He was my close friend. Bernie used to go with me to visit my father in his nursing home and he helped me though his death and funeral," Mulcahy recalled in a letter to The Wave. He added that he is happy that others want "to continue Bernie's work of protecting Jamaica Bay and Rockaway." Jonathan Gaska, the District Manager of Community Board 14, said Blum "really strived to make Rockaway a better place." Blum was never shy about raising his concerns with the community board or any other group or city agency. Gaska said that he "always had a good sense of humor," and "was right more than he was wrong." "He will be missed," Gaska said. Blum was also a dedicated minyan member of Congregation Derech Emunoh of Arverne since 1988, where he also served on the board of directors. "Mr. Blum's active participation helped Derech Emunoh to continue and flourish," said his friend, Joyce M. Ashe. Blum is survived by his brother, Elliott Blum, and two nephews. Interment was at Mount Richmond Hebrew Cemetery.

It's My Turn
By Anna Horowitz & The Blum Family  http://www.rockawave.com/news/2006/1020/Columnists/076.html 

Bernard Blum and Anna Horowitz examining the flora and fauna, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, winter 2005.

The following article and poem were written for Bernard Blum, local environmentalist, from his family and fellow environmental stewards: Elliott Blum and Family; Anna Horowitz, Environmental Science Instructor, and son, Adam; Teacher Bruce Seltzer and the two environmental classes of Queens High School For The Sciences at York College.

Bernard Blum, founder of "Friends of Rockaway" and a fellow steward of the Jamaica Bay Task Force, always delivered a proactive approach to his listeners and readers. Blum studied marine biology on the graduate level at Long Island University. However, his high school training, at The High School of Music and Art, would eventually spill into his literary and artistic features, which eventually would make him our local environmentalist. For example, though he wrote numerous and comprehensive environmental columns in The Wave called "Sticks and Stones," his linguistic, artistic attributes and love for his audience served to only enhance his articles and arguments (some covered on QPTV) in this vital interdisciplinary field known as Environmental Science.

Blum supported Education by presenting environmental slide shows and discussions to our small circle of friends after all of us got together for dinner. In one of my last conversations with him, he had emphasized the important role of education in preserving and conserving our environment. Recently, he brought to my attention a program called "Estuary Live 2006 Virtual Field Trip" described in one of his subscriptions, The Tidal Exchange . Subsequently, my fellow colleague, Bruce Seltzer, and myself, enthusiastically and immediately enrolled our environmental high school students in that program. By infusing technology into the classroom, our students were able to take a virtual field trip, broadcasted live across the nation, to Jamaica Bay Estuary and then to the South Slough Reserve in Oregon - a very unique and interactive experience!

I was not able to share with Bernard the results or even thank him since he had passed away early the next morning, Saturday, September 30, "National Estuaries Day." This day is observed nationally by fellow stewards, within our schools and science communities, and falls on the last Saturday in September.

The following poem was written for Bernard Blum.

To My Family, Fellow Stewards, Educators, and the Rockaway Community:

Do not cry for me, I am at peace, if only you could see,

The clouds up here are clear and free of adversaries like CO and PCB,

Free of human activities that upset the natural rhythm of elements,

Even sounds, like music, resonate as if by dozens of instruments.

Do not feel sad for me, since I can glide endlessly on my toes,

Floating on a raindrop in front of the sun, along with others in their rows,

Forming, at last, a rainbow for you to wonder in awe,

No need here to seek out environmental intervention and the law.

Good wisdom, simple, righteous, peaceful manners dominant this place,

A harmony, a balance, that goes way beyond simply restoring Earth's old face,

No need, anymore from here, to treat the problems of global warming,

Warm ocean waters, beach erosion, salty marshes disappearing.

Offsetting the salinity of our estuaries, while freshwater melts off ice caps,

Disturbing the natural mix of so many brackish watersheds on our maps,

Not to mention the poor toads that need to breed in small puddles,

Finding that water levels are now way over their heads in enormous bundles.

I am at peace my family, stewards, educators, community and members of my shul,

Here, please...hand over to your students and children all these environmental tools,

I left behind for you to use and if, perchance, you ever have a question to ask,

Listen to the call of the wild, instead of, merely, pulling answers from your flask.

