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An aerial view of the Oasis Gentlemen's Club. Cropped from a Town of Smithtown aerial photo

The landscape is about to change in Smithtown.

The Town of Smithtown will buy the Oasis Gentlemen’s Club for $815,000. The Town Board unanimously approved the purchase at its May 20 meeting.

“This is a great victory for the residents, who’ve asked for this throughout the last two decades, thanks in part to the tireless efforts of the town attorney’s office,” said Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) in an email statement.

The building has stood across from the Bull statue at 490 W. Jericho Turnpike for decades and sits on two lots that are the equivalent to one-fifth of an acre. Smithtown plans to use the land for a public space that will have waterfront access to the Nissequogue River that flows right behind it. The Oasis will close around the middle of June, according to attorney Howard Greenberg who represents the owner, 490 W. Jericho Realty Corp.

The purchase follows years of litigation between the owner and the town. In October, town officials began talks about eminent domain if an agreement wasn’t reached with the bar’s owner.

In a phone interview, Greenberg said the deal is fair and equitable considering the circumstances. The attorney said there had been a lot of back and forth between his client and the town through the years. The club owner was unable to obtain approval from the town for any improvements he wanted to make, even though Greenberg said town administration and attorneys were decent to work with.

He said the decision to sell the business, which he stated is constitutionally protected, was made by his client.

“I think it’s in the best interest of the client and in the interest of the town,” Greenberg said. “You’re not going to find many people that are going to stand up for the rights of this type of business.”

The building that now houses the Oasis has been known by many names through the decades including the Bull Creek Inn. During an Oct. 27 town special meeting, Peter Hans, Smithtown planning director, said the structure predates an assessment done by the town in 1947. That year, it was listed as Cliff’s Tavern Barroom. At the October meeting, Hans said the building is not on the historic sites inventory.

The building has been used for adult entertainment since 1979. Besides Oasis and Bull Creek Inn, members of the Facebook group, You know you’re from Smithtown, New York if:, also remember the business having names such as Habitat and Rosebuds after Cliff’s Tavern Barroom was no longer in business.

During the town’s May 20 meeting, the board also unanimously approved moving forward with a park swap with Suffolk County. Smithtown officials are aiming for the county to acquire the town’s Bill Richards Park next to Blydenburgh County Park; in return, the county will hand over Paul T. Given County Park to Smithtown. The plan will require special legislation authorized by state Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James) and state Sen. Mario Mattera (R-St. James).

“Upon resolution, which includes a park swap with Suffolk County, this will be a sanctuary for both the residents and biotic community at the head of the Nissequogue River,” Wehrheim said.

The town supervisor added that the plans for the property were in line with Smithtown’s Comprehensive Master Plan and the Local Waterfront Revitalization Program “which looks to limit development and safeguard the river corridor area.”

“I look forward to witnessing the community enjoy breathtaking views from shore or canoe of what will be a whimsical oasis at the heart of Smithtown,” Wehrheim said.

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From left, Environmental Director David Barnes, Supervisor Ed Wehrheim, Smithtown artist Susan Buroker, Smithtown CSD Art Teacher Timothy Needles talk with students about stormwater runoff. Photo from Town of Smithtown

The Town of Smithtown, in partnership with the Smithtown Central School District, has begun a unique partnership in time for the 2021-2022 school year. Town officials will begin to coordinate hands-on experiential learning opportunities with school science teachers, which focus on real world environmental issues affecting the community. The new programming will focus on the branches of science and how to apply the curriculum to real world issues such as solid waste, invasive species, and water quality.

“We’re absolutely thrilled at the prospect of getting our youth more engaged in critical environmental issues, like protecting the watershed, and Long Island’s impending waste crisis. I can remember back to my school days, always asking ‘When am I ever going to use this in the real world?’ This programming takes studies from the chalk board to the real world, so kids witness the benefits of their hard work unfold before their eyes… I’m especially grateful for the School Districts partnership in what will undoubtedly be a phenomenal learning experience for our youth,” said Supervisor Ed Wehrheim.

