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The Eastern box turtle, above, is a native species to Long Island. Photo by 37and7 from Wikimedia Commons

Through the years, there have been scattered reports of the Eastern box turtle, a native species to Long Island, seen along the Setauket-Port Jefferson Greenway Trail, particularly at a 1/8-mile strip adjacent to the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site.

Though not listed as an endangered species under the federal Endangered Species Act, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation considers the box turtle of “special concern,” a classification for native species that “warrants attention and consideration but current information, collected by the department, does not justify listing these species as either endangered or threatened.”

The New York State Department of Transportation, charged with mowing the Greenway three times per year, was alerted to the turtle presence earlier this summer by the Three Village Community Trust, the local organization supervising and stewarding the trail.

“We became aware that there were some turtles apparently in the area in and around the Lawrence Aviation site,” said Herb Mones, TVCT president. “As a result, we requested that the state, when it does its mowing program, not mow that section or that area.”

The Friends of the Greenway is a subsidiary of TVCT that works to maintain and upkeep the trail grounds. Charlie McAteer, the organization’s chair, held that the mowing operation does fulfill a public end, limiting tall grasses, which can often yield ticks.

“If the tall grass is right next to the paving, people worry about ticks as they go past,” McAteer said in an email. “So these few mowings do help with our human satisfaction.”

But, he added that the organization strives to keep “mowing to a minimum so meadow growth and places for turtles [and other wildlife] can flourish again and trail users can see and enjoy nature along the trail.”

Joshua Heller, public information specialist for NYSDOT, indicated that the department was made aware of the presence of turtles and halted mowing for the area in question. 

“The New York State Department of Transportation prides itself on being good stewards of the environment,” Heller said in a statement. “We have received the Three Village Community Trust’s letter and are reviewing it. In the meantime, we have temporarily halted mowing operations in this area.”

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Photos taken Tuesday, Aug. 22, indicate recent mowing activity near the Lawrence Aviation Superfund site, an area with a known presence of Eastern box turtles. Photos by Raymond Janis

Aug. 22 walkthrough

A walk along the Greenway Tuesday, Aug. 22, painted a different picture.

Outside the Lawrence Aviation property, there was evidence of fresh mowing. However, there was no evidence of harm to wildlife observed during the walkthrough. 

Presented the photos of the recent mowing activities, Mones expressed possible miscommunication. 

“It’s unfortunate that the NYSDOT extended their mowing beyond the area we recommended to them,” the TVCT president said in an email. “In the past, the DOT has been responsive to our requests and recommendations. It’s obvious we’ll need to do more work to create a ‘protective zone’ in the future.”

NYSDOT did respond to a follow-up request for comment on the matter by clarifying that the recent mowing occurred prior to temporarily halting mowing in the area.

Possible solutions

A 2017 thesis paper by Margarete Walden explores the danger mowing activities pose to box turtles. 

To mitigate the potential risk of turtle mortality due to mowing, Walden suggests conducting “mowing activities [from] November to March, so as to coincide with the period of turtle hibernation,” during which they live underground. It is, however, difficult to mow during these months when there is heavy snowfall.

McAteer pledged that the Friends of the Greenway “will work with NYSDOT to try to work on the mowing distance/guidelines” for routine mowings.

For Mones, wildlife conservation and trail maintenance are not mutually exclusive. Rather, he indicated that both efforts could serve the coinciding interests of trail users and wildlife.

“Our motto is, ‘Protecting the places we love,’” Mones said. “We are the stewards of the Greenway, but we also have the residual responsibility to protect the open space and advance environmental protection.”

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Diamondback Terrapin
John Turner

Friends of Flax Pond invite the community to join them at the Childs Mansion, 19 Shore Drive, Old Field on Sunday, March 26 at 3 p.m. for a lecture titled “Diamondback Terrapin: the Turtle with the Clown Lips” presented by John Turner.

These amazing turtles inhabit our local coastal areas. Late each spring and early summer the females come ashore to nest on our local beaches. Conservation is key to their continued survival.

Turner will present information about these fascinating creatures as well as some of the local conservation efforts. As always light refreshments will be served. Please bring a reusable coffee mug to reduce waste. The lecture is free, but donations are gratefully accepted. Parking is at the Flax Pond Lab, adjacent to the Childs Mansion. If you need other arrangements for parking and have a “handicap parking pass,” please e-mail or text 631-767-6287 to make arrangements.

