Worn Away By the Tides

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In the 1790s, hoping to insulate the planned Montauk Lighthouse from the crashing waves of the Atlantic, federal surveyors decided to build it on top of Turtle Hill, 297 feet from the tip of Montauk Point -- about the length of a football field. Over time, however, the ocean -- and heavy-footed climbers -- steadily wore away the surrounding cliffs. The lighthouse is now just 70 feet from the water.

The photographs show the bluffs in the early 1900s compared with today. (In front of the lighthouse is a concrete sighting tower built during World War II.)

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has slowed the erosion in recent years by placing huge boulders at the base of the cliffs. In addition, a 1970s idea called ``reed-trench terracing'' has worked well. It involved a series of terraces covered with dead reed grass to prevent sand loss, and then a layer of soil and vegetation for stability. It was the idea of Giorgina Reid, a private citizen from Jackson Heights, Queens.