Yearly Archives: 2017

A kestrel at Sweetbriar Nature Center
This Great Horned Owl calls Sweetbriar his home.

Time to clean out those closets: Sweetbriar Nature Center, located at 62 Eckernkamp Drive, Smithtown is seeking donations for its annual Yard Sale for Wildlife, which will be held on April 29 and 30 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. All funds raised will support the nature center’s mission of providing nature education and wildlife rehabilitation.

Donations of antiques, collectibles, knick-knacks and other items under 50 pounds in good condition are now being accepted. (No televisions or other electronics, books or clothing please.) To make a donation, call Eric Young at 631-979-6344, ext. 302 to arrange a drop off or pick up.

File photo

Suffolk County Police arrested a man for driving while ability impaired by alcohol and drugs after he was rescued from his burning vehicle in Rocky Point April 12.

Corey Tierney was driving a 2003 Hyundai Sonata northbound on County Road 21, about one mile south of Route 25A, when he lost control of his vehicle, which crashed into a wooded area and caught fire. Passing motorists, Claudio Gil and Margaret Ward, pulled an unconscious Tierney from the vehicle.

Rocky Point Fire Department Rescue responded and administered Narcan to Tierney, 21, of Mount Sinai, who regained consciousness and was transported to Stony Brook University Hospital for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries and charged with driving while ability impaired by alcohol and drugs.

Gil, 30, of Mount Sinai, and Ward, 51, of Rocky Point, were not injured.

By Ellen Barcel

You may have seen ornamental pepper plants in the stores this time of year. NuMex Easter Ornamental Pepper (Capsicum anuum) is a neat plant for Easter decorating. The plant look like a bouquet of peppers above the dense greenery. This is a small plant, generally about 8 inches high and 10 inches wide, making it ideal as a hostess gift or a table centerpiece. It produces beautifully colored ornamental peppers (purple, cream, yellow and orange).

Yes, it can be grown from seed, but you won’t have a plant ready for this Easter. The ornamental pepper blooms and produces peppers all summer long, maturing in 72 days. While there are many varieties of peppers that are available as heirloom plants, the NuMex Easter is a hybrid. Can you save the seeds to grow in future? You can try it, but as with all hybrids, it’s unlikely that the plants will breed true. Buy the hybrid seeds if you want to grow this one in your garden or the plants from a nursery.

The name Easter pepper came from the pastel color of the peppers when they first appear on the plant. The plant was bred by the New Mexico State University’s Chili Pepper Institute — it also developed a Valentine’s Day pepper (red and white), a St. Patrick’s Day pepper (green) and a Halloween pepper (orange and black) among many others.

This is a great plant for Long Island considering it tolerates heat, humidity and drought. Tiny white flowers form first on the plant to be followed by the brightly colored peppers. Tidy up the plant periodically by removing old, dried peppers and there’s more of a chance of new peppers forming.

Like tomatoes, a close relative, pepper plants like sun. A soil pH of 6.0 or above provides optimal growing conditions, so yes, you probably need to lime your soil if growing them in the ground. If you are growing your peppers in a container and you’ve bought it already growing, the soil is probably just fine.

Is the Easter pepper edible? Different authorities have different opinions. Some say it’s purely an ornamental plant with taste varying from plant to plant. Other authorities, including the NMU say yes, it is edible but extremely hot. In any event, do not consume peppers from the plants grown commercially as ornamentals because you won’t know what kind of chemicals have been used on them.

This is also true of plants like potato vines. Yes, you sometimes get sweet potatoes from the vines in fall, but again, you don’t know what chemicals have been used by the grower, since they are not intended for human consumption. If you want peppers, or sweet potatoes, to eat, select varieties and plants that are grown specifically for human consumption. Besides unwanted chemicals, these plants have been selected for various qualities like taste, time to maturity, keeping quality and highest yield.

The NuMex Easter pepper plants are not frost tolerant, so, if growing them outdoors over the summer, you need to either treat them as an annual or bring them indoors for the winter. According to NMU, chili plants grown indoors in a sunny location and given optimal care can last for 10 or more years.

