As the warmer weather finally arrives on the North Shore, the community is invited to enjoy a spring art exhibit by the Setauket Artists at the historic Deepwells Mansion in St. James. The show opens this Sunday, May 16 with a reception from 1 to 4 p.m.
“The Setauket Artists are thrilled to be invited back to Deepwells,” said the group’s president Irene Ruddock. “We are looking forward to taking a deep and grateful breath for the wonderful opportunity to exhibit our paintings.”
Participating artists include Ross Barbera, Shain Bard, Ron Becker, Joan Bloom, Kyle Blumenthal, Sheila Breck, Joyce Bressler, Renee Caine, Al Candia, Gail L. Chase, Anthony Davis, Bart DeCeglie, Julie Doczi, William A. Dodge, Paul J. Edelson, Marge Governale, William Graf, Melissa Imossi, Anne Katz, Flo Kemp, Karen Kemp, Joanne Liff, John Mansueto, Celeste Mauro, Judith Mausner, Lorraine McCormick, Jane McGraw Teubner, Eleanor Meier, Fred Mendelsohn, Muriel Musarra, Paula Pelletier, Russell Pulick, Jessica Randall, Cathy Rezin, Joan Rockwell, Robert Roehrig, Irene Ruddock, Oscar Santiago, Carole Link Scinta, Barbara Jeanne Siegel, Angela Stratton, Susan Trawick, Marie Lourdes Velez, Marlene Weinstein, Ellen Winter and Patricia Yantz.
According to Ms. Ruddock, the art group has planned several special events in conjunction with the exhibit.
“This year, we have some private artist studios upstairs which is exciting! Artists such as Al Candia, Fred Mendelsohn, and Rob Roehrig are exhibiting additional paintings as well as joining us in the show,” she said.
In addition there will be a gift shop featuring pottery by Russell Pulick and jewelry by Jessica Randall and Ross Barbera. Smaller works, cards, and books written by the artists will also be available and three paintings will be raffled off.
“We welcome the public to the opening reception on Sunday, May 16 to enjoy some light refreshments, view the paintings, meet the artists and to stroll the beautiful grounds of Deepwells Mansion,” added Ms. Ruddock.
The Setauket Artists’ Spring Art Exhibit will be held at Deepwells Mansion, 2 Taylor Lane, St. James from May 16 to June 6. Gallery hours are Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., closed Monday and Tuesday. Visit www.setauketartists.com for additional exhibit events. COVID restrictions apply. For more information, call 631-365-1312 or email [email protected].
Gerard Romano of Port Jefferson Station took a photo of these pretty tulips just in time for Mother’s Day. He writes, ‘One of the things enjoyable to photograph are spring flowers after the long cold winter. After my daily walk I was surprised to find the nicest arrangement planted by our own landscapers.’
On April 30, the Town of Brookhaven celebrated Arbor Day by planting a Red Maple tree in front of Town Hall, following a longstanding tradition. Since 2016, the Town has been designated as a “Tree City USA” by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
The annual planting at Town Hall is part of Supervisor Romaine’s Green Energy & Sustainability initiative for Town facilities announced in his 2015 State of the Town Address. The plan focuses on Town-owned Buildings and Facilities, Traffic Controls, Street Lights and Town Vehicles. Pictured left to right are the Town’s Environmental Analyst Alan Duckworth; Councilman Kevin LaValle; Supervisor Ed Romaine; Councilman Dan Panico; Councilwoman Jane Bonner; Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich and Councilman Neill Foley.
Arbor Day has been celebrated around the world since originating in Spain in 1805. The first American Arbor Day was on April 10, 1872 in Nebraska. In 1907, President Theodore Roosevelt brought the event to national attention when he issued an “Arbor Day Proclamation to the School Children of the United States.”
In 2018 the Swedes coined the phrase plogging “plock a upp” to encourage picking up roadside garbage. In 2019 Colorado added “plalking while walking” to persuade walkers to do the same.
I live two blocks south of Setauket Harbor. The joy of each morning is walking around the harbor to breathe in the beauty of nature and feast in its seemingly tranquil existence.
As Spring arrives, I look and listen for the mating call of the red-winged blackbird as they return in mid February, along with the geese who fly in formation above me. Up until the red-winged blackbirds arrival, I often hear the call of the red cardinal and watch its brilliant red flash, along with the blue jays squawking year round and robins and sparrows who have been here throughout the winter.