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Learn all about turtles on Dec. 28. Photo from Pixabay

Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery presents a virtual program for children, The Hard Facts About Turtles, on Dec. 28 via Zoom from 10 to 11 a.m. Can turtles come out of their shells?  Learn the hard facts about turtle shells with a storytime, craft, and by meeting some of the hatchery’s terrific turtles. Craft materials needed: paper plate (or a circle cut from paper), printed turtle template (or make your own, scissors, glue, crayons or markers, scraps of colored paper (optional) $15 registration fee. To sign up, visit www.cshfishhatchery.org. Call 516-692-6768 for more information.

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They aren’t unicorns, tooth fairies or fantastic creatures from the C.S. Lewis “Narnia” series. And yet, for a Long Islander who spent considerable time standing knee deep in the waters around West Meadow Beach, listening to the aggressive screech of territorial red-winged blackbirds, the sight of a green ruby-throated hummingbird moving forward and backward in North Carolina brought its own kind of magic.

By the time I got out my cellphone and clicked open the camera app, the bird had disappeared.

While there are hummingbirds that periodically appear on Long Island, the sight of one in Charlotte so soon after our move here seemed like a charming welcome from the nonhuman quarters of Southeastern life.

Behind a Chili’s and Qdoba — yes, they are side by side in a strip mall here — we discovered a spectacular lake with a small walking path over the water near the shore. Looking down, we saw numerous fish hovering below and, to our delight, a collection of turtles, who all clearly have an appetite for the leftovers from the nearby restaurant.

We have also seen, and felt, considerably more bugs and mosquitoes, while we’ve heard cicadas, which, unlike the 17-year kind on Long Island, emerge here every year.

So, what about the two-legged creatures?

After the initial shock from the level of consideration other drivers displayed, it’s become clear that:

(a) The Northeast hasn’t cornered the market on aggressive and anxious drivers.

(b) You can take the New Yorker out of New York, but you can’t take New York out of the New Yorker.

Until I get North Carolina license plates, I have been driving the speed limit on smaller, local roads. Other cars have tailgated me so closely that I can practically read their lips as they talk on the phone or sing songs.

I watched a woman in a Mustang convertible, with rap music shouting profanities, weave in and out of traffic as her long hair waved in the breeze behind her. From a distance, the music and expletives were one and the same.

We have also seen an extensive collection of tattoos. A young FedEx driver climbed out of her truck and rang the bell to deliver a package. Her arms were so covered in colors and designs that it was difficult to discern a theme or pattern.

I walked into a supermarket behind a young couple pushing a baby stroller. The father had tattoos along the back of his muscular calves, while body ink adorned the well-defined shoulders and arms of his wife. I wondered if and when their young child might get her first tattoo.

When they find out we’re from the Northeast, people in North Carolina frequently become self-deprecating about their inability to handle cold weather. They laugh that flurries, or even a forecast for snow, shuts down the entire city of Charlotte. They assure us that no matter how much we shoveled elsewhere, we won’t have to lift and dump snow by the side of the road.

They ask how we’re handling the heat, which is often in the mid-90s, and the humidity, which is fairly high as well. While the three H’s — hazy, hot and humid — are my least favorite combination, I have certainly experienced many warm summers on Long Island, where shade or a trip into the ocean or a pool provide small comfort in the face of oppressive warmth.

With birds and insects of all sizes flying around, and drivers weaving in and out of traffic, North Carolina has displayed an abundance of high-energy activity.

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Russell Burke, a professor of biology at Hofstra University, shows how newly state-mandated terrapin excluder devices keep turtles out while crabs can still get in. Photo by Kyle Barr

It has been a slow crawl saving Long Island’s turtles, but local conservation groups are hoping new state regulations will speed up the process.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Long Island environmental groups gathered May 23 at the Suffolk County Environmental Center in Islip to celebrate new rules requiring crab cages — used in Long Island’s coastal waters including many of the bays, harbors and rivers that enter Long Island Sound — to have “terrapin excluder devices” (TEDs) on all entrances. As carnivores, terrapins are attracted to bait fish used in commercial, or what’s known as Maryland style crab traps or “pots.” As a result, male and female turtles of all sizes push their way through the entrance funnels and end up drowning.