The plants are available locally usually where ornamental or house plants are sold. Seeds are available from a number of growers, but the seeds of this ornamental as well as many others developed at NMU are available from the Chili Pepper Institute itself (www.chile.nmsu.edu).

Looking for other Easter plants? Consider the Easter cactus — similar to the Christmas cactus but it blooms in spring — as well as a pot of spring flowering bulbs for this time of year. Remember, Easter lilies are highly toxic to cats. So, if you have cats either don’t bring Easter lilies into the house or make sure that the plants are in a room that the cats can’t get into. Not only is the plant toxic but the water that the cut flowers are in can be dangerous for them as well. Happy spring!

Ellen Barcel is a freelance writer and master gardener. To reach Cornell Cooperative Extension and its Master Gardener program, call 631-727-7850.

Breakfast with the Easter Bunny

The Youth Group at St. Joseph’s Church, 59 Church St., Kings Park will host its annual Easter egg hunt on April 15 at 10 a.m. followed by a Breakfast with the Easter Bunny in Travis Hall from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. $6 for adults and children ages 3 and up. For tickets, call 656-8991.

Egg decorating workshop

Children ages 5 to 12 are invited to Studio 455, located at 455 Lake Ave, St. James on April 15 from 1 to 3 p.m. to make Easter crafts including egg decorating and bunny puppets. Fee is $25 and includes all art supplies. For additional information and to reserve a spot, call 862-6198.

Easter Egg Hunt

Caroline Church, 1 Dyke Road, Setauket invites the community to its annual Easter Egg Hunt and Breakfast with the Easter Bunny on April 15 from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Over 1,000 eggs to find, photos with the Easter Bunny, rabbits to pet, best homemade Easter hat contest and more! For more information, call 941-4245.

Spring Egg Hunt

The St. James Chamber of Commerce invites children from 1 to 10 years old to its 21st annual Spring Egg Hunt on the Deepwells Mansion property, Route 25A and Moriches Road, on April 15 at 1 p.m. (weather permitting). Enjoy pictures with the Easter Bunny and prizes galore. Free. For more information, call 584-8510.

Egg Hunt at the Hatchery

Join the Cold Spring Harbor Fish Hatchery, 1660 Route 25A, Cold Spring Harbor for a Spring Egg Hunt on April 15 from 10:30 a.m. to noon. For children up to 8 years of age. Don’t forget your basket! No registration required. Admission is $6 adults, $4 children and seniors, under age 3 free. Questions? Call 516-692-6768.

Easter Egg Hunt

The Three Village Church, 322 Main Street, Setauket will hold an Easter Egg Hunt along with games and activities on April 15 from 10 a.m. to noon. Free! Tickets are available at www.3vc.org. For more information, call 941-3670.

Easter Egg Hunt and Party

Commack United Methodist Church, 486 Townline Road, Commack will hold its annual Easter Egg Hunt and Party on April 15 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. with games and crafts. A light lunch will be served followed by a visit from the Easter Bunny. Bring a basket with 6 plastic filled eggs for each child. Free admission. To reserve, call 499-7310.

Easter Egg Hunt on the farm

Join the folks at Benner’s Farm, 56 Gnarled Hollow Road, Setauket for its annual weekend Easter Egg Hunt on April 15 and 16 at 12:30, 2 and 3:30 p.m. Admission is $6 children, $8 adults and includes a ticket for one egg hunt time slot. Egg hunts are separated by age groups: 2- to 4-year-olds, 5- to 7-year-olds, age 8 and up. Bring your own basket or rent one at the farm store. The farm is also open for holding baby bunnies and chicks, visiting the animals and pictures with the Easter Bunny. For more information, call 689-8172 or visit www.bennersfarm.com.

‘The Adventures of Peter Rabbit’

They’re back! Peter, Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-Tail, Benjamin Bunny, and the McGregors come to life in “The Adventures of Peter Rabbit” at Theatre Three, 412 Main St., Port Jefferson on April 15 at 11 a.m.All seats are $10. To order, call 928-9100 or visit www.theatrethree.com.