Over the Summer, town department experts at Environment and Waterways, and Municipal Services Facility will begin coordinating with school district science teachers to help perfect the programming. Real world topics include the impending solid waste crisis, shellfish and water quality, invasive species census and stormwater runoff. Each class will hear expert presentations from Smithtown’s environmental authorities, in addition to participating in eco-adventure field trips. Students will then learn how to apply STEM related solutions to real world issues.

While still in the planning phase, the new partnership program is slated to launch in the fall.

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Mayor Margot Garant was joined with all the different groups who made the new Barnum Avenue parking lot possible this week at a official “ribbon cutting.” Photo by Julianne Mosher

The Barnum Avenue parking lot is officially open and ready to be used. 

As part of the village’s downtown revitalization project, the lot was upgraded to include 46 new parking spaces, an electric vehicle charging station and filtration system to mitigate flooding and stormwater runoff. 

On Tuesday, May 11, village officials, along with the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce and representatives from the county and state, celebrated its grand opening.

“We are very, very proud of this new parking lot,” said Mayor Margot Garant. “This is the first new parking lot in the Village of Port Jefferson in over 50 years. I think that’s amazing.”

And it started about six years ago when there was a vision to remove an eyesore and put in something new. 

Located east of the Joe Erland baseball field, an old, vacant building was once located on the property. 

The Barnum Avenue parking lot. Photo by Julianne Mosher

The several-year-long process to remove the building, clean it up and turn it into a free municipal lot that is futuristic in its amenities finally came to fruition in March of this year. 

The new 32,000-square-foot lot includes 46 new spaces oriented diagonally, including two handicap spots and two EV charging stations. The lot has a one-way entrance, to help alleviate traffic congestion. 

Almost entirely technology-driven, the lot is free to everyone — all a visitor has to do is register with the barcode scan. 

“We’re trying to encourage most of our merchants and their employees to park here for free to keep all the high proximity spots available for patrons,” she said. “That way, they can have a better turnover at your shop or your restaurant.”

Garant added that last week, the village had over 4,800 parking sessions with a revenue just under $12,000.

“That means we are back to a pre-pandemic number, folks,” she said. 

The lot came to be thanks to a $200,000 jumpstart grant from Suffolk County back in 2019. The funding also helped make the lot eco-friendly, adding bioswales bordering the foot entrance on Barnum Avenue to aid in flood mitigation. Those bioswales help with stormwater runoff.

“Being conscious of stormwater runoff, and what it can do — the damage it can cause to the harbor — and making sure that when we add asphalt, we are collecting the water and it’s not bringing contaminants into our bays and waterways, that was critically important to this project,” said Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket).

Overnight parking not permitted and will be tracked.

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File photo by Heidi Sutton

The candidates are offically on the ballot. 

Last month, local resident and nonprofit owner Melissa Paulson announced she would be running against incumbent Margot Garant.

Village clerk Barbara Sakovich confirmed that as of Wednesday, May 12, Paulson officially dropped out of the race. 

However, Barbara Ransome, director of operations with the Port Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, announced this week she would be running on the mayor ticket, with fellow chamber president, Suzanne Velazquez.

For the village’s election on June 15, the candidates are now as follows: 

Margot Garant and Barbara Ransome for mayor; incumbents Kathianne Snaden, Stanley Loucks and newcomer Suzanne Velazquez are running for two trustee positions.

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Highway Superintendent Kevin Orelli is shown standing in front of the new gabion revetment wall on West Shore Road.

The Huntington Highway Department, under the direction of Highway Superintendent Kevin Orelli, recently completed its second shoreline stabilization project, which included the restoration of approximately 600 feet of shoreline roadway.

Highway Superintendent Kevin Orelli is shown atop the new gabion wall on Shore Road.

The first stabilization project took place on Shore Road in Cold Spring Harbor from September, 2020 thru November, 2020 that involved the installation of a 450 foot gabion reinforced retaining wall in addition to a new guide rail.