John Turner, a conservation policy advocate for the Seatuck Environmental Association, shows the North Shore areas where turtles are getting caught and drowning in crab cages. Photo by Kyle Barr

“With each and every season these traps are not required to have TEDs, there are likely hundreds of terrapins that are drowning,” said John Turner, conservation policy advocate for Seatuck Environmental Association, which operates the Islip center. “To me, one of the signs of a real civilized society is how we treat other life-forms. We haven’t treated terrapins very well.”

He said in Stony Brook Harbor alone there are dozens, maybe hundreds of terrapins that will spend the winter in the mud, emerging once the water runs up high enough. Turner said many of the North Shore areas that are home to these turtles, like Setauket Harbor, Conscience Bay, Port Jefferson Harbor, Mount Sinai Harbor and Nissequogue River, play a key role in preserving the species.

“In contrast to where I am in South Jersey, I can go by the canals and I can see a dozen [terrapin] heads bobbing up and down,” said James Gilmore, director of the marine resources division at the state DEC. “Here, it’s very rare to see one. Hopefully these new rules will help us see more.”

Gilmore said the DEC began working on changing state regulations in 2013 but have known long before there was a problem.

Carl LoBue, The Nature Conservancy’s New York ocean program director, said it was in the late 1990s he’d witnessed recreational crab traps in Stony Brook Harbor. One day he lifted a cage out of the water while trying to move his landlord’s boat and saw it was filled with trapped terrapins. Two were still alive, but five
had already drowned.

“With each and every season these traps are not required to have TEDs, there are likely hundreds of terrapins that are drowning.”

— John Turner

“I’m sure the crabber wasn’t intent to kill turtles,” LoBue said. “But when I looked across the bay at the 60 or something crab traps this person had set, I was crushed thinking of the terrapins drowning at that very moment.”

In the early 2000s terrapins became a popular meal in New York, but the harvest of those turtles led to a massive decrease in population, especially the diamondback terrapin, which was identified as a species of greatest conservation need in the 2015 New York State Wildlife Action Plan. In September 2017 the DEC passed regulations banning the commercial harvest of diamondbacks.

Terrapin population has slowly increased since then, but researchers say there’s still little known about the population, like life expectancy or habits while in water. The species has a very slow birth rate, with low local clutches of 10 or so eggs — sometimes only one or two of which hatch and mature. 

Russell Burke, a professor of biology at Hofstra University, said terrapins could live very long lives, pointing to older specimens he has seen living to 60 years old, but he estimated some could be twice that age. While Burke said it’s hard to estimate the total population on Long Island, he said in Jamaica Bay alone, he knows there are approximately 3,500 adult females.

Terrapin, or turtles, are carnivores, attracted to fish typically used to catch crab. Photo by Kyle Barr

The TED devices are 4 3/4 inches by 1 3/4 inches, an exact measurement, to ensure that while crabs can get through, turtles cannot. According to Kim McKown, leader of the Marine Invertebrate and Protected Resources Unit at the state DEC, the small, plastic TEDs cost $10 for the three needed to secure a normal crab trap. The cost exponentially increases depending on how many traps a fisherman has, with some owning up to 1,000 traps.

Turner said his organization used its own funds and purchased 5,000 TEDs and gifted them to the DEC. The state agency is giving them to Long Island crab fishermen on a first come, first served basis.

Commercial crab fisherman Fred Chiofolo, who hunts in Brookhaven Town along the South Shore, experimented with TEDs on his own for years before the regulations were passed. He said the devices
even improved the number of crabs caught.

“It made a significant difference with the pots that had them versus the pots that didn’t,” Chiofolo said. “Last year I put them in every pot I had — about 200 of them. I’m not going to lie it’s a lot of work to put them in, but we don’t want to catch the turtle. I don’t want them, and [the TED] does keep them out.”

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Volunteers hold the immobile sea turtles they discovered at West Meadow Beach, where Brookhaven Ranger Molly Hastings is working to nurse them back to health. Photo from Molly Hastings

December’s wacky weather made life more difficult for everyone — but sea turtles at West Meadow Beach had a particular struggle.

