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Environment & Nature

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Members of the Setauket Harbor Task Force. Photo from George Hoffman

Save the Sound’s most recent report card states that inner and outer Port Jefferson Harbor, as well as middle Port Jefferson Harbor (Setauket Harbor), are among Long Island Sound’s top five waterways, boasting strong water chemistry. Water chemistry ratings indicate that a body of water has healthy chemical conditions that support aquatic life and overall ecosystem health.

This is something to celebrate, as stormwater systems have steadily reduced our harbors’ nitrogen levels over the past 30 years.

However, despite our improved knowledge of waste disposal and our diligent efforts to test our water’s chemical and bacterial levels, more work remains to be done.

August’s devastating storm served as a stark reminder that Mother Nature is a powerful force. Despite our area’s best efforts, advanced technologies, and state-of-the-art flood safeguards, millions of dollars in damage proved that even our best preventive efforts can be in vain.

That is why we must not remain stagnant in our efforts to protect our island. Worsening weather conditions can easily overshadow even our most cautious endeavors. Following the recent storm, bacteria levels in Stony Brook Harbor and neighboring waterways spiked, creating an unsuitable environment for aquatic life—not to mention the dozens of fish that washed up on our streets.

So, TBR implores you: Please continue your efforts to keep our environment clean and safe. Properly dispose of household chemicals and waste, minimize fertilizer and pesticide use, and maintain your car to prevent leaks.

Don’t forget to pick up litter you see in the streets and be mindful of your own waste. Community cleanups are frequently held in our coverage areas, providing not only a great way to keep our environment pristine but also an opportunity to connect with fellow community members. Water conservation is crucial, as well. It helps maintain healthy water levels in rivers, lakes, and estuaries, preventing excessive pollution concentration, protecting our aquatic ecosystems, and ensuring sufficient water for recreation and wildlife survival.

Bask in the success of our environmental consciousness, but don’t rest on your laurels. Together, we can make Long Island cleaner and safer for our ecosystems than ever before!

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Soundview Drive near Robin Road has been hit with extensive storm damage. Photo from Michael Armando

By Julianne Mosher

The plan is to put a spell on you all for a good cause. 

With high-impact storms hitting Long Island over the past year, local communities have been having trouble recovering from wind, water and debris-filled damage. In Rocky Point, the North Shore Beach Property Owners Association (NSBPOA) experienced ruined beaches and access points and roads that need dire repair. 

To raise funds to fix these expensive problems, NSBPOA is hosting a post-Halloween party at their historic clubhouse featuring music from the Resurrection of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins band — the blues artist known for “I Put a Spell on You” — a perfect tune for the spooky holiday bash to be held on Nov. 9.

Michael Armando, a former board member of NSBPOA and the guitarist in the band, said that this Halloween concert is open to the public, not just members of the association. 

“We’re hoping to raise money to repair the damage from the heavy rain we had,” he said. 

Soundview Drive, which is a private road owned by the association, but which is open to the public, was ruined after Long Island was rocked with 10-inch-high flooding in August. The problem, Armando said, is that while the road is private, it is accessible to everyone including buses, garbage trucks, and plows from the Town of Brookhaven. However, since it’s privately funded, the town cannot pay for its repairs or help maintain it. 

“We don’t get help from the town, but they use the roads too,” he said. “Fixing the roads is a public benefit.”

The Resurrection of the Screamin’ Jay Hawkins  Band will perform at the event.

As an added bonus, the party will feature music from The Resurrection of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins Band — a tribute project that brings the music of the legendary Screamin’ Jay Hawkins back to life. Armando, who was the original guitarist for the original band in the 70, said that they don’t just perform Hawkins’ music, but they also aim to recreate the wild and theatrical essence of his performances. Other members of the band include Shakar “TheRealShakar” Brumfield on vocals, Tex on saxophone, Andrew Golba on bass and Michael Fox on drums.

NSBPOA is celebrating 96 years, according to vice president Gina Carpenter. She said that in 1928, a New York City newspaper, the New York Daily Mirror, owned undeveloped land between Rocky Point and Miller Place. An advertisement offered subscribers the  opportunity to buy a 20-by 80-foot parcel through the subscription of just $89.50 as a “get away from it all” summer home. 

“People came by train — there was just a dirt road leading up to the bungalows,” she said. 

The association came out of the summer season regulars who would help maintain the beaches and who created a sense of community together while they vacationed on the North Shore. Today, Carpenter said the association has over 600 members and it’s open to anyone looking to have access to a small piece of paradise which includes more than a mile of beach, kayaking, fishing and boating. 