The second shoreline stabilization project was performed on West Shore Road in Huntington that began on the week of April 12th and took approximately two and a half weeks to complete. The Highway Department replaced and installed a130 foot section of gabion reinforced revetment in addition to a new guide rail and steel chain link fencing.

“Both gabion revetment projects were under New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) shoreline stabilization permits and will help to eliminate long-term erosion and deposition of silt and debris into the tidal areas,” stated Highway Superintendent Kevin Orelli.

Photos courtesy of Town of Huntington

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Microplastics. Photo by Erica Cirino

By Nancy Marr

How many plastics do you use each day  — cups, straws, food containers, water bottles, toys, shoes? How many of them could you live without? How have we become so dependent on plastics – most of which we use once and then discard? 

Beginning after World War II, the invention of items like plexiglass, impressive because of its durability, started the growth of the plastics industry. More recently, with the fossil fuel industry facing cutbacks, and with fracking reducing the price of natural gas, fossil fuel companies in the United States found they could make products from their waste, making it into things people could use. Since the 1960s, plastic production has increased by approximately 8.7% annually, evolving into a $600 billion global industry. Fossil fuel companies supported building more pipelines to make more plastic products.

Recycling was regarded as the way to dispose of the plastics, turning them into new products. In 1975, producers lobbied the United States government for more recycling programs. But recycling has not been a solution. Now, 400 million tons have accumulated over the world, most of it created within the last 15 years in the United States. Plastics degrade when they are recycled; the World Economic Forum estimates that only 2% has been effectively recycled to create new products. Burning the plastic waste to melt it releases toxic compounds and carbon. 

The public has become aware of the problems created by plastic waste. Efforts to clean the oceans where the waste has accumulated have revealed micro and nanoplastic pellets and beads, which we are also finding in cosmetics. Other countries are responding to the problem of the waste piled on their shorefronts and waterways. 

Current estimates find that oceans have 60% fish but 40% plastics. China, which received and recycled much of the plastic waste we shipped to them until 2013, passed a law refusing all shipments of waste from the United States. 

Additionally, when plastics are exposed to natural forces like sunlight and wave action, plastics will degrade into microplastics. Over time, plastic particles contaminate the marine ecosystem and the food chain, including foodstuffs intended for human consumption. In vivo studies have demonstrated that nanoplastics can translocate to all organs, affecting human health.

Plastic producers say the plastics are OK, people need them; it is what the consumer does after their use that is the problem, leaving the problem to us. Local efforts to reduce the use of plastics have had some success – cutting back on the use of plastic water bottles, for instance. But the public believes they need them, encouraged by advertising and publicity from water bottle manufacturers like the Ohio manufacturer Fiji who convincingly tells consumers that their water is safer than the public water supply. 

Environmentalists have realized that change needs to start with the manufacturers, not the consumer. Freeing the oceans from the deposits of plastics and creating plastics that are compostable or biodegradable will take strong citizen action. According to The Daily Planet, “we are seeing that public demands are clear, and they want plastic waste to be addressed.”

We need to ask the Federal Government to stop giving rebates to fossil fuel companies. The Center for Biological Diversity has petitioned the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency to regulate plastics as a pollutant under the Clean Water Act and will keep pushing for plastic pollution to be treated as the hazardous waste that it is. On a federal level, the Break Free from Plastics Act that was re-introduced recently includes a strengthened EPR policy that holds plastic producing companies accountable for their waste. It also would implement a three-year pause on issuing permits for new plastic production facilities. 

In New York State the Extended Producer Responsibility bill (S1185), co-sponsored by Assemblyman Steve Englebright and Senator Todd Kaminsky, will be addressed in the Senate most likely in June. It would require producers and manufacturers to finance the disposal of their packaging materials and plastics, with incentives for finding ways of making recycling easier. The American Chemistry Council, which represents plastic producers, would put the onus on consumers to pay taxes on plastic to pay for recycling. 