Recent outdoor temperatures were largely above normal, with some brief moments of frigid cold. Molly Hastings, who serves as Brookhaven’s environmental educator and park ranger, saw some of the environmental consequences of this when she received an unusual knock on her door on Dec. 20 after a volunteer encountered two immobile, or cold-stunned, sea turtles.

An immobile sea turtle discovered at West Meadow Beach is being nursed back to health. Photo from Molly Hastings
An immobile sea turtle discovered at West Meadow Beach is being nursed back to health. Photo from Molly Hastings

Hastings said the knock came from Celeste Gorman, who was taking a hike along West Meadow Beach as a volunteer in search of turtles rendered immobile by the cold weather. She ended up finding two in a very short span of time.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration described sea turtles as cold-blooded animals with circulatory systems that can slow to the point of immobility when exposed to extremely cold temperatures. Various factors have helped contribute to the higher prevalence of cold-stunning, like more shallow bodies of water and more dramatic temperature changes, NOAA said.

Hastings said she was well aware of the impact an unpredictable climate has on the wildlife living not only at West Meadow, but across the town and country. She said this small, isolated incident with the sea turtles should serve a greater purpose.

“Hopefully, the turtles will recover from this climate change-caused incident,” Hastings said. “Regardless of their individual fate, let it serve as a gentle reminder that we all are charged of fixing what we’ve done to the great outdoors.”

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Stony Brook University grad student coordinator of the 2015 Diamondback Terrapin study Martana Edeas has her hands full. Photo from Nancy Grant

It’s hot. It’s muddy. It’s dirty. But it’s exciting work, if you like that sort of thing.

That was how Nancy Grant of the Friends of Flax Pond chose to describe her group’s latest initiative this summer tracking Diamondback Terrapin turtles at West Meadow Beach. And while they may move slowly, the Friends have been acting quickly to spot the four-legged reptiles at the height of their nesting season and working to preserve their species.

“I think a lot of people don’t realize we actually have turtles here,” Grant said of the program, which has been in operation annually since 2004. “You think you have to go someplace exotic to observes them, but you don’t.”

From the third week of June through the entire month of July, the Friends of Flax Pond has set out to conduct its annual six-week search for evidence of nesting turtles, documenting the population numbers and behaviors of what Grant called an important keystone species. The group meets every Sunday at West Meadow Beach at the park ranger sign at 9:30 a.m. and is accepting volunteers on an ongoing basis.

The Friends of Flax Pond have been keeping a vigilant eye on the shorelines of West Meadow Beach and Flax Pond with hopes of spotting the exotic creatures, as Grant referred to them as a vital way of keeping a finger on the pulse of the North Shore’s environment.

“They determine the health of the area,” she said. “It’s important to protect them because their numbers have gone down. They used to be over at Flax Pond, but we haven’t seen any there since 2009, with the exception of one recently.”

The Friends have spotted on average between nine and 10 nests a year, depending on the number of volunteers, Grant said. Once they find the nest, volunteers dig around it, put a cage over it and hold it in with tent stakes to keep predators away.

They’ll even go as far as using cayenne pepper to deter animals from some nests, but Grant admitted the nearby threats like foxes and birds were becoming privy to their methods and becoming less deterred by them.

From an educational standpoint, the group has also been working to launch its own Flax Pond Summer Research Institute this summer. For a $100 fee, the Friends is offering up an internship program at the Flax Pond Lab and salt marsh as well as West Meadow Beach that links up with academic marine scientists to gather data to document changes in the marshes there. This year, the group said it planned on documenting the status of species prior to a possible dredging of the Flax Pond inlet — a 146-acre tidal wetland on the North Shore — which the Friends has been adamantly advocating for.

Earlier this year, Old Field Mayor Michael Levine and the board of trustees called on legislators from the county, state and town levels to join with Stony Brook University and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation to see the pond dredged and protect the fin and shellfish populations known to once thrive there.

“If you don’t have a marsh there, you have nothing between you and those major waves,” Grant said. “It protects real estate. As much as having a dock is nice, it won’t matter if you don’t have those plants there.”
The application deadline for the institute is July 13 and an application can be found at flaxpondfriends.org.

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A PARISIAN CLASSIC Catch a screening of 'The Red Balloon' at the Cinema Art Centre on April 21.