That’s why having members in the group is so important, Carpenter said, because “we’re a nonprofit, so when things happen, we’re not eligible for certain grants.”

“It’s a big undertaking maintaining the roads and beaches,” she added. “To rebuild and repair, we heavily rely on donors and fundraising.”

Armando said that anyone can join — members don’t need to live exclusively in Rocky Point. 

“The beach association is an environmentally friendly group that takes care of the beach, the bluff and planting on the bluff,” he said. “Whatever we can get to help will go to the repairs along with all of these other things.”

“This is a hidden gem that not many people know about,” Carpenter said. “An event like this is not only fun, but people can see our clubhouse, get to know some of us and learn more about the association.”

The belated Halloween party fundraiser will benefit the NSBPOA on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7 p.m. at 55 Clubhouse Drive in Rocky Point. Tickets are $40 and the event will have basket raffles, a 50/50 and include a free wine glass voucher. Costumes are welcomed for those still feeling the spooky season. Tickets can be purchased online at northshorebeach.org or at the door. 

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Stone Bridge Nighthawk Watch 2024. Photo by Rosemary Auld

By John Turner and Patrice Domeischel

The 2024 season of the Stone Bridge Nighthawk Watch, held on the southern bridge in Frank Melville Memorial Park in Setauket, ended on October 6.

The Watch is conducted every year by the Four Harbors Audubon Society, a chapter of the National Audubon Society, and in partnership with the Frank Melville Memorial Foundation. It  runs for 41 evenings — from August 27th through October 6th — from 5:30 p.m. to dusk. This was the eighth year of the Watch. 

The purpose is to count the number of nighthawks in an effort to provide a reliable data base which we hope will inform avian conservationists regarding trends in abundance of this fascinating, insect-eating bird.     

From the bridge compilers counted each Common Nighthawk passing by as they migrated south, ultimately destined to reach their overwintering grounds in central South America, which ranges from the Amazon River basin south to northern Argentina.

Common Nighthawks aren’t hawks, their closest Long Island relatives being two species of nightjars — Whip-poor-wills and Chuck-Will’s-Widows, both of which breed in the Long Island Pine Barrens.

The results for the 2024 season were disappointing with only 669 common nighthawks tallied, by far the worst year of the eight years of the Watch. We had only one day where we tallied a triple digit count with 103 nighthawks observed on Sept. 12. 

Totals for the other seven years are: 2046 nighthawks in 2017, 2018 nighthawks in 2018, 2757 nighthawks in 2019, 2245 nighthawks in 2020, 1819 nighthawks in 2021, 1625 nighthawks in 2022, and 1022 nighthawks in 2023.  

We don’t know the cause for this decline but weather is a suspected cause. A low pressure system sat over the North Atlantic for more than a week at the end of the Watch and some conjectured that it created unfavorable winds for migration. Hopefully we’ll have a better tally next year!

We were, though, rewarded with beautiful sunsets, by stunning cloud patterns, and many other interesting bird species including Wood Ducks (talk about eye candy!), several instances of adult Bald Eagles passing directly overhead, Blue Jays flying above us with bills and throats filled with acorns they were on the way to hoard away in hidden spots to ensure an ample winter food supply, a daily back and forth from a raucous pair of Belted Kingfishers, and the nightly antics of erratic flying bats actively feeding on aerial insects, employing their otherworldly echolocation skills to do so. 

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Bert Conover and George Hoffman, water monitoring volunteers, hold a sign highlighting the five best and worst scoring bay segments, for New York water chemistry. Courtesy George Hoffman

By Mallie Jane Kim

The water chemistry in Port Jefferson Harbor rates as some of the best among bays in Long Island Sound, according to a new report by bistate environmental organization Save the Sound.

The biannual report card released Oct. 10 was based on data collected in 2023 and showed middle Port Jefferson Harbor, the area near Strong’s Neck and Old Field, tied for top marks with Oyster Bay and Mill Neck Creek, which is also in Oyster Bay. Those three areas earned an “A-” in water chemistry quality.

Inner Port Jefferson Harbor, also known as Setauket Harbor, and outer Port Jefferson Harbor, adjacent to Port Jefferson Village, both received a “B+” to round out the top five. The inner port score is up from a “C” in the report card released in 2022, and the outer harbor is down from “A-.”

“We’re pretty happy about it,” said George Hoffman of the Setauket Harbor Task Force, which has been taking water chemistry measurements at set locations within Port Jefferson Harbor twice a month from May through October since 2018. “We’re seeing small evidence of the improvement that we have advocated for.”

According to Hoffman, the harbors have seen a 50% reduction in nitrogen in the harbor over the last 30 years due to structural improvements in stormwater catchment systems and tightened regulations on nitrogen levels in treated sewage that is piped out into area bays.