Although recycling will not make the plastics go away, we should all do  what we can to reduce our personal use of plastics. Contact the legislators who have written the EPR bills, Senator Kaminsky ([email protected]) and Assemblyman Englebright ([email protected]) and your own state legislators, to tell them you support the EPR bill and reusable packaging to reduce the use of plastics.    

Nancy Marr is first vice-president of the League of Women Voters of Suffolk County, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government and influences public policy through education and advocacy. For more information, visit https://my.lwv.org/new-york/suffolk-county or call 631-862-6860.

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Thomas Akerberg’s family, above, was on hand for the planting of a tree in his honor. Photo by Rita J. Egan

The Town of Smithtown’s Department of Environment & Waterways used Arbor Day to pay tribute to a beloved town worker.

A ceremonial tree planting was held April 30 on the town’s Public Safety Department grounds to pay tribute to deceased bay constable Thomas Akerberg. Each year, the E&W department hosts a ceremonial tree planting in celebration of Arbor Day. This year marked the second year in a row that a tree has been dedicated to a town employee. Last year urban forester James Cordray was remembered.

Joining Akerberg’s family members and town employees were joined by town councilmembers Tom Lohmann (R) and Lisa Inzerillo (R) and state Assemblyman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-St. James).

Lohmann read a proclamation from Supervisor Ed Wehrheim (R) who was unable to attend the event due to a prior commitment. The councilman described Akerberg as a pratical joker.

“Having known Tom for many years myself personally, he was just one of those types of  individuals you never saw without a smile on his face,” Lohmann said.

Inzerillo said Akerberg had a gift to make people laugh so hard that they couldn’t stop.

“There wasn’t a day that went by that he didn’t make my day, especially on those days I needed it,” she said. “He was just always there without even realizing it. He just naturally knew how to cheer people up.”

Akerberg, who died Feb. 2, was a Smithtown native and 18-year veteran of the New York City Fire Department. For more than two decades, he was a town employee. He started his career in Smithtown in the Department of Public Safety as a park attendant and worked his way up to dispatcher. He attended the basic course for peace officers at the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department training academy and later was assigned to Smithtown’s Waterways & Navigation Division as bay constable.

At the end of the ceremony, family and town employees took part in planting a galaxy magnolia tree toward the front of the grounds.  The tree will grow 30 to 40 feet high and each spring will bloom pink flowers.

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The IRS and the New York State Dept. of Taxation and Finance have extended the due date for personal income tax returns and related payments to May 17, 2021 due to the continued impact of COVID-19. METRO photo

By Nancy Burner, Esq.

Nancy Burner, Esq.

In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act increased the federal estate tax exclusion amount for decedents dying in years 2018 to 2025. The exclusion amount for 2021 is $11.7 million. This means that an individual can leave $11.7 million, and a married couple can leave $23.4 million dollars to their heirs or beneficiaries without paying any federal estate tax. This is a good thing because the federal estate tax rate is 40 percent.

Despite the large Federal Estate Tax exclusion amount, New York State’s estate tax exemption for 2021 is $5.93 million. Prior to April 1, 2014, the New York State estate tax exemption was $1 million, and many estates had to file New York State estate tax returns and pay New York State estate tax.

With the current exemptions, there would technically be no requirement to file either a New York State or federal estate tax return and no tax would be due. However, the inquiry does not end there. For example, if one spouse survived, and has approximately $5 million dollars in assets, it is recommended that he/she file a federal estate tax return to elect “portability” to capture the deceased spouse’s unused $11.7 million-dollar federal exemption. This would be necessary in the event of the living spouse’s assets appreciating over time and/or the federal estate tax exclusion decreasing leaving him/her with assets valued over the federal exclusion at the time of his/her death.

For those dying after December 31, 2010, if a first-to-die spouse has not fully used the federal estate tax exclusion, the unused portion called the “Deceased Spousal Unused Exclusion Amount,” or “DSUE amount,” can be transferred or “ported” to the surviving spouse. Thereafter, for both gift and estate tax purposes, the surviving spouse’s exclusion is the sum of (1) his/her own exclusion in the year if death, plus (2) the first-to-die’s ported DSUE amount.