PROGRAMS

Fairy Garden Workshop

Benner’s Farm, 56 Gnarled Hollow Road, East Setauket will present a Fairy Garden Workshop for children ages 4 to 10 on April 20 from 10 a.m. to noon. Take a tour around the farm to find all the natural materials and build your very own fairy garden to take home. $45 per child. Advance registration is required by calling 631-689-8172 or visit www.bennersfarm.com.

Art in the Barn

Walt Whitman Birthplace Association, 246 Old Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station presents Art in the Barn, storytime and hands-on art projects for pre-schoolers on April 20, 27, May 4, 18, 25 and June 1 at 11 a.m. $15 per child, $13 members. To register, visit waltwhitman.org/events.

Growing Up Wild

Town of Brookhaven presents a free nature program, Growing Up Wild, at the Cedar Beach Nature Center, 244 Harbor Beach Road, Mt. Sinai for ages 3 to 6 on April 20 at 2 p.m. Explore nature with your little ones with a story and activity. Free but registration is required by emailing [email protected].

Story & Craft with Nana Carol

The Next Chapter bookstore, 204 New York Ave., Huntington hosts a Story and Craft event with Nana Carol on April 22 at 10:30 a.m. No registration required. Appropriate for ages 0-4. 631-482-5008

Spring Break at the Hatchery

Enjoy spring break at the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor with various craft programs, hatchery tours, live animal encounters and more from April 22 to 29. Admission fee is $7 adults, $6 seniors, $5 children ages 3 to 12. For a full schedule of events, visit www.cshfishhatchery.org. 516-692-6768

Giant Game & Big Voice Day

Join Emma Clark Library, 120 Main St., Setauket for an afternoon of fun & games on April 22 from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m. Try your hand at games such as Giant versions of Connect 4, Scrabble, and Checkers. Move and balance with Twister. Sing your heart out with karaoke. Or spin the prize wheel! There will also be a craft/activity in honor of Earth Day. Fun for families with babies through 6th grade. Open to all. No registration required. Questions? Email [email protected]

Springtime STEM Workshop – just added!

Three Village Historical Society, 93 North Country Road, Setauket will host a STEM Workshop for kids in grades 2 to 5 during Spring Break on April 23, 24 and 25 from 10 .m. to noon. The formula to create invisible ink has been lost! Seeking brave young spies, scientists, and historians to discover a new recipe for writing with invisible ink. Choose from top secret ingredients to find the combination for cracking the coded messages. Each session is $5 per child, adults are free. Includes admission to the museum exhibits & a self guided tour. Children get a full year complimentary museum membership following the program. To register, visit www.tvhs.org. For more info, call 631-741-3730.

Who’s Hatching?

Sunken Meadow State Park, Sunken Meadow Parkway, Kings Park presents a Tiny Tots program, Who’s Hatching?’ on April 25 from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Children ages 3 to 5 along with a parent or caregiver will enjoy short walks, stories, dances, animal visitors, and crafts. $4 per child. To register, visit www.eventbrite.com. 631-269-4333. 

THEATER

‘Alice in Wonderland’

John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport present’s Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland from March 23 to May 12. Alice takes a tumble down an enchanted rabbit hole to an off-kilter world of mock turtles, dancing flora, punctual rabbits, and mad tea parties. Playing cards hold court, and nothing is as it seems in this land where whimsy and wordplay are the order of the day. Will Alice be able to find her footing in this bizarre place? More importantly, will she ever figure out how to get home?All seats are $20. To order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

‘The Adventures of Peter Rabbit’

Join Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson for a perennial favorite, The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, from April 13 to 27. “Over the hill and through the garden …” That mischievous rabbit Peter just can’t stay out of the McGregors’ garden! But with help from  his sisters—Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-Tail—and his cousin, Benjamin Bunny, Peter learns the power of sharing and caring. Tickets are $12. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com. 

Disney’s ‘Finding Nemo Jr.’

Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. Main St., Smithtown presents Disney’s Finding Nemo daily from April 20 to 28. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean. Featuring memorable songs such as “Just Keep Swimming,” “Fish Are Friends Not Food,” and “Go With the Flow.” Tickets are $25 per person. To order, visit www.smithtownpac.org.

