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Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim, at podium, was joined by town, county and state officials and community advocates to make a plea to Gov. Kathy Hochul to help the town secure a path to sewer infrastructure. Photo by Rita J. Egan

The steps of Smithtown’s Town Hall were packed the morning of Oct. 12 as elected town, county and state officials, as well as community leaders from the hamlets of Smithtown and Kings Park, were on hand to talk about sewers and make a plea to the state’s new governor.

Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim signs a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul to help the town secure a path to sewer infrastructure. Photo by Rita J. Egan

The group signed a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) asking her to help to secure a path to a sewer infrastructure in the town. Those speaking at the press conference spoke about the lack of a sewer system in the town having a negative impact on economic growth and the health of waterways, especially Smithtown Bay.

Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) said the group has worked “tirelessly for years to make this project come to fruition.”

“For nearly 50 years, the goal of providing sewers for the Smithtown business district had seemed out of reach, resulting in vacant storefronts in the downtown area and continued discharges of untreated wastewater into our environment,” the supervisor said. “Now, at long last, a clear solution has been identified. A victory is in sight for both of these business districts. This is truly a historic day for the Town of Smithtown and the future of our town.”

A $20 million grant was announced in 2017 by the state that would have helped bring sewers to the town’s business districts. According to Wehrheim, a lack of a site for a system stalled the project. Recently, the Smithtown Sewer Working Group, which includes local business and community leaders, has worked for 18 months to identify a site for a recharge facility and named a parcel owned by the state Office of Mental Health at the former Kings Park Psychiatric Center as a possible location. The hopes are to connect Main Street, Smithtown and the Kings Park business district to a system.

The plan would include removing an abandoned building. The facility would use only 2 acres of 17 of the land.

Smithtown United President Timothy Small called the working group an “example of your government and community working together for solutions.”

He added that under current conditions the sewer recharging facility would lead to an 87% reduction of the amount of nitrogen dumped into groundwater which eventually makes its way to the Nissequogue River. He said after a complete “downtown buildout consistent with the draft Smithtown Master Plan” the nitrogen reduction would be 71%.

Michael Kaufman, a member of the civic group Smithtown United and the town’s working group, said hooking up central business districts to a sewer system is the “gold standard for solutions” to avoid environmental issues such as nitrogen from septic waste being released to nearby bodies of water. He added that a recent water quality report showed that Smithtown Bay is one of the most oxygen-deprived areas east of New York City. This deprivation means that it’s difficult for fish to survive.

“That’s why no one can really go fishing in Smithtown Bay anymore,” he said.

Kaufman said the damage is identical to issues the area had in the 1990s.

“We know what the source is, and we also know how it gets out into the water,” he said. “Basically, [it goes] west right into the Nissequogue River and then just flows down the river and then it goes into the Smithtown Bay where it unfortunately stays for a couple of days.”

Among those representing chamber and civic groups was Kings Park Chamber of Commerce President Tony Tanzi who called the proposed facility “an absolutely wonderful thing.” He said he felt it helped the community as a whole for many reasons, listing qualities such as a viable downtown, lessening pollution of rivers and protecting open space. He added from the chamber of commerce’s perspective it could restore economic viability to the downtown.

“We’ve got the ability to preserve 15 acres of open space in perpetuity,” Tanzi said. “You’ve got the ability to protect our drinking water. You’ve got the ability to protect the Nissequogue River and the Long Island Sound and preserve our drinking water for future generations, which is really what we’re all here trying to do.”

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$26 million facility opens at Nissequogue River State Park

Nissequogue River State Park is the home of the new DEC Division of Marine Resources headquarters. Photo by Rita J. Egan

The Nissequogue River State Park has become the central hub for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Marine Resources headquarters.

Nissequogue River State Park is the home of the new DEC Division of Marine Resources headquarters. Photo by Rita J. Egan

DEC and state park officials as well as Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone (D) gathered Oct. 7 at the state park for the ribbon cutting of a sustainability-focused facility.

Funding for the $26 million building came from New York Works, and the facility  will house a U.S. Food and Drug Administration-certified shellfish microbiology laboratory. The DEC anticipates the lab will be certified by the FDA by Spring 2022.

The division currently works out of an office in East Setauket and will continue doing so while the FDA-certification process for the new Kings Park laboratory is conducted. The building also has a lobby the public can visit with a marine permit office and restrooms.