The task force was part of securing a grant that paid for a storm water collection system on 25A near Setauket Pond Park, and they regularly educate boaters about a free pump-out service to prevent them from dumping human waste into the harbors.

“We’re like guardians of the harbor,” Hoffman said.

The task force is one of 27 harbor groups in Connecticut and on Long Island that participate in the Save the Sound program. Citizen scientists wake up at early hours to bring scientific equipment to specific locations and take measurements at predetermined depths, together monitoring 57 bay segments in the Sound. They measure things like dissolved oxygen, water clarity, chlorophyll, salinity and temperature. They also look at seaweed accumulation.

To note, area counties are responsible for testing for bacteria and other direct water-quality markers, but the water chemistry factors are also indicative of water health. For example, high chlorophyll levels tend to predict algae blooms.

More than 98% of Long Island’s open waters earned a grade “B” or higher, though several areas close to New York City, in the “Western Narrows,” earned an “F.”

“It’s clear that past investment in nitrogen pollution reduction from wastewater infrastructure is linked to improving the open waters of Long Island Sound,” said Save the Sound’s vice president for water protection, David Ansel, at the report card release “Now, our challenge is to find the political will to extend and expand this investment.”

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Stony Brook Mill Pond. Photo by Giselle Barkley
John Turner

The Ecology and Evolution Department at Stony Brook University, 100 Nicolls Road, Stony Brook continues its Living World lecture series with “Should the Mill Pond Be Rebuilt? Reconnecting Severed Threads” with guest speaker John F. Turner, Division of Land Management for the Town of Brookhaven, in the Javits Lecture Center, Room 111 on the West Campus on Monday, Oct. 21 at 6 p.m.

Some landscape features such as the thousands of dams installed in rivers have severed or compromised ecological connections for animal species, especially migratory fishes. Turner will describe the solutions to such problems, including the recent strong rainstorms in this region that broke several dams, giving an opportunity for restorations that restore fish migration routes.
A noted Long Island Naturalist, John Turner is a founder of the Long island Pine Barrens Association, has worked on land restoration in Long Island for decades and is an officer in the Seatuck Environmental Association and the Four Harbors Audubon Society.
The event is free. For more information, call 631-632-8600.

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Councilwoman Bonner (third from right) stands with crews from the Arrow Metal & E-Waste Recycling crew
Councilwoman Jane Bonner (center) with Correction Officer Investigator, Dominick Verni (left) and Deputy Sheriff, Dylan Hever (right).
Councilwoman Bonner (second from left) with the paper recycler Data-Struction staff

On October 5, Brookhaven Town Councilwoman Jane Bonner was at the Rose Caracappa Senior Citizen Cultural & Wellness Center in Mount Sinai for her Fall Paper Shredding, Electronic and Prescription Drug Take Back recycling event. It was a good opportunity for residents to safely dispose of unused electronic devices, have their old paper documents securely shredded and safely dispose of old prescription drugs.

Environmentally conscious residents in 517 vehicles, dropped off 7260 lbs. of electronic waste, 16,600 lbs. of paper for shredding and 12 boxes of prescription drugs for proper disposal.

The following are the remaining 2024 recycling events in the Town of Brookhaven:

Council District 6 Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig

Saturday, October 14 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Center Moriches Free Public Library, 235 Montauk Highway, Center Moriches

Council District 1 Councilmember Jonathan Kornreich

Saturday, October 26 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Setauket Fire Department, 394 Nicolls Road, Setauket

Council District 4 Councilman Michael Loguercio

Saturday, November 2 9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

South Country Public Library, 22 Station Road, Bellport

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Caption: Stony Brook University goes car free. Photo by John Griffin/Stony Brook University

Stony Brook University has won this year’s Car Free Day Long Island, with the  highest number of pledges on a college campus, 892 people, who will go car free for at least one trip.

Car Free Day is an international event celebrated in September where people are encouraged to travel car-free, opting to instead ride public transit, a bicycle, travel by carpool, or walk. This year, Car Free Day Long Island was held on September 22, 2024. This was the 12th year Long Island has participated in the event.

Stony Brook University has been participating in Car Free Day Long Island since 2013 with the aim of getting  students, faculty, and staff to participate in alternate ways of traveling to reduce carbon emissions. The event aligns with Stony Brook’s sustainability goals, and also promotes the use of its Wolf Ride Bike Share program and coincides with its recent recognition as a Bike Friendly University. To spread the word this year, coordinators sent out emails to students and employees as well as posted on the Stony Brook University Office of Sustainability’s Instagram.