Do say "hello" from time to time, I might reply with a rippled wave one day,

As you transmit a kind thought by throwing a gentle pebble in the estuary or bay,

My friends, you and I are two faces of the same world, far bigger than this rock, Earth.

In the eyes of God, we are of the same cloth shielded under his never ceasing hearth.

A Paean To Bernie Blum  

Dear Wave Editor,  http://www.rockawave.com/news/2006/1013/Letters/ 

I would like to say something about my good friend, Bernard Blum, who passed away on September 30, 2006.

Bernard was very devoted to the environment. When he traveled Statewide to make his point on crucial issues that would change the face of our community, he would often come back and state with sadness, "I was the only one there." The great poet Robert Frost wrote about people like Bernard, "When has it ever been anything but treason in the heart of man to go along with the drift of things."

Bernard was anything but a traitor. Never in the history of Rockaway Beach was there a human being who devoted as much time to the environment as Bernard. Not once did he ever mention a monetary gain for himself. Bernard spent every penny in his pockets on stamps to mail his statements to every federal, state, and city agency involved in making decisions for Rockaway. About 10 years ago he came into my office with a cardboard box full of letters. I said, "What on earth are you doing with all those letters?" He said, "I'm mailing them out, but I don't have the stamps. Can I leave them here till I get the money?"

One of his greatest disappointments was the demolition of one the last remaining wooden Synagogues in New York City, Derech Emunoh on Beach 67 Street in Arverne. "Another Rockaway treasure needlessly erased from the face of this beautiful earth," he said. His disappointment grew more and more because he was expecting someone to question the legality of the demolition. The fire started one evening and the following morning Derech Emunoh was demolished. He said to me, "How is it possible to be able to get a demolition permit overnight?"

Another disappointment was the development of the 308 acres in the Arverne Urban Renewal Area. Bernard was one of the few local residents aware that the development was breaking federal, state, and city building codes, and most important to Bernard, breaking environmental laws. Bernard knew a great deal about the migration paths of birds, butterflies and other species that made their homes in the natural oasis that formed in the overgrown Arverne acres. He was saddened and worried to think of what would become of the Monarch butterflies and other marvelous creatures that graced us yearly.

Bernard was, without a doubt, way ahead of his time and that was his biggest drawback. At times he got upset with me for not being able to comprehend what he was talking about. Bernie expected everyone to understand what he was saying and to take their responsibility as stewards of the environment seriously. I wish I had taken his words and efforts more seriously. Now, all I can say to you, Bernard, is what I should have said to you directly, "You are a great compassionate human being, a tireless teacher, and a golden thread in the web of life."

John Baxter 

Remembering Bernie Blum

Dear Editor,  http://www.rockawave.com/news/2006/1006/Letters/

I was saddened to hear on Sunday that my good friend, Bernard Blum had died on Saturday. Rockaway has lost one of its greatest guardians. Unfortunately I heard of his death too late to attend his funeral.

Friends of Rockaway President Bernie Blum, and other Friends of Rockaway members, such as John Baxter and Steven Wohl, were in the vanguard to protect Rockaway from despoilment by "development" that is more about profits for insiders than what's good for Rockaway.

Some of the victories of this odd group of Orthodox Jews and Irish Christians included stopping the "done deal" of the monster Arverne housing project in the 1990's and the closing of the Edgemere Landfill. Another major victory was stopping the creation of the giant, garbage transfer station that would have brought Long Island's garbage, including infectious waste, to be processed at an illegally filled-in area near Beach 80 Street. This site is the first thing beach goers see when they travel to Rockaway by the A train!!!

Although the transfer station was stopped, the site is still there waiting for the next scheme by the enemies of Rockaway.

As a former N.Y. City firefighter I was most impressed by Bernie's courage when standing up to what many times was obviously a coalition of organized crime and local politicians out to literally dump on Rockaway for personal gain.

Bernie and I were closer than just fellow environmentalists. He was my close friend. Bernie used to go with me to visit my father in his nursing home and he helped me through his death and funeral.

Although I no longer live in Rockaway I am still webmaster for the Friends of Rockaway's web site. I was happy to see that many people want to continue Bernie's work of protecting Jamaica Bay and Rockaway by keeping Friends of Rockaway alive. I can't think of a better tribute to my friend. I am with you.

BILL MULCAHY