Spring Egg Hunt and Celebration

Sweetbriar Nature Center, located at 62 Eckernkamp Drive in Smithtown, welcomes the season with a Spring Egg Hunt and Celebration on April 15 from noon to 4 p.m. Join them for a fun-filled day of face painting, games, stories, wildlife programs, egg hunts, animal presentations and a guest appearance by the Easter Bunny. $15 per child, $5 adults. Questions? Call 979-6344.

Easter Bunny hops into Northport

The Easter Bunny will be visiting downtown Northport Village on April 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. Come on by and say hello! Sponsored by the Northport Chamber of Commerce. For more information, call 794-3905.

Easter Parade and Egg Hunt

The Village of Port Jefferson will hold its annual Easter Parade and Egg Hunt on April 16 from noon to 1:30 p.m. Parade will kick off in front of Theatre Three on Main Street and end at the Harborfront Park on East Broadway. Children ages 2 to 8 are invited for a free egg hunt on the Great Lawn at Harborfront Park at 12:30 p.m. All children will receive a treat. For further details, call 473-1414 or visit www.portjeffchamber.com.

Easter Egg Hunt in Northport

The Village of Northport will hold its annual Easter Egg Hunt on April 16 at Northport Village Park at 1 p.m. Rain date is April 23. Sponsored by the Northport/Centerport Lions Club.

Curried Deviled Eggs

By Barbara Beltrami

No need to take a hard-boiled attitude toward the surfeit of Easter eggs. I know, I know. How many hard-boiled eggs can a family eat, especially when there are alternatives like marshmallow peeps, jelly beans and chocolate bunnies? Actually, quite a few if they are recycled into other dishes. For eggs-ample, egg salad with green onions and dill, curried deviled eggs and sliced egg canapes, all of which, by the way, make eggs-cellent hors d’oeuvres before Easter dinner.

Egg Salad with Green Onions

Egg Salad with Green Onions

YIELD: Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

8 hard-boiled eggs

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ cup chopped green onions

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill or 2 teaspoons dried

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS: Peel eggs and chop into small pieces. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, mayonnaise, green onions, dill and salt and pepper. Vigorously whip or stir. Cover and refrigerate until using. Serve with bread, crackers, chips, green salad or sliced tomatoes.

Curried Deviled Eggs

Curried Deviled Eggs

YIELD: Makes 8 servings

INGREDIENTS:

8 hard-boiled eggs

¼ cup mayonnaise

¼ teaspoon prepared mustard

1 teaspoon curry powder

1 heaping tablespoon minced fresh parsley or 1 heaping teaspoon dried

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS: Peel eggs and slice in half end to end. Gently scoop out yolks and place in small bowl. Add mayonnaise, mustard, curry powder, cayenne, parsley and salt and pepper. Vigorously whip together until mixture has a smooth creamy consistency. Scoop or pipe into hollowed egg whites. Cover and refrigerate until using. Serve with pickles, olives or celery and carrot sticks.

Sliced Egg Canapes with Sun-dried Tomatoes and Prosciutto or Anchovies

YIELD: Makes 16 canapes

INGREDIENTS:

16 slices of French bread (baguette), toasted

1 large clove peeled garlic

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

4 to 5 slices prosciutto or 16 anchovy filets

3 to 4 hard-boiled eggs, cut into quarter-inch slices

16 oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

DIRECTIONS: Rub one side of toasted bread slices with garlic. Drizzle one teaspoon olive oil on each slice. Cut or tear each slice of prosciutto into approximate size of bread slice. If using anchovies, lay one anchovy filet on each bread slice and with a fork, mash into bread. Lay egg slices over prosciutto or anchovies to cover, then sprinkle sun-dried tomatoes on top. Do not refrigerate assembled canapes as bread will lose its crispness. Serve with wine, cocktails or soft drinks.