“Participating in initiatives like Car Free Day Long Island helps to bring awareness to the power of collective action when approaching climate solutions,” said Erin Kluge, sustainability coordinator, from Stony Brook University’s Office of Sustainability, which led the university’s participation. “Incorporating alternative travel options in our routine when possible is one of the many great ways we can help lessen our carbon footprint.”

“A great part of Car Free Day Long Island is that it helps put our reliance on our vehicles into perspective. While the event reduced carbon emissions, the awareness it sparked will continue to have lasting effects,” said Environmental Studies major Max Cruz, ‘25.

Last year, Car Free Day was celebrated in 3,100 cities in 50 countries. The event draws participants in a variety of fields, from interested parties to organizations committing to the pledge. This year, 3,912 Long Islanders pledged to go car free.

Of the organizations involved in the final pledge count, categories included participants from colleges, healthcare, companies, municipalities, libraries, and nonprofits. In the colleges category, Stony Brook out-pledged other participants by four-fold, with NY Tech coming in at 196 pledges and Farmingdale State College with 99 pledges.

 

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Photo from Town of Smithtown

The Town of Smithtown Department of Environment and Waterways and Municipal Services Facility collected over 14.49 tons of hazardous household waste at the free disposal event this past weekend. On Saturday, October 5th, 520 households within the Township turned out to safely dispose of close to 29,000 (28,980) pounds of toxic items, which are prohibited in regular curbside waste pickups.

“Our residents take great pride in protecting our environment utilizing events like this to responsibly dispose of potentially hazardous chemicals and products from their homes. While our hope in the long term is that residents will use these events as inspiration to consider using safer and environmentally friendly alternatives around the home, the participation from the community speaks volumes about its popularity. I’d like to thank the team at MSF, Public Safety Fire Marshalls, DEW staff, Reworld (formerly Covanta) and the team at Radiac for another successful Hazardous Household Waste event to close out the year,” said Supervisor Edward R. Wehrheim.

Reworld (formerly Covanta) distributed over 80 $5 Home Depot gift cards to residents for recycling potentially dangerous lithium-ion and other batteries, propane tanks and mercury containing devices thereby preventing these harmful items from curbside disposal. The town collected 67 propane tanks and over 350 batteries.Reusable bags from DEW were also provided to interested residents.

Smithtown Municipal Services Facility employees worked in conjunction with MSF staff, Public Safety Fire Marshalls, DEW staff and Reworld (formerly known as Covanta) staff supplementing the work by Radiac, the Hazardous Household Waste contractor. The event to provide a safe and efficient service to residents was spearheaded under the direction of Environmental Director Environmental Director David Barnes, DEW Sr Analyst Rich Kitt, and MSF Foreman Tommy Passariello.

A portion of the wastes collected for manifested disposal include: mercury, waste oil based paints/ flammable paints, gasoline, paint thinners, waste gases, petroleum distillates, flammable solids, oxidizers liquids and solids, sodium/potassium nitrates, acids, corrosives, pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers, misc. toxic liquids (i.e. Chlordane, etc.) and solids, lacquers, lithium batteries, battery acids and various other toxic compounds.

The Household Hazardous Waste collection events for the 2025 calendar year will be announced in December. Hazardous Household Waste collection events are for Smithtown Township residents only. Proof of residency will be confirmed upon entry.

DID YOU KNOW?

●  Bicycle Upcycle: Residents can now upcycle bicycles at Municipal Services Facility (MSF) which are restored and distributed through Smithtown Bicycle Co-op, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization located at FlowerField (Unit 18) in St James. The organization fixes up and provides free bikes, classes and access to repair tools, promoting health, safety, education & the concept of “paying it forward” through Recycling, Education and Community. Residents can drop off used bicycles free of charge at MSF during regular hours.

●  Electronic Waste: Residents can also dispose of electronic waste, free of charge, at the Town Recycling Center located at 85 Old Northport Road. Electronic waste, such as computers, printers, TV’s, monitors, automotive and household batteries, can be dropped off during regular hours for proper recycling.

●  Free Mulch: Mulch is also available free of charge to residents. Smithtown residents can line up for pre-packaged bags of mulch with a maximum of 10 bags per visit. We offer free loading of loose mulch into your pick-up or dump truck. A cover is required.

●  Clothing Bins: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Long Island Clothing & Textile Bins are now located at MSF. Clothing and other textiles may be dropped off at these bins during regular business hours. There is no charge however, donation receipts are not provided.

The Smithtown Municipal Services Facility is located at 85 Old Northport Road in Kings Park. Regular operating hours are Monday through Saturday from 7 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. For more information, call 631-269-6600.

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