The main message of this month’s edition of Great South Bay News (GSBN) is that better things are possible, and it will be on newsstands later this week. It wasn’t intentionally planned this way, but the content clearly conveyed this message through both our words and images.
First, what better way to kick off the New Year than with a group of polar bear swimmers? Brett Brubaker traveled to Fire Island on New Year’s Day to meet up with some brave souls in Ocean Bay Park who braved the cold ocean waters to start 2026 with a fresh beginning. More of Brett’s fun photos are in this edition.
From there, we focus on making improvements: We write about better environmental policies—covering marine life, wetlands, our water, and other essential resources. This guides us to our ‘Between the Canals’ real estate section.
This month’s feature story explores the complex topic of sustainable building construction. GSBN and Canals columnist Samantha Salerno volunteered to cover this subject, and our partners at Riverhead Building Supply played a key role in helping us understand the many nuances involved. The striking cover photo by Josh Goetz shows an Ocean Bay Park home recently constructed by Blue Bay Contracting and for sale with Fire Island Living. It’s a beautiful and informative read.
This issue also highlights solutions for good health: healthy eating by Chef Nancy Sobel; healthy elections by Christopher Verga; and nourishing the soul—get out of the house and explore theater, music, and other events happening in our area, which you can find out about in the pages of this edition.