Summer brings out the mockingbirds singing their varied songs. Wrens and crows surface and an occasional little yellow warbler flies by teasing me with its bright yellow. Summer is filled with nature exploding and reproducing. The swans and geese nest, the hawks and owls terrorize the small birds and chipmunks. You see many a bird fighting to protect its territory and keep its mate. Deer families cross the road, a turkey followed by her babies. Not to be outdone are the geese crossing the road with their babies following stopping traffic. The seagulls are here year round.
Fall brings the departure of the red-winged blackbirds, but the harbor is filled with a swan “convention.” Beautifully colored male ducks and their drab mates, and an occasional crane or heron graze nearby as the boats leave their summer lodgings for winter storage. The gun shot of hunters ring out through late fall and winter. A dreaded sound!
The last few months I’ve taken to walking with a plastic bag to pick up the debris strewn by passing cars who throw their garbage out their windows. Empty cigarettes and cigar packages are the most numerous offenders followed by cans and glass bottles of soda, sparkling water, beer cans, and vodka bottles. Discarded tissues and napkins, McDonald’s meal debris, paper bags filled with leftover wrappings from a local deli and lots of plastic bags. Some are filled with dog waste and dumped on the side of the road.
My bag fills up quickly. Cardboard boxes blown by the wind don’t fit so I put them under my arm. But, I leave the dead fish for the seagulls.
Once it was an occasional can I could pick up on the side of the road. Now a bag is quickly filled up each way. We can’t stop the “jerks” from throwing out their trash when they drive through, but we can carry a trash bag and go “plalking while walking.” So, please join me in keeping our home pristine!
Girl Scouts help plant the American Elm tree donated by Covanta with Town and Covanta officials looking on.
Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci, Councilman Ed Smyth and Councilwoman Joan Cergol were joined by Covanta and Girl Scout Service Unit 12, Troop 239 for an Arbor Day tree planting ceremony and to unveil trees planted with Tree City USA grant funding at Columbia Street Park in Huntington Station Friday, April 30.
“Thank you to Covanta Huntington for your environmentally-conscious donation and to our Girl Scouts from Troop 239 for your commitment to Columbia Street Park and many of our green spaces,” stated Supervisor Chad A. Lupinacci. “The Town of Huntington is fortunate to have maintained our Tree City USA designation for over 20 years and thanks to your contributions, grant funding from the New York State Urban Forestry Council, and our Volunteer Parks Stewards like Alvin White, we will continue to plant trees, beautify and preserve our open spaces.”
“It’s great to be in Columbia Park, one of the “hidden gems” of the Town’s parks,” said Councilman Ed Smyth. “Our bigger parks get most of the attention, but it is worthwhile for our residents to explore the smaller parks that are often within walking distance of their homes.”
“I want to thank Covanta for donating such a beautiful American Elm tree and Girl Scout Service Unit 12, Troop 239 for planting additional saplings at Columbia Park,” Councilwoman Cergol said. “Planting trees is one of the best things we can do for the Town’s natural beauty and for the environment, and I’m proud to serve a Town that has been designated a Tree City USA community for 20 years and running.”
Maureen Early, Senior Community Affairs Specialist for Covanta, stated, “Covanta was delighted to partner with Supervisor Lupinacci and the Town of Huntington to plant trees in honor of Arbor Day. It’s efforts like this that remind us how important it is to protect our environment and work toward a more sustainable tomorrow. We thank our municipal leaders for being environmental stewards with us.”
Girl Scouts from Troop 239 in Service Unit 12 from South Huntington joined the ceremony to help plant the American Elm tree donated by Covanta to the Town of Huntington to commemorate Arbor Day; the Town Board accepted the donation at their April 13 meeting.
Participating in the Arbor Day ceremony were Girl Scout Cadettes Zahara Amorde, Julia Dean, Kate Sperduti, Lily Fleischer, Abbrianna Mandarino, Kate Adams, Morgan Franz, Ava Tulipano, and Allie Lynde, as well as Girl Scout Juniors Sophia Amorde, Nadia McKelvey, and Ava Rodriguez. The Scouts also helped plant additional bare root saplings at the park. Troop Co-Leaders Gina Barone and Christine Reilly attended the event.
Girl Scout Troop Co-Leader Gina Barone stated, “It was a privilege and pleasure for Troop 239 to participate in the Town of Huntington Arbor day tree planting event. Girl Scouts have been passionate proponents of conservation throughout our organization’s 100-plus year history and our troop strives to embody the value of environmental stewardship in our Huntington community. We are committed to continuing to live the Girl Scout law of “using resources wisely” and protecting the Earth both globally and locally. Thank you for supporting our mission and for allowing us to be a part of such an inspiring program!”
Volunteer Park Steward Alvin White, who serves as the parks steward for Columbia Street Park, also attended the Arbor Day event.