Serena the sheep takes a much needed break with her new lambs, Walnut and Catalpa. Photo from Benner's Farm

Benner’s Farm, 56 Gnarled Hollow in Setauket had quite a busy week as many of their sheep and goats gave birth, with the help of Jean Benner. All of the babies on the farm will be named after trees this year. Campers on Monday morning had the chance to see Oak and Maple being born. Stop by during Easter weekend and say hello. Visitors can hold the baby ducks, rabbits and chickens and feed and pet the farm’s other residents. The farm will be open on weekends from noon to 4 p.m. through May 21. For more information, call 631-689-8172.

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Artist Sean Murtha restores a large painting. Photo from Vanderbilt Museum

Twelve fish and five flamingos recently left their home in The Hall of Fishes at Centerport’s Vanderbilt Museum in the care of taxidermist George Dante, for a trip to his Wilderness Preservations studio in West Paterson, N.J., and some much-needed care and repair.

Dante’s work is part of the Marine Collections Conservation Project, and complements the extensive work being completed during the next few months by staff curators on nearly 1,500 of the Vanderbilt’s fluid-preserved ocean specimens. Over the past several years, significant gifts from the Roy M. Speer Foundation and the Robert D.L. Gardiner Foundation have allowed the Vanderbilt to undertake these much-needed conservation and restoration efforts.

Above, taxidermist George Dante (left) and artist Thomas Doncourt in the Vanderbilt Museum’s Hall of Fishes. Photo from Vanderbilt Museum

Dante, an accomplished taxidermist, he has been working with the Vanderbilt over the past several years to conserve and preserve some of the animals in its Stoll Wing dioramas. Now he’s begun to work on some of the Museum’s critically damaged or decaying marine specimens, which Mr. Vanderbilt gathered during his global ocean voyages and collecting expeditions in the early 20th century. Collaborating with Dante are gifted artists Sean Murtha and Thomas Doncourt.

Murtha is repairing and restoring the background painting in a large Hall of Fishes diorama of flamingos and their clay pedestal nests along the coast of Cuba, Dante is cleaning and restoring the flamingos and Doncourt is restoring the clay flamingo nests and foreground vegetation.

“This phase of the project will address the dry mounted fish specimens that were originally prepared by Mr. Vanderbilt’s curator, William Belanske,” said Stephanie Gress, director of curatorial affairs for the Vanderbilt. “His original paintings of these fish, done at the time they were caught, served as a color reference for the mounted fish skins. A dozen have been removed from display and are being carefully conserved by George Dante. He will address not only the damage and loss to the hand-painted skins, but also restore missing fins and tails. As many of these specimens were prepared nearly a century ago, they are extremely fragile and difficult to work with.”

Sean Murtha said he is restoring the Flamingo diorama painting to its former appearance. “We’re not updating or changing it, but trying to erase the damage that has occurred to it over the past nearly 100 years,” he said. “The original was painted by William Belanske, and therefore has historic importance. Over the years, moisture has affected the background painting in a few different ways, discoloring it in many places and in a few areas causing the paint to crack and flake off.

“I am removing very loose chips of paint, stabilizing it with an acrylic polymer, and then painting in the missing areas, to match the color and style of the original. Meanwhile, George and Tom are conserving and restoring the birds and plants. When everything comes back together, it should have the impact that it did originally,” added Murtha.

Thomas Doncourt is consulting on foreground conditions and restoration, including ground surfaces and plant models, he said. “The challenge is to coordinate work between Sean and George,” he said. “I remove foreground objects and materials so they can have access to the specimens and the background painting.”

Doncourt’s restoration work will include repairing the clay nests, made of painted plaster, and the branches and leaves of the rhododendron, fashioned out of beeswax. “Then I will work with George to return the specimens, nests and foliage to their original places and make it look like nothing ever happened to disturb the scenic beauty.”

During his epic global journeys in the 1920s and 1930s, William K. Vanderbilt II (1878-1944) collected thousands of specimens of vertebrate and invertebrate sea life for the museum he was building on Long Island. His Hall of Fishes houses what is considered the world’s most extensive privately assembled collection of marine specimens from the pre-atomic era.