In order for the surviving spouse to be able to use the unused exemption, the executor of the first-to-die’s estate must make an election on a timely-filed estate tax return. A timely filed return is a return filed within nine months after death or within fifteen months after obtaining an automatic extension of time to file from the IRS. Normally a federal estate tax return is only due if the gross estate plus the amount of any taxable gift exceeds the applicable exclusion amount (up to $11.7 million in 2021). However, in order to be able to elect portability, a federal estate tax return would have to be filed even if the value of the first-to-die’s estate was below the exclusion amount.

The problem occurs when the first spouse dies, and no estate tax return was filed. In that event, the second to die spouse could not use the deceased spouse’s unused exemption. What if the first spouse dies, no estate tax return is filed, and no election was made on a timely basis? Does the surviving spouse lose the exemption?

In June 2017, the IRS issued Revenue Procedure 2017-34. The Revenue Procedure is a simplified method to be used to make a late portability election. The IRS made this procedure applicable to estates during the two-year period immediately following the decedent’s date of death. This gives you 24 months to file rather than 15 months.

To be eligible to use the simplified method under the Revenue Procedure the estate must meet the following criteria:

(1) The decedent: (a) was survived by a spouse; (b) died after December 31, 2010; and (c) was a citizen or resident of the United States on the date of death;

(2) The executor was not required to file an estate tax return based on the value of the gross estate;

(3) The executor did not file an estate tax return within the time required; and

(4) The executor either files a complete and properly prepared United States Estate (and Tax Return) on or before the second annual anniversary of the decedent’s date of death.

If more than two years has elapsed since the date of death but all other criteria of Revenue Procedure 2017-34 were met, then the Executor would have to request a Private Letter Ruling from the IRS to obtain an extension of time elect portability and file a federal estate tax return.

For those that had spouses pass away after December 31, 2010, portability can be a valuable estate planning tool to save a significant amount of federal estate tax on the death of the second spouse. If a surviving spouse has assets that are close in value to the current federal exclusion amount, it is important to examine the records of the deceased spouse to make sure that a portability election was made on a timely filed federal estate tax return. If no return was filed, and no estate tax return was required to be filed, based upon this IRS Revenue Procedure it may not be too late to elect portability.

Nancy Burner, Esq. practices elder law and estate planning from her East Setauket office. Visit www.burnerlaw.com.

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Mike Siderakis discussed concerns about revised plans for The Lofts at Maple & Main. Photo by Rita J. Egan

Suffolk County legislator Democratic candidate, Mike Siderakis, is keeping his eye on development in Smithtown.

On April 27, Siderakis held a press conference in front of the site for The Lofts at Maple & Main along Main Street. Currently, the property features a variance and special exceptions sign that lists a Town of Smithtown Board of Zoning Appeals meeting April 13. The virtual meeting before the BZA was adjourned to July 13, even though the original variance sign remains on the property.

The candidate said developers, VEA 181st Realty Corp., are now asking for the proposed building to be all apartments instead of mixed use. The developer could not be reached by phone for comment.

Siderakis said after fanfare about the groundbreaking a year and a half ago, there hasn’t been much information about modifications.

“Seventy-one units wasn’t enough for them,” Siderakis said. “They want more, and they intend to get more by going to the Board of Zoning Appeals, in the dead of night. They intend to use the cover of a pandemic, with meetings on Zoom, and with the link only available to those who know how to request it, to make this major change without public input.”

Ground was broken on the former site of Nassau Suffolk Lumber & Supply Corp. in October 2019. The initial plan was to build a three-story 71-unit one- and two-bedroom apartment complex with 15,000 square feet of retail space on the lower level.

The goal of the developers was to create a transit-oriented development in Smithtown, with the building one block away from the train station. The apartments would be geared toward young people starting out or seniors looking to downsize. According to an October 2019 The Times of Smithtown article, the apartments are expected to generate $250,000 in tax revenue and result in 50 new jobs.