The event also celebrated grant funding that allowed additional trees to be planted at the park in late 2020. The Town of Huntington has maintained its designation as a Tree City USA for over two decades. In September 2020, the Town applied for and received $1,000 in Tree City USA grant funding from the New York State Urban Forestry Council to plant five (5) trees at Columbia Street Park in Huntington Station, a site recommended in a Planting Location Evaluation from a tree inventory previously conducted with a Tree Inventory Grant funded by the NYSDEC Urban and Community Forestry Program.
A total of twelve (12) trees were planted under the project; seven (7) trees were funded by an EOSPA-recommended match of $1,900. Most of the trees were planted as street trees to provide shade and a welcoming park aesthetic in 2020, when an event could not be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stony Brook University President Maurie McInnis (at center) took in Flowerland with Reginald Ligonde ’21 (at left) and Khadija Saad of the USG (at right).
Flower crowns were worn by many students during the Flowerland festival, elevating the mood.
Before hunkering down to study for finals, Stony Brook students ventured out to enjoy the campus in the Spring. Hosted by the University’s Undergraduate Student Government (USG), Flowerland is a new tradition designed to help students relax and breathe deeply before wrapping up the semester.
Students decorated the plaza around the Student Activities Center with flowers and flower arrangements to mark the new season. The arrangements will be present through the end of finals, reminding students that no matter how their year finished, there should always be time to stop and smell the flowers.
Arbor Day celebration at Avalon Nature Preserve. Photo by Heidi Sutton
On May 1, Avalon Nature Preserve, in conjunction with the Village of the Head of the Harbor, hosted a special event in honor of Arbor Day.
Judy Ogden shows visitors the proper way to plant a bare root sapling. Photo by Heidi Sutton
Visitors to the Preserve were invited to participate in a garden workshop led by Judy Ogden, Trustee and Highway Commissioner for the Village of the Head of the Harbor and owner of Ogden’s Design and Plantings in St. James. All were given a bare root sapling to take home and plant in their yard.
Ogden spoke of the importance of planting native Long Island trees, and demonstrated how to properly plant and care for a young tree. Attendees were able to choose either an American Witch Hazel or Eastern Redbud sapling to take home, courtesy of the Village of the Head of the Harbor, a Tree City, U.S.A. These two types of understory trees provide many environmental benefits including attracting honeybees, providing seeds for birds and serving as host plants for butterfly larvae.
All Huntington and Oyster Bay residents are encouraged to become Oyster Gardeners this summer at one of five gardens in their community. Attend the Saturday, May 8th presentation at the Huntington Public Library (via Zoom) to learn more and sign up to raise oysters this season in Oyster Bay and Cold Spring Harbor.
The Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee invites residents to play an active role in protecting their local waters by becoming Oyster Gardeners this season. Oysters serve as “ecosystem engineers” improving water quality, enhancing habitat and protecting shorelines from damaging storms. Since 2017 hundreds of families, individuals, boy and girl scouts, church groups, yacht, bathing and garden clubs have raised and planted tens of thousands of oysters on a protected spawner sanctuary in Cold Spring Harbor.
The Oyster Gardening program is an outreach tool of the inter-municipal Oyster Bay/Cold Spring Harbor Protection Committee to educate and engage residents in conserving their natural resources.
To learn more:
Attend:Oyster Gardening 101 Presentation – Huntington Public Library Huntington Public Library (via zoom). Everyone (not just Huntington library patrons) are welcome to attend. Oyster Gardening supporters and Huntington Town Councilmembers Cergol and Smyth will welcome attendees. The zoom session will be followed by an in-person visit to the site of the garden at West Neck Beach to learn first-hand. Registration begins May 3rd. For details see: Library Newsletter ( page 4): https://myhpl.org/images/newsletters/2021/may-june.pdf
Elisa Hendrey of Sound Beach took this photo on April 17 at the new fishing pier at Cedar Beach in Mt. Sinai. She writes, ‘This is one of my favorite places to walk and take photographs. I was attracted by the intense color of the water and the beautiful sky as well as the long parallel lines of the pier and the rock jetty.
Above, a humpback whale breaks the surface of the water. Photo from Eleanor Heywood/National Marine Fisheries Service permit no. 21889
By Daniel Dunaief
The waters off the South Shore of Long Island have become a magnet, attracting everything from shipping vessels, recreational boaters, fishermen and women, potential future wind farms, and humpback whales.
While the commercial component of that activity can contribute to the local economy, the whale traffic has drawn the attention of scientists and conservationists. Whales don’t abide by the nautical rules that guide ships through channels and direct traffic along the New York Bight, a region from the southern shore of New Jersey to the east end of Long Island.