Jim Gilmore, director of the division, said the project began more than 10 years ago. He said being located in a medical park in East Setauket made them a “fish out of water” as they had 20 boats but were five miles from the shore. He said one day after a meeting in Northport he took the scenic route back and decided to stop at the park.

“I drove by here and saw the sign, and I came in and I said, ‘What a beautiful park and what a great place with the water access. Maybe we could move the marine division instead of having a leased space, actually build something here and have a cooperative thing with the parks department and run our operations more efficiently,’” he said. “So, fast forward to today, and we have this beautiful complex, this building and this property that was a terrific, cooperative effort between two agencies.”

He added that apart from the new facility making it easier to get boats in the water than the East Setauket location, it is “designed for more efficient operation of DEC marine division” and furthers its mission to understand fisheries management and manage over 30 recreational and commercial species.

“Things we used to be able to take a day for us to do we could do in a half day,” Gilmore said.

The division annually also certifies 1.2 million acres of shellfish harvest area with its FDA lab.

Basil Seggos, DEC commissioner, congratulated Gilmore on the completion of the project and said Gilmore has taken the marine division to the next level.

Seggos said for years the marine district has been under threat.

“It’s pollution,” he said. “It’s overfishing. It’s developing down on the waterfront. Now we start to look at some of these really big sort of existential problems that we have to handle — there’s multistate issues and fish migration and, of course, climate change and the warming of our waters, the acidification of our waters.”

He said battling the issues is just not a result of policies created in Albany but also the groundwork done by the division on Long Island.

“This beautiful building supports the staff that are protecting 2,700 miles of shoreline,” Seggos said, adding that it includes Long Island, the Atlantic side, all the embayments, New York City and the Hudson River.

He added that 1.2 million acres of open water is taken care of by the staff, and nearly 350,000 jobs are dependent on the work that the division does.

A fish tank in the building’s lobby. Photo from DEC

State Parks Commissioner Erik Kulleseid said the new DEC building and the recently opened Charles and Helen Reichert Administration Building and visitors center in the NRSP are a symbol of a relaunch of the park.

“I think this building and our building down the hill and the marina in the future are real signs that it’s time to reinvest in this park and make it into the place,” Kulleseid said, adding that the park covers 521 acres.

“It’s vitally important to aquifer recharge, all kinds of things, and in one of the most densely populated parts of the state,” he said.

Bellone said it was a joint commitment on all levels of government, including Town of Smithtown Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) who was unable to attend the event due to another commitment.

The county executive added that the protection of marine resources was critically important to the future of Long Island, and it was crucial to make sure those resources were sustainable.

“This is the state saying that these resources are critical and that we are committed to protecting them,” he said. “I’ve talked about this before: Water is everything here. It’s our quality of life, it’s our recreation, it’s our economy. The reason, or a large part of the reason, people live here is because of the extraordinary natural beauty, the assets, the bays, the Sound, the ocean, lakes and rivers. We have an obligation to protect it, but if we don’t we’re not going to have a prosperous future. And so this dedication of a building is a wonderful thing.”

After the press conference, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) sent out a press release announcing  the completion of the headquarters.

“From recreational anglers out for a day to commercial shellfish harvesters who have fished our state’s waters for generations, the health of New York’s marine ecosystem is critical to the economic health of our coastal communities,” Hochul said. “This new facility is evidence of our ongoing commitment to protecting New York’s diverse marine life while leading the way in the development of sustainable infrastructure.”

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Facility features

• Facility is LEED silver-certified by the U.S. Green Building Council for energy efficiency construction.

• It includes water-use reduction and rainwater management features, environmentally conscious and low pollution-emitting building materials, and facilitates the production of solar-generated energy.

• Features at the new facility include:

Ground and roof-mounted solar panels equipped to generate about 100,000 kilowatt-hours of energy each year. 

LED lighting, energy-efficient electrical systems, and optimized water process used to reduce consumption. 

Indoor environmental air quality controls, outdoor heat-reduction materials, and reflecting paint to minimize
energy use. 

Low-impact refrigerants.    

Environmentally friendly, low-emitting, and recycled construction materials. 

High-quality indoor daylight and views of natural outdoor spaces to reduce the use of electrical lighting. 

Green and electric vehicle parking and charging stations for visitors and staff. 