FILM

‘The Red Balloon’/ ‘White Mane’

Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington continues its Cinema for Kids! series with a screening of The Red Balloon and White Mane on April 21 at noon. One of the most internationally beloved films of all time, The Red Balloon tells the transportive tale of a young boy whose grey Parisian world is enlivened when he finds an unexpected playmate in a bright red balloon. Another boy discovers a world of freedom and adventure through his relationship with an untamed stallion in White Mane. Tickets are $13 adults, $5 children 12 and under. www.cinemaartscentre.org.

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By Emma Gutmann

For World Water Day on March 22, Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R) announced the start of the 2024 funding cycle for the county’s Water Quality Protection and Restoration Program. Under this annual program, grants are provided to eligible projects designed to protect and restore the county’s groundwater and surface water resources.

The Drinking Water Protection Program was originally approved by the electorate in 1987 and has been modified over time to bring in other issues such as land stewardship. WQPRP funding is drawn from revenues generated by the 0.25% sales tax, as detailed in Article XII of the Suffolk County Charter. This article is designated to the program for environmental protection, property tax mitigation and sewer district tax rate stabilization. 

With 11.75% of the total revenues generated each year under the 1/4% Drinking Water Protection Program, WQPRP grants funding to municipalities and nonprofit organizations for projects that fit under one of the following umbrella categories: (1) habitat restoration, reclamation and connectivity (2) non-point-source abatement and control and pollution prevention initiatives (3) no-discharge zone implementation (4) land stewardship initiatives or (5) education and outreach. 

Proposers have until June 7 to apply for an award, ranging from $50,000 to $250,000, toward planning, engineering and construction costs. Applications from last year will roll over without further action. 

According to the Suffolk County Press Office, 10 to 15 projects are approved every year, each serving to “maintain the ecosystem services that our natural aquatic environment provides.” This perennial attention to water quality is essential considering the county is enveloped by the South Shore Estuary Reserve, the Peconic Estuary and the Long Island Sound and replete with rivers, streams, tributaries, lakes and ponds.

One notable 2022 grant recipient was the Town of Brookhaven Cedar Beach Habitat Restoration. With the help of WQPRP funding, invasive plants were removed from coastal dunes and forest areas and replaced with a native plant species. This undertaking set out to harmonize the ecosystem through reduced erosion and improved nutrient/pollutant removal. The blueprint also proposed underground wildlife tunnels to provide diamondback terrapin turtles with a safer passage to their nesting grounds than treacherous Harbor Beach Road in Mount Sinai.

The WQPRP Review Committee evaluates projects with a mix of multiple choice and written responses, and also takes into account whether the project is of present priority and/or involves construction or site improvement components.

Online attendance at the Proposers Conference at 11 a.m. on April 16 will garner candidates points toward the scoring of their application. The standout projects will be recommended to the county Legislature for approval.

Although there is a wide range of eligible applicants, the priority project types for this year include wastewater treatment improvements, green stormwater infrastructure implementation, nature/nature-based infrastructure for coastal resilience, fertilizer use mitigation and habitat restoration, reclamation and connectivity. 

Projects must have a thorough work plan and budget, as well as proof of the funds that Suffolk County would be matching. The project also must be ready to commence within a year of assuming the grant and completed within three years of the agreement between the applicant and the county.

“This program is an effective tool in our ongoing work to clean and protect Suffolk County waters,” Romaine said. “It is unique in the way it brings towns, villages and the not-for-profit environmental community together with the county to work on projects that make an impact locally and regionally.”

The Suffolk County Press Office adds that everyone’s small contribution toward protecting and restoring our local fresh and saltwater systems is “crucial for preserving and benefiting the environmental, economic, aesthetic and recreational advantages afforded to our community by our unique aquatic environment.”

Information on policies, eligibility and classifying water bodies and their quality can be found by searching “WQPRP” at www.suffolkcountyny.gov, along with an application. 

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CLASS IS IN SESSION Visit with a school marm at the Long Island Museum this Saturday. Photo from LIM
PROGRAMS

Art in the Barn

Walt Whitman Birthplace Association, 246 Old Walt Whitman Road, Huntington Station presents Art in the Barn, storytime and hands-on art projects for pre-schoolers on April 13, 20, 27, May 4, 18, 25 and June 1 at 11 a.m. $15 per child, $13 members. To register, visit waltwhitman.org/events.