Left, Julia Stepanuk with a drone controller. Photo by Kim Lato
Julia Stepanuk, a PhD student at Stony Brook University in the laboratory of Lesley Thorne, Assistant Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, is focusing her research efforts on monitoring the humpback whale’s use of this habitat.
“This can help us understand how we focus our energy for monitoring and conservation,” she explained in an email. If the whales are traveling, it helps to know where to minimize human impact.
Ultimately, the work Stepanuk, who also earned her Master’s degree at Stony Brook in 2017, does provides ecological context for how whales use the waters around New York and how old the whales are that are feeding in this area.
In her dissertation, Stepanuk is “looking at the biological and ecological drivers, the motivators of where the whales are, when they’re there, specifically, from the lens of how human activity might be putting whales at risk of injury or mortality.”
Each summer, whales typically arrive in the area around May and stay through the end of October.
When she ventures out on the water, Stepanuk uses drones to gather information about a whale’s length and width, which indicates the approximate age and health of each individual. Since 2018, she has been gathering information to monitor activity in the area to track it over time.
With the research and data collected, she hopes to help understand the ecology of these whales, which will inform future policy decisions to manage risk.
Stepanuk’s humpback whale work is part of a 10-year monitoring study funded by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, which includes four principal investigators at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences. The study looks at carbonate chemistry, physical oceanography, fish distribution, and top predator abundance, distribution and body condition, Thorne explained.
“My lab is leading the seabird and marine mammal aspect of this project,” said Thorne.
The grid over the whale demonstrates how members of Thorne’s lab measure the size of the whale from drone images. Photo by Julia Stepanuk
By documenting the ecological ranges of whales of different ages, Stepanuk may provide insight into the age groups that are most at risk. Many of the humpback whales that travel closer to shore are juveniles, measuring below about 38 feet.
Stepanuk has seen many of these whales, either directly or from the drones she flies overhead. She has also gathered information from events in which whales die after boats hit them.
Mortality events off the east coast have been increasing since 2016 as numerous whales have washed up along the coast. About half of the humpbacks in these mortality events have evidence of human interaction, either ship strike or entanglement, Stepanuk said.
“There have been many more strandings than usual of humpback whales along the east coast” in the last five years, Thorne explained.
Humpback whales likely have appeared in larger numbers in New York waterways due both to the return of menhaden in nearshore waters, which comes from changes in the management of this fish stock and from environmental management more broadly, and from an overall increase in the humpback whale population after 40 years of protection, Thorne suggested.
Ultimately, Stepanuk said she hopes to use the scientific inquiry she pursued during her PhD to help “bridge the gap between academic, policymakers, conservationists, interested parties and the public.”
A part of Stony Brook’s STRIDE program, for science training and research to inform decisions, Stepanuk received training in science communication, how to present data in a visual and accessible way, and how to provide science-based information to policymakers.
For Thorne, this study and the analysis of the vessel strikes on humpback whales could be helpful for understanding similar dynamics with other cetaceans.
Julia Stepanuk and Matt Fuirst, a previous master’s student in Lesley Thorne’s lab, release a drone. Photo by Rachel Herman
“Understanding links between large whales and vessel traffic could provide important information for other studies, and could provide methods that would be useful for studies of other species,” said Thorne.
Stepanuk offers some basic advice for people on a boat in the New York Bight and elsewhere. She suggests driving more slowly if visibility is limited, as people would in a car in foggy weather. She also urges people to pay close attention to the water. Ripples near the surface could indicate a school of fish, which might attract whales.
“Slow down if you see dolphins, big fish schools and ripples,” she said. “There’s always a chance there could be a whale.”
If people see a whale, they shouldn’t turn off their engines: they should keep the engine in neutral and not approach the whale head on or cut them off. For most species, people can’t get closer than 300 feet. For North Atlantic right whales, which are critically endangered, the distance is 1,500 feet.
She suggests people “know the cues” and remember that whales are eagerly feeding.
Stepanuk has been close enough to these marine mammals to smell their pungent, oily fish breath and, when they exhale, to receive a residue of oil around her camera lens or sunglasses. She can “loosely get an idea of what they’re feeding on in terms of how bad their breath is.”
When she was younger, Stepanuk, who saw her first whale at the age of eight, worked on a whale watching boat for six years in the Gulf of Maine. An adult female would sometimes leave her calf near the whale watching boat while she went off to hunt for food. The calf stayed near the boat for about 45 minutes. When the mother returned, she’d slap the water and the calf would race to her side.
“Experiences like that stuck with me and keep me excited about the work we do,” Stepanuk said.
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