Bike rack and a connection to a nature trail.

Rainwater bioretention and rain gardens to help reduce stormwater runoff.

Native and adaptive plants and trees to promote the health of the local ecosystem.

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Spotted Lanternfly
The New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets (AGM) is asking for the public’s help in combatting the Spotted Lanternfly (SLF), an invasive pest from Asia.  First found in New York State on Staten Island in August 2020, the population has now been observed in all NYC boroughs.  SLF is a destructive pest that feeds on more than 70 plant species, including tree-of-heaven, and plants and crops that are critical to New York’s agricultural economy, such as grapevine, apple trees, and hops.
Spotted Lanternfly

“The Department has been working diligently to mitigate the impacts of this destructive pest, which can weaken plants and have a devastating impact on agriculture.  Despite intensive survey and the implementation of targeted management plans, AGM has continued to find SLF around the New York City area.  We are once again asking for residents’ help, this time with spotted lanternfly control measures, particularly in this area.  Outside of NYC, we’re asking for the public to continue to be vigilant and report any sightings to help slow the spread of this invasive,” said State Agriculture Commissioner Richard A. Ball in a recent press release.

New York City Region

NYS AGM has been receiving increased reports of SLF in the five boroughs of New York City since early this month.  While inspectors continue to survey and respond to these reports, AGM is asking residents to destroy SLF adults. Later in the fall the public can help further by scraping off and destroying SLF egg masses. The public can also reach out to Cornell University’s Integrated Pest Management Program (IPM) to learn about control measures or a certified pesticide applicator for treatment options to help combat SLF.

Because NYSAGM is aware of the population spread, it is asking NYC residents to forgo reporting sightings of SLF at this time.  In addition to reaching out to Cornell, AGM encourages the public to thoroughly inspect vehicles, luggage and gear, and all outdoor items for egg masses and adult SLF before leaving the New York City region.

While these insects can jump and fly short distances, they spread primarily through human activity. SLF can lay their eggs on any number of surfaces, such as vehicles, stone, rusty metal, outdoor furniture, and firewood. Adult SLF can hitch rides in vehicles, on any outdoor item, or cling to clothing or hats, and be easily transported into and throughout New York.

Residents can also help by allowing surveyors access to properties where SLF may be present.  Surveyors will be uniformed and will always provide identification.

Upstate New York

SLF has also been detected in several isolated areas upstate, including Ithaca, New York; however, that population is relatively small and scheduled for treatment.

For residents living outside of New York City, AGM urges New Yorkers to report sightings of the SLF, using the web reporting tool found here: https://survey123.arcgis.com/share/a08d60f6522043f5bd04229e00acdd63

Reporting in Upstate New York is critical, helping inspectors identify any newly impacted areas.

Brian Eshenaur, Sr. Extension Associate at Cornell University’s NYS Integrated Pest Management Program, said, “In New York, we’re particularly concerned about the impact Spotted Lanternfly could have on our grape and wine industries. Our NYS Integrated Pest Management Program has been working with our colleagues in Pennsylvania over the past few years to learn from their experience and prepare our growers for this insect advance.  We are currently scouting vineyards and have NYS appropriate management options available for producers and tips for residents as well.”

In February of this year, the State also launched an innovative effort to combat the spread of SLF in New York State. A new online interface allows volunteer members of the public to assist in surveying for SLF in a specific area, or grid of land, and tracking associated data. The program encourages broader surveying for SLF and increased public awareness of this invasive pest.

The State is holding a series of training webinars to educate volunteers on how to identify SLF and tree-of-heaven, a plant that SLF commonly feeds on. Each training webinar will focus on a different life stage of SLF based on the time of year that stage would be most likely found during survey.  Currently, the training focuses on identifying adult SLF. The training will also cover how to use iMapInvasives, how to sign up for a grid and track data, and details about land access. The next webinar will be held on October 27, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. More information about the program, including upcoming webinars, can be found at https://www.nyimapinvasives.org/slf.

Spotted Lanternfly Devastating to New York Agriculture

SLF feeding can stress plants, making them vulnerable to disease and attacks from other insects. SLF also excretes large amounts of sticky “honeydew,” which attracts sooty molds that interfere with plant photosynthesis, negatively affecting the growth and fruit yield of plants, devastating agriculture and impacting forest health.