Youth Abilities Day

Middle Country Public Library’s Centereach branch at 101 Eastwood Blvd., will host a Youth Abilities Day: A
Special Needs Resource Fair on April 13, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.  Youth Abilities Day is about helping individuals with disabilities and their families find the right resources to enrich lives. The fair features approximately 20 organizations representing a wide variety of specialties including sports, music, baking, healthcare, therapies and many more. Attendees will be entertained by the Great and Powerful Dave who will provide a magic show at 1 p.m. The Super Mario Bros. characters will also be available for photos during the event and there will be a space provided to unwind in a sensory room.  Free and open to all. Pre-registration encouraged by calling 531-585-9393 or by visiting www.mcplibrary.org.

Visit with a School Marm

Step back in time with a visit with a School Marm at the Long Island Museum’s 19th-century one-room Nassakeag Schoolhouse, 1200 Route 25A, Stony Brook on April 13 from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Learn about this historic building and try some school activities from long ago. Then head over to the Art Studio for a hands-on activity between 1p.m. and 4 p.m. to create a unique work of art inspired by the exhibitions on view. All supplies are provided. Both events are free with Museum admission. www.longislandmuseum.org

Storytime Under the Stars

Suffolk County Vanderbilt Planetarium, 180 Little Neck Road, Centerport continues its Storytime Under the Stars series on April 14 at 6 p.m. Your favorite bedtime storybooks come to life in the planetarium theater! Children ages 2 and older are invited to wear their most comfy pajamas and bring their favorite stuffed animal. Tickets are $8  per persons, $6 for members at www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Story & Craft with Nana Carol

The Next Chapter bookstore, 204 New York Ave., Huntington hosts a Story and Craft event with Nana Carol on April 15 at 10:30 a.m. No registration required. Appropriate for ages 0-4. 631-482-5008

Children’s book signing event

The Next Chapter Bookstore, 204 New York Ave., Huntington welcomes author Maria Dello for a reading and book signing of her children’s book Theodor Says: Dogs Are People Too! on April 16 at 7 p.m. For more information, call 631-482-5008.

THEATER

‘Alice in Wonderland’

John W. Engeman Theater, 250 Main St., Northport present’s Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland from March 23 to April 28. Alice takes a tumble down an enchanted rabbit hole to an off-kilter world of mock turtles, dancing flora, punctual rabbits, and mad tea parties. Playing cards hold court, and nothing is as it seems in this land where whimsy and wordplay are the order of the day. Will Alice be able to find her footing in this bizarre place? More importantly, will she ever figure out how to get home?All seats are $20. To order, call 631-261-2900 or visit www.engemantheater.com.

‘The Adventures of Peter Rabbit’

Join Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson for a perennial favorite, The Adventures of Peter Rabbit, from April 13 to 27. “Over the hill and through the garden …” That mischievous rabbit Peter just can’t stay out of the McGregors’ garden! But with help from  his sisters—Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-Tail—and his cousin, Benjamin Bunny, Peter learns the power of sharing and caring. Tickets are $12. To order, call 631-928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Disney’s ‘Finding Nemo Jr.’

Smithtown Center for the Performing Arts, 2 E. Main St., Smithtown presents Disney’s Finding Nemo from April 20 to 28. Marlin, an anxious and over-protective clownfish, lives in the Great Barrier Reef with his kid Nemo, who longs to explore the world beyond their anemone home. But when Nemo is captured and taken to Sydney, Marlin faces his fears and sets off on an epic adventure across the ocean. Featuring memorable songs such as “Just Keep Swimming,” “Fish Are Friends Not Food,” and “Go With the Flow.” Tickets are $25 per person. To order, visit www.smithtownpac.org.

FILM

‘Hugo’

Cinema Arts Centre, 423 Park Ave., Huntington continues its Cinema for Kids! series with a screening of Hugo on April 14 at noon. Hugo tells the story of an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. With the help of an eccentric girl, he searches for the answer to a mystery linking the father he recently lost, the ill-tempered toy shop owner living below him and a heart shaped lock, seemingly without a key. Tickets are $13 adults, $5 children 12 and under. www.cinemaartscentre.org.

 

 

 

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