The Vanderbilt marine collection comprises 13,190 historic aquatic specimens housed in the two-story Hall of Fishes; in the Habitat, a natural-history diorama hall; and in an invertebrate gallery. The collection, in addition to the fluid-preserved marine life, includes vertebrate and invertebrate specimens, dried or preserved through taxidermy.

The Hall of Fishes constituted the beginning of today’s Vanderbilt Museum complex. Constructed in 1922, it began as a one-story structure open to the public each Wednesday during the years Mr. Vanderbilt lived on the estate.

The Suffolk County Vanderbilt Museum is located at 180 Little Neck Road in Centerport. For more information, call 631-854-5579 or visit www.vanderbiltmuseum.org.

Photo courtesy of Kent Animal Shelter

MEET BELLA! This little girl is Bella, who, as her name implies, is beautiful inside and out. A pug/beagle mix, she is 5 years young, spayed, microchipped and up to date on all her vaccines. Bella’s family was no longer able to care for her, so they ended up having to bring her to Kent Animal Shelter. She is great with other dogs, cats and children, is full of energy, very sweet and affectionate and just loves to play! She would love to find her forever home — could that be with you?

Kent Animal Shelter is located at 2259 River Road in Calverton. For more information on Bella and other adoptable pets at Kent, please call 631-727-5731 or visit www.kentanimalshelter.com.

Update: Bella has been adopted!

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The children's section of the Port Jefferson Free Library. File photo by Heidi Sutton

The community sent a resounding message of approval for two different library budgets April 4 — a vast majority of voting residents are happy with the services provided by their local libraries and are willing to pay for more.

The Port Jefferson Free Library’s $4.2 million budget passed with a 143 to 10 margin. The 2017-18 financial plan is about 1.2 percent more than last year’s version and will cost homeowners on average about 49 cents more monthly in property taxes compared to last year.

“We are very flattered and pleased at the support we get,” Library Director Tom Donlon said in an email. “This year we juggled a few budget lines around, and tried to focus on where our community wanted us to go. We increased the book budget as well as the programming budget in order to deliver the materials and services that Port Jeff has come to expect.”

More than 1,000 children participated in summer reading programs offered by the library in 2016, and 270,000 items were checked out during the 2016-17 fiscal year, according to a budget newsletter sent out to the community. Library administration was also proud of a teen garden established in 2016, which allowed children and teens to grow vegetables for local soup kitchens. A new, easy-to-use website was launched by the library last year, and the board also plans to update the community on some possible improvements to the facilities coming in the near future.

Additional books and programs, along with an increase in staff salaries, benefits and retirement payments represent the largest drivers of the budget increase. The gap in those increases is closed in large part by a near $200,000 savings compared to last year in transfers to the capital fund and debt services fund. The library also will offer fewer print and nonprint newspapers and periodicals this year.

The Comsewogue Public Library’s budget was passed with 102 yes to 14 no votes. The total operating budget for 2017-18 will be about $5.6 million, up 2.7 percent from last year. Like its Port Jeff counterpart, Comsewogue Public Library’s budget increases can be attributed for the most part to increases in staff salaries and benefits. Additional money was also factored into the current budget for some furniture and equipment upgrades. The library will see a savings in the coming year in computer equipment and supplies, as well as in debt service payments.

The average homeowner in the district will be required to pay about $4 more in taxes for the 2017-18 fiscal year compared to last year.

“The 2017-18 proposed operating budget is designed to ensure that the library continues to provide a high quality service program at a reasonable cost,” a letter to the community from the library said. “The public library serves everyone in the community, from babies to seniors.”

Port Jefferson Station resident and library trustee Edward Wendol was also elected to remain in the position on the board that he’s held since 1972. Wendol, who ran unopposed, has previously served as the board president and was named a Port Times Record Man of the Year in 2003. Library administration said he “has provided guidance and oversight to the organization,” in a letter sent to residents along with an informational budget newsletter.

“I’m very happy to be on it, and I’m happy to be elected continuously,” Wendol said in a phone interview. He added his primary objective in his next term is to move along a heating and air conditioning plan for the library. “I think we’re a good asset to the community.”