The estimated total economic impact of invasive insects in the US exceeds $70 billion per year, and if not contained, the SLF could have an impact to NYS of at least $300 million annually, mainly to the grape and wine industry.

SLF also has the potential to significantly hinder quality of life and recreational activities due to the honeydew and the swarms of insects it attracts.

First discovered in Pennsylvania in 2014, SLF has since been found in New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, West Virginia and Virginia. Given the proximity to the Pennsylvania and New Jersey infestations, New York State is at high risk for infestation.

Since 2017, AGM, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, New York State Department of Transportation, and New York State Thruway Authority have taken an aggressive approach to keeping SLF from establishing in New York State, conducting surveys of high-risk areas across the State; inspecting nursery stock, stone shipments, and commercial transports from quarantine areas; and launching a comprehensive education and outreach campaign to enlist the public’s help in reporting SLF.

Identifying SLF

Adult SLF are active from July to December. They are approximately one inch long and half an inch wide at rest, with eye-catching wings. Adults begin laying eggs in September. Signs of an SLF infestation may include:

  • Sap oozing or weeping from open wounds on tree trunks, which appear wet and give off fermented odors.
  • One-inch-long egg masses that are brownish-gray, waxy and mud-like when new. Old egg masses are brown and scaly.
  • Massive honeydew build-up under plants, sometimes with black sooty mold developing.

For more information on Spotted Lanternfly, visit https://agriculture.ny.gov/spottedlanternfly.

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The red-eyed Eastern Towhee's scientific name is Pipilo erythrophthalmus. Photo from Unsplash

By John L. Turner

Human beings (Homo sapiens). Domestic dog and cat (Canus lupus familiaris and Felis catus, respectively). White Oak tree (Quercus alba). Blue Whale (Balaenoptera musculus). 

You may remember these “Latin/Greek “ or “Scientific” names from your high school biology days and probably have given them little to no thought ever since. Further, I bet you currently ignore them whenever you see them in a book, magazine or on-line article, quickly passing over these obscure, hard to pronounce, often multisyllabic words, tucked neatly inside a pair of parentheses.

First a little bit about the rules and convention concerning scientific names. All species on planet Earth have been assigned a binomial name, the first referring to the genus and the second the species; so with humans the scientific name “Homo sapiens” means that human beings belong to the genus Homo (the only existing species in the genus) and are unique belonging to the species “sapiens”. The generic name is capitalized but not the species name. Both are either italicized or are unitalicized but underlined. So in the case of the Blue Jay either Cyanocitta cristata or Cyanocitta cristata conforms. (By the way, the name means a chattering blue bird with a crest.)

You might well ask what’s the purpose of scientific names? Plain and simple, it is to eliminate ambiguity and prevent mistakes. It’s a way to ensure that a scientist on Long Island and a scientist elsewhere in the world are communicating about the same species…an uncertain outcome if these scientists are communicating using the common names of species. 

For example, two scientists discussing otter biology need to know what otter species they’re talking about. Is it the Sea Otter (Enhydra lutris)? Or maybe the River Otter (Lontra canadensis) or Asian Small-clawed Otter (Aonyx cinereus)? How about Giant River Otter, (Pteronura brasiliensis), European Otter (Lutra lutra) or any other of the thirteen species of otters found in the world. In discussing some aspect of otter ecology or biology, just mentioning “otter” may not be sufficient to provide the level of specificity or accuracy needed. Researchers need to know they’re both talking about the same species of otter. Or bacteria. Or slime mold. Or many other species that can affect us.

If you have an interest in nature and natural history, I’d encourage you take a second look at scientific names as they often impart some helpful information about or describe some aspect of a species, referring to the geographic range of the species or where it was first discovered. It may also provide information regarding some physical characteristic of the species, say possessing a long tail or having a red cap on its head.

For example, the Latin/Greek name for the Ring-billed Gull, a common gull on Long Island, is Larus delawarensis, the species name meaning “of Delaware,” stemming from the fact the first specimen of this species was collected near the Delaware River south of Philadelphia. And as but one of many examples relating to a physical feature, the scientific name for the Eastern Towhee is Pipilo erythrophthalmus; the species name is Greek for red-eyed — “erythros” meaning red and “ophthalmos” meaning eye (think ophthalmologist). Indeed one of the conspicuous features of this beautiful member of the sparrow family, a common breeding bird in the Long Island Pine Barrens, is its red eye.