Siderakis said the developers, consultants and local leaders said Smithtown needed projects such as the proposed building.

“They brushed aside concerns about traffic, about who is going to pay for the influx of kids into our schools, about the costs of roads, maintenance or public safety,” he said. “They make glossy renderings of pristine buildings and tell us that these projects reduce our tax burden — our taxes, apparently, have been going up year after year after year because we haven’t built enough? And so, we swallow this tough pill. And we deal with the new construction. We tell ourselves that we need more housing for our kids, affordable housing, even though at thousands of dollars per month — $1,900 for a one-bedroom and $$2,900 for a two-bedroom — it’s anything but affordable.”

After the developer bought the site in 2008, according to an October 2019 The Times of Smithtown article, it violated a Smithtown stop-work order and in 2009 illegally demolished the building. After piles of debris and concrete were hauled away, the situation became the subject of a 2011 Suffolk County grand jury investigation alleging that an unnamed town official recommended demolishment to save taxes. No charges were filed, but Smithtown Town Board members voted in July 2014 to tear down the already demolished structure and adjacent buildings and approved the site plans for The Lofts at Maple & Main at its August 2018 meeting.

Siderakis said county Legislator Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset) should be making noise about the project instead of brushing it off as a town problem.

“She should have gotten on her soapbox, like I am here today, and warned the community about this bait and switch,” he said. “But where is Leslie Kennedy? She’s not part of this fight. Actually, she isn’t part of any fight that involves sticking up for the residents — not the 200-units on Smithtown Boulevard in Nesconset, not the four-story hotel in Smithtown and certainly not the millions in county tax giveaways for unpopular projects throughout the district.”

After the press conference, TBR Newsmedia reached out to Kennedy’s office for comment. The county legislator said in an email Smithtown’s agendas are available on the Town of Smithtown’s website.

“The town chose this project for two reasons — to make temporary housing available and to add strategically located business space, contributing to a walkable downtown,” Kennedy said.

The legislator added the last she heard was the requested variance asked for an increase to 76 apartments and decrease of 800 square feet of commercial space, which she said, “may be too intense on this heavily trafficked dangerous roadway and defeats the original purpose of mixed-use development and a walkable community.”

“I am fairly certain that this is how the Zoning Board of Appeals will view this, but I always encourage community involvement in any level of governmental permitting decisions,” Kennedy added.

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Lulu the Coatimundi
Superintendent of Highways Daniel P. Losquadro with the Ecology Site Animal Preserve's resident American Buffalo
Finn the hybrid fox peers out of his glass enclosure.
Holtsville Ecology Site Director April Perry with a Nubian goat
The resident bobcat
A new goat house built by an Eagle Scout
Holtsville Ecology Site Director April Perry with a Nubian goat
A Nubian goat
Protocols are in place at the Ecology Site.

By Heidi Sutton

When my daughter was little, one of her favorite places to go was the Town of Brookhaven’s Holtsville Ecology Site Animal Preserve or “The Little Zoo” as we liked to call it. She would run through the open gates to say hi to the Nubian goats with their long floppy ears as I retrieved feed from the 25-cent vending machine. She would marvel at the buffalo, see if any birds were in the large birdhouses, and then off to see the ducks, rabbits, fox and Rascal the coatimundi. A quick stop to see the eagles and hawks and then down the inviting path (overflowing with beautiful flowers grown in the attached greenhouse) to Honey and Pooh Bear’s enclosure, the preserve’s resident black bears. 

Sometimes we would stay for an hour, sometimes I would pack a lunch and we would head over to the picnic tables by the playground and grab an ice cream from the ice cream truck waiting in the parking lot. Before we left, we always had to head over to the koi pond behind the greenhouse to see the turtles. It was a ritual many town residents have enjoyed spring through fall since the park opened in 1979. Best of all, it was always free, except the ice cream! It is a special place.

Last March the animal preserve was closed to the public due to the coronavirus pandemic, briefly reopened in September but then shut its doors again. Now there is a spring awakening. Brookhaven Town Highway Superintendent Daniel P. Losquadro recently announced that the preserve will partially reopen to the public, albeit with a few changes, on Saturday, May 1. 

