In Our Corner

Just as proving a negative is a philosophical challenge, it’s very hard to say what the world would be like had a key player never made an entrance. George Bailey got a taste of it in “It’s a Wonderful Life,” thanks to angels, but the rest of us in the real world are left to speculate.

Imagine the South Fork without the Group for the East End. Pretend that it never gained traction — that environmentalists had the idea one day 50 years ago, but, like so many other groups of busy professionals, they simply got distracted or found something else to focus on.

What kind of Pottersville might we see around us?

The people involved in the founding of the Group for America’s South Fork, the current organization’s forerunner, were numerous and came from all different backgrounds — a perfect distillation of the community that made it a special place. They saw forces aligning to forever change the region, and they laid the foundation of an organization tasked with providing guard rails, or, when needed, roadblocks.

Virtually every environmentalist whose name is known on the East End has at one time or another worked for or partnered with the Group: It’s a roster of home run hitters who had the benefit of being on the right side of arguably every development fight. The environment and the health of neighborhoods were their clients. They speak for that which cannot, and they articulate on behalf of the human beings who know what they love about where they live but might not make an effective case at a town board hearing.

The Group for the East End is marking 50 years this week with a fundraising gala, and it’s a moment to congratulate Bob DeLuca, its longtime executive director and leader, and the entire cadre of professionals and passionate volunteers who have done so much to make the South Fork, and now the entire East End, a special place.

But it’s also a chance to marvel at what might have been. With the Group as a watchdog, and a guard dog at times, America’s South Fork really is a marvelous place and not just another lovely region overrun and destroyed by its own popularity. It remains an oasis.

Challenges remain — and it’s nice to know that, 50 years later, the Group for the East End is still in our corner, fighting.