The scientific name for the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) presents another example in which a scientific name expresses a physical feature — leucocephalus means white-headed and Haliaeetus means salty sea eagle, a description of the type of habitat it frequents, so the name provides an apt description of the species — the salty sea eagle with the white head.

Other scientific names honor their discoverer or someone who the discoverer of the species wants to honor. Former Presidents Reagan, Carter, Clinton, George W. Bush, Obama, and Trump have all been so honored with a species named after them as has all the members of the Rock Band Queen (Lead singer Freddie Mercury is honored with the name Heteragrion freddiemercuryi, a species of damselfly). So too the members of the Rolling Stones, Rush, and the Ramones. Lady Gaga and Beyonce have been so honored, so has Bob Dylan, and comedian and late night host Stephen Colbert has done very well — with three species named after him: a beetle, spider, and wasp.

In addition to honoring an individual or providing some basic information about the species, some Latin names provide a more complete picture of the species. 

Let’s take Trailing Arbutus as an example. A beautiful low-growing plant with five-petaled, light pink flowers which grows along sandy trails in the Pine Barrens, the Latin name for the species is Epigaea repens. “Gaea” is Greek for the Earth or Earth Goddess and “Epi” mean “upon.” So the generic name means “upon the earth”. The species name “repens” comes from repent. What position are you typically in when repenting? Trailing or prostrate on the ground. So, the scientific name for Trailing arbutus means to “trail upon the earth” an accurate description of the plant’s growth form.

Another example involves the Northern Mockingbird, a common breeding bird in suburbia. Well-known for its ability to mimic the songs and sounds of other birds, the Mockingbird’s scientific name, Mimus polyglottis, means “many throated or many tongued mimic”; poly meaning many and glottis referencing the throat or tongue.

While the Latin names for the arbutus and Mockingbird are accurate, for some other scientific names of species the jury is still out with regard to accuracy of the name. Take us humans (Homo sapiens) which means “wise man.” Given the path we’re on, of global destabilization of this planet’s finely tuned climate, with potential catastrophic effects for human societies and the natural world, perhaps a change to our scientific name is in order. Indeed, time will soon tell whether “sapiens” should be kept or replaced.

A resident of Setauket, John Turner is conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, author of “Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island” and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours.

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Photo from Walmart Facebook

Walmart Inc. has agreed at its sustainability milestone summit to reduce total virgin plastic use by 15% throughout the company’s plastic packaging footprint by 2025 following engagement with As You Sow. It agreed to set an absolute plastic reduction target in May following the filing of a shareholder resolution by As You Sow, but needed time to assess the size of the cuts. The announcement was made in a press release on Oct. 6.

The company told As You Sow it will work to achieve the plastic reduction through increased use of recycled content, elimination of unnecessary material, redesign of packaging, and exploration of reuse models. The company’s plastic packaging footprint includes private‐brand packaging, shopping bags, operational packaging, and eCommerce packaging. The reduction will likely approximate a 180,000 ton reduction out of 1.4 million metric tons of plastic packaging it used in 2020, according to its most recent environment, social, and governance report. 

“The company has set a significant initial goal to reduce the use of virgin plastic,” said Conrad MacKerron, senior vice president of As You Sow. “We encourage other companies to step forward and make bolder, larger absolute cuts in overall plastic packaging. Reducing virgin plastic use is a good start, but cuts in total plastic use have a greater impact. We need hundreds of companies to make significant cuts in single-use plastic packaging if we are to make meaningful progress in reducing the flow of plastic wastes into oceans.” 

Four other large companies — Keurig Dr Pepper, Mondelez International, PepsiCo, and Target Corp. — agreed to virgin plastic reductions earlier this year after the filing of shareholder proposals by As You Sow. Target and Keurig Dr. Pepper agreed to reduce virgin plastic in brand packaging 20% by 2025, Mondelez agreed to cut 5% by 2025, and PepsiCo agreed to a 20% cut by 2030. 

Cumulatively, the reduction in use of virgin plastic announced by these five brands is likely to total more than 700,000 tons. As You Sow continues dialogue with Amazon.com and Kroger, among other large brands, seeking similar reductions. Forty-five percent of Kroger shareholders and 35% of Amazon shareholders supported proposals earlier this year asking the companies to study significant reductions in plastic use.