The preserve will be open Thursday through Monday with limited spring hours from May 1 to 28; reservations can be made every 15 minutes from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Beginning Memorial Day weekend, on May 29, reservations will expand from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Only Town of Brookhaven residents with reservations and proof of residency will be permitted to enter the animal preserve. Reservations to book a visit must be made online at www.BrookhavenNY.gov/Ecology.

“Until we see exactly what the demand is, we’re going to limit admission to only Brookhaven Town residents. We’re hoping by the summer to have the entire facility back open as it was before and just using normal social distancing protocols,” said Superintendent Losquadro during a tour on April 9.

There has been a silver lining, however. While the preserve remained closed, the town took the opportunity to fix up and enhance the animal enclosures. “We really embarked on some infrastructure improvement projects that otherwise would’ve been very difficult for us,” said Losquadro. Retaining walls, gates and railings have been rebuilt, metal fencing has been installed, new concrete has been poured, the eagle house has received a complete makeover, and the large bird cages have been replaced. 

The animal preserve has also continued to be the recipient of several Eagle Scout projects, including new houses for the goats and ducks, hutches for the rabbits and enrichment projects by the Boys and Girl Scouts to keep the animals busy and active during the day. 

“We  were very fortunate throughout this entire process that we’ve been able to continue to make improvements and prepare for reopening the facility for our residents,” said Losquadro.

While Pooh Bear and Rascal have passed away from old age, over 100 injured or non-releasable wild animals and farm animals call the preserve home including a new coatimundi named Lulu, Phantom the arctic fox and two hybrid wolves, Drax and Thanos. All have a story. Many, including the coatamundi, were kept as pets illegally and were confiscated by the SPCA, the DEC, etc.; some were hit by cars and were not able to be released back into the wild. But for all, the Ecology Center is a sanctuary with a caring staff led by director April Perry who is excited to reopen the preserve. 

“It’s going to be a soft opening,” said Perry who explained that when the facility reopens May 1, only a portion will be accessible, from the main entrance up to the eagle exhibit. Animals available for viewing at this time include the Arctic fox, alpaca, bald eagle, bobcat, Boer goats, buffalo, coatimundi, hybrid fox, the hybrid wolves, llama, mini pigs, nubian goats, pine martin, prairie dogs, rabbits, red fox, red tail hawk, and skunk.

Although the animal preserve is always free, Perry would like to remind people that a donation box is situated at the entrance. “When people donate, that money goes directly to feeding the animals and vet care,” she said. 

“Unfortunately (because of the pandemic) those efforts had slowed down a bit and the town actually absorbed all of that cost to make sure that we weren’t lacking for care of the animals or feed. Now all those donations go directly to offset those costs,” added Losquadro.

“I don’t think we would have survived without the town’s help,” said Perry. “I have been here 34 years and I am so impressed how much Dan has put into the Ecology Site and how much we are growing and moving forward. It makes my heart happy. This place means a lot to me — it’s like my second home.”

Perry also attributes the preserve’s continuing success to her staff. “I have incredible employees — they care. They are here seven days a week making sure the animals have water, have feed, that they are clean and safe and everyone steps up to the plate and they do it.”

COVID-19 safety protocols will be strictly enforced with precautions — including mandatory masks, limited admissions, and social distancing — to help ensure the safety of all visitors and staff. In addition, the Information Center and Greenhouses will not be open but access to restrooms will be available. 

“If it were up to me we would be fully open but we have to do things carefully, we don’t want to create an environment that is hazardous,” explained Losquadro. “We are all very excited — we are looking forward to May 1. The preserve is here so people can come visit the animals and learn and experience it — it’s not to keep them hidden away. We’re anxious to get this incredible place back open.”

The Town of Brookhaven Ecology Site and Animal Preserve is located at 249 Buckley Road, Holtsville. For more information, please call 631-758-9664.

All photos by Heidi Sutton

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