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Suffolk County Bellone's Facebook
Photo courtesy of Legislator Esteban's office
Suffolk County Bellone's Facebook

Suffolk County Legislator Manuel Esteban (R-Commack) announced March 21 that Commack resident Maria Teresa Romero has been named the Suffolk County’s 2022 “Woman of Distinction” for her work in founding Latina Sisters Support, Inc., which provides outreach, education and support about breast cancer to non-English speaking women.

“Today we are making history,” said Esteban. “As Suffolk County’s first Hispanic Republican Legislator, having the honor of naming the very first Hispanic Woman of Distinction will forever be a highlight of my brand-new career in government.”

Ms. Romero is the first Hispanic woman to receive this distinguished honor since the first award was presented in 2003.  She was chosen to represent the 16th Legislative District by Legislator Esteban, who is also the first Hispanic Republican representing this district.

Ms. Maria Teresa Romero is a Breast Cancer survivor of eleven (11) years.  She  turned her own experiences into a pillar of strength for all Latina and Hispanic women and founded Latina Sisters Support, Inc. to address and resolve the disparities in access to quality healthcare and breast cancer awareness amongst the Latino community. Unlike most nonprofit organizations who receive grants, Ms. Romero has personally funded this the organization with both personal funds and private donations.

“Ms. Romero saw a true need and continues to work day and night to provide services to Hispanic women who are fighting breast cancer,” said Legislator Esteban. “Her dedication is boundless, and she has helped hundreds of women and their families facing the sometimes-deadly diseases.

The very journey that women feel helpless, scared, hopeless, extremely ill during periods of chemo treatment, and the disparity of not having insurance at all to treat this life and death illness.

“It is an honor to recognize Maria Teresa Romero as the 2022 “Woman of Distinction” for Suffolk County.  Professionally and personally, she is a leader among women and is deserving of this recognition due to her overwhelming compassion for others and life’s purpose.  She is devoted to helping cancer patients not only survive, but provide them and their families hope for a better tomorrow,” said Legislator Esteban.

A humble, Ms. Romero said, “I am most proud and excited to be the recipient of the Woman of Distinction of Suffolk County, I assure you that this award will serve as a motivator for all my future endeavors. I will continue to strive on bringing kindness and awareness to the world and spread a message of love and unity allowing my moral compass to lead the way. My life changed drastically by being diagnosed with cancer and within seconds my purpose on earth also changed. I want to establish resources and services for women that are going through cancer. The Women are indeed the drivers of my motivation.”

On behalf of the Suffolk County Women’s Advisory Commission, Chair Tina Norton said, “I would like to congratulate Maria Teresa Romero, Winner of the 2022 Woman of Distinction Award. She rose to the top of our review of this year’s nominees. Her steadfast commitment to women facing cancer diagnosis and her tireless support along their journey speaks volumes to her role as a distinguished community leader. She represents the best of who we are and is a model for how we lift one another up throughout life‘s highs and lows!”

Office of Women’s Services, Grace Ioannidis, Director stated, “As we celebrate the Platinum Anniversary of this award, Maria Teresa Romero represents exactly what this is all about. She dedicates everyday of her life fighting for the dignity and survival of women with cancer.”

Legislator Esteban along with his colleagues will honor and present Ms. Romero with a proclamation before the full the Legislature at their scheduled General Meeting on Tuesday, March 29 around 10 am.

 

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Pixabay photo

The Northport Chamber of Commerce is hosting a donation drive for the people of Ukraine through April 5. Items needed include blankets, aspirin, rolled gauze, saline eye drops, Vaseline in small containers, feminine products, diapers, band aids and Pepto-Bismol pills. Drop off locations in Northport include Coach Realtors at 66 Gilbert Street, Copenhagen Bakery at 75 Woodbine Avenue, Cow Harbor Realty at 67 Main Street and Dr. Ron Iannacone’s office at 482 Main Street. For more information, please call 631-754-3905.

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Richard Mayhew, Clamdiggers, n.d., oil on board. Courtesy of the Petrucci Family Foundation Collection of African American Art. (c) 2022 Richard Mayhew; Courtesy ACA Galleries, New York

The Heckscher Museum of Art in Huntington will host a virtual panel on Environmental Justice on Long Island on Tuesday, April 5 at 5:30 pm.  

 The panel is presented in coordination with Richard Mayhew: Reinventing Landscape now on view at The Heckscher Museum of Art. Mayhew’s luminous landscapes address the historic and spiritual connections between Native Americans, African Americans, and the land.

The panel features Dr. Mark Chambers, Professor of Africana Studies at Stony Brook University, and Jeremy Dennis, a contemporary fine art photographer, tribal member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation, and founder of Ma’s House, and is moderated by Justyce Bennett, Curatorial Assistant at the Heckscher Museum of Art. They will discuss the environmental justice movement to address how environmental hazards impact communities of color disproportionately.

Jeremy Dennis is a fine art photographer and a tribal member of the Shinnecock Indian Nation. His photography explores Indigenous identity, cultural assimilation, and the ancestral traditional practices of the Shinnecock Indian Nation. His work is included in the collections of The Heckscher Museum of Art, The Hudson River Museum, the New York State Museum, and others.

Dr. Mark Chambers is a professor in the Africana Studies department at Stony Brook University. His interests include environmental and technological contacts between Indigenous peoples and free and enslaved miners in North America. His recent book, Gray Gold: Lead Mining and Its Impact on the Natural and Cultural Environment, 1720 to 1840, is a cultural history of lead mining in the region that became the state of Missouri.

Justyce Bennett is the Curatorial Assistant at The Heckscher Museum of Art. She completed her master’s degree at the Winterthur Program for American Material Culture at the University of Delaware. She is interested in Black feminist art history and wrote her master’s thesis on the landscape and historic preservation efforts on St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands.

The event is free to the public, with registration at Heckscher.org/mayhewpanel

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As travel-related restrictions from COVID-19 continue to ease, people are considering heading out on the road, to the airport, the pier, or the train station, eager to feed their curiosity and hunger about different regions and cultures.

Dr. Daniel Jamorabo is the assistant professor of medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine.
Photo by Jeanne Neville/Stony Brook Medicine

While these travelers may be excited about the flavor of the unknown, their stomachs may not be as thrilled with these journeys, demanding attention at inopportune times or threatening to revolt with the biological equivalent of a magma eruption.

Local gastroenterologists — stomach doctors — urged travelers to take precautions as they prepare for journeys to exotic locations, on cruises or even across the country.

“Depending on where people are traveling, they may need shots,” said Dr. David Purow, a gastroenterologist at Huntington Hospital. Some areas might have a higher incidence of cholera or traveler’s diarrhea, which is typically an E. coli infection, he added. People often refer to it as Montezuma’s revenge.

Purow suggested consulting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website initially, although the government organization which has coordinated much of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic is considered a conservative organization.

Purow urged travelers to search for whether pathogens are endemic to an area, which could include reading message boards. Those boards, however, can be as reliable as so much of the rest of the material on the web, he said, which means residents should use their own judgment about the reliability of what they read.

Upset stomachs can come from a host of sources, including food that’s been out for an extended period or from various forms of contaminated water.

“Always be wary of foods that are room temperature,” said Dr. Daniel Jamorabo, a gastroenterologist and assistant professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Stony Brook University’s Renaissance School of Medicine. “That’s often how people get food poisoning. Listeria is common in