In a new report, “Corporate Plastic Pollution Scorecard 2021,” As You Sow analyzed the packaging practices of 50 large consumer goods companies, 18 companies — including Walmart — were identified as having announced, or planning to announce, a virgin plastic reduction goal by 2021. This was a notable nine-fold increase from 2019 when just two companies held these goals, demonstrating rapid corporate awareness of the importance of reducing overall plastic use. Walmart was among the second highest scoring companies in the report, preceded by top-scoring company Coca-Cola Co.

As You Sow’s efforts have been catalyzed by a 2020 landmark study by Pew Charitable Trusts, “Breaking the Plastic Wave,” which modeled actions needed to reduce 80% of the plastic pollution that flows into oceans by 2040. The report said immediate and sustained new commitments throughout the plastics value chain are needed, including actions by brand owners, consumer goods companies, and retailers to reduce at least one-third of plastic demand through elimination, reuse, and new delivery models.

The largest cut in overall plastic use to date by a major consumer goods company was a 2019 commitment by Unilever to cut virgin plastic use by 50%, including a total elimination of 100,000 tons of plastic packaging by 2025.

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Sweetbriar Nature Ceter, 62 Eckernkamp Drive, Smithtown presents a Plant Power workshop featuring medicinal garden plants, a foraging walk and making herb bundles, on Tuesday, Oct. 5 from 4 to 6 p.m.

Plants have grown from our Earth for billions of years and evolved millions of potentially useful compounds over that time. As long as humans have been around, we have studied and tried to understand and use these plant products to improve our health.

There maybe plants in your yard, on your patio, and even in your kitchen that yield unexpected benefits or have uses that were once popular in cooking. Lavender was once used as a hospital disinfectant, garlic mustard was used to flavor dishes, and the roots of our native sassafras trees were once used to make teas.

Join the staff for a foraging walk around Sweetbriar. We’ll be collecting plants and plant material to use for making herb bundles.

Use the bundles to honor traditions or to simply establish their own ritual. As a ritual, burning an herb bundle can aid relaxation, relieve stress and anxiety, dispel negative emotions, enhance spirituality or meditation.

As you walk through the Sweetbriar gardens and forests, your guide will point out some plants that were once popular for culinary uses and some that were once used for medicines.

You’re more than welcome to bring some of your own plants from home to add to your bundle.

Fee for the workshop is $25 per person. To register, click below.

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Photo by Patrice Domeischel
Join Four Harbors Audubon’s NextGen Board Members, Cayla and Iris Rosenhagen, for some family fun while learning about our feathered friends at Frank Melville Memorial Park, 1 Old Field Road, Setauket on Oct. 2 from 1 to 2 p.m. Their one-hour program includes a children’s story reading, bird walk, and a bird inspired activity. Meet at the entrance to Frank Melville Park. Free but registration required. Email [email protected].

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Photo from 4HAS

Native shrubs and herbaceous perennials that are valuable for pollinators and in a bird-friendly habitat will be for sale at the Four Harbors Audubon Society Fall Plant Sale on Oct. 2 at the Safina Center, 80 North Country Road, East Setauket. 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. FHAS members only, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. open to the general public. For more information, call 675-1803 or visit www.4has.org.

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'Mischief' by Laura Westlake
'Untitled' by Joe Reboli
'Autumn Prince' by Vicki Sawyer

As the days grow shorter and temperatures begin to fall we turn our attention to the sights and sounds of autumn. In celebration of the season, the Reboli Center for Art and History presents Autumn Shadows, a beautiful exhibit featuring artwork by Joseph Reboli, Laura Westlake, Vicki Sawyer and more that include some beguiling and bewitching crows and ravens in paintings, drawings, ceramics and jewelry.

The show will run from September 28 to Oct. 31.

Some of Joseph Reboli’s paintings are on loan from private collectors, and are rarely exhibited, providing a great opportunity for Reboli fans to see some of his work for the first time. 

Laura Westlake is a native Long Islander, who grew up in Stony Brook and now lives in Orient with her artist husband, Dominic Di Lorenzo. Having studied at Santa Barbara City College in California and the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, she spent 15 years working in commercial illustration for television, magazine and print ads, portraiture and book illustration. 

Westlake excels in both color pencil and oil paints and has been exhibiting in galleries for over 35 years. Her love of birds and nature complements the work of internationally known artist, Vicki Sawyer, another show participant.

Celebrated for her incredibly imaginative and whimsical art, Vicki Sawyer, former Stony Brook artist and designer, has had two shows at the Reboli Center in recent years. Growing up in farm country, she spent years studying and admiring birds and animals. 

Sawyer works in acrylic and incorporates vegetables, twigs and flowers to adorn her whimsical creatures with hats, necklaces and other decorative accessories. Her paintings are definitely one of a kind. Her notecards, calendars and other home decor items are on sale in the Reboli Design Shop.

Other participating artists include Kevin McEvoy, Linda Giacalone, Laura Peters, Barbara Glynn Prodanuik and more. The Center’s History Room will continue on with an interesting exhibition curated by Tricia Foley, The Legacy of Leslie Marchant, which showcases the life and accomplishments of the accomplished Long Island builder.

“We are thrilled to have such a high caliber of artists participating in Autumn Shadows,” said Lois Reboli, a founder of the Reboli Center. “They each bring a distinct element of talent and creativity that supplement each other’s work.”

The Reboli Center for Art and History is located at 64 Main Street in Stony Brook. The gallery is open Tuesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and on Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, please call 631-751-7707 or visit www.rebolicenter.org.

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Image from ‘Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm’. Photo credit: Ines Sommer

Throughout this summer, Huntington’s Cinema Arts Centre has been offering free pop-up film screenings around Long Island in order to bring attention to local agriculture. Presented in partnership with Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning, the local economic development initiative, Choose LI, the Cinema’s new ‘LI AgriCULTURE’ series has offered a unique look at farming on Long Island.

This October, the Cinema Arts Centre is partnering with Fink’s Country Farm, a family-owned and operated farm in Wading River, for a free day of fun and a screening of the independent documentary film, ‘Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm.’

Image from ‘Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm’. Photo credit: Ines Sommer

The LI AgriCULTURE series engages the local community in Long Island’s rich landscape of sustainable food production through the power of documentary film, helping to foster pride in our shared agricultural and aquacultural heritage, and inspiring Long Islanders to choose more local foods. Presenting dynamic documentary screening and discussion programs, virtually and in a variety of locations, this program will connect audiences to local food producers and encourage and empower the community to include more locally and sustainably produced foods in their daily diets. Learn more at: https://cinemaartscentre.org/li_agriculture/

The October event of the LI AgriCULTURE series will take place on Friday, October 1st at Fink’s Country Farm in Wading River. The program will be presented in partnership with Fink’s Farm, and planned with guidance from the Suffolk County Department of Economic Development & Planning, Choose LI, and Peconic Land Trust. The free program will feature a day of fun including a petting zoo, hay rides, a corn maze, pumpkin picking, food and refreshments, a discussion with a panel of experts, and a screening of the independent farming documentary, Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm.

Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm: Surrounded by GMO-heavy industrial farms in Central Illinois, for a quarter-century Henry Brockman has successfully operated a small family vegetable farm based on principles of organic cultivation and biodiversity. But farming takes a toll on his aging body and Henry dreams of scaling back. While his former apprentices run the farm, Henry spends a “fallow year” with his wife Hiroko in Japan. But things don’t turn out as planned, and Henry must grapple with the future of farming in a changing climate on personal, generational, and global levels.

This program is made possible with support from the Long Island Community Foundation.

“The Cinema Arts Centre has always used the power of film to educate, inspire, and mobilize the Long Island community,” says David M. Okorn, executive director of the Long Island Community Foundation. “We are proud to support this film initiative that will connect residents to Long Island farms and fisheries and help them understand the importance of locally-grown food.”

Event Information:

Date: Friday, October 1st 4:00 – 9:00 PM (A rain date is scheduled for October 7th)

Location: Fink’s Farm, 6242 Middle Country Road, Wading River, New York 11792

Fees: FREE to attend. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP on the Cinema Arts Centre website: www.cinemaartscentre.org. Or by visiting the event page: https://bit.ly/SeasonsofChange

Schedule:

4:00 – Pumpkin picking, hayrides, corn maze, animatronic chicken show, animal feedings, food, and tabling with local organizations

7:00 – Screening of the documentary film ‘Seasons of Change on Henry’s Farm’

8:00 – A panel discussion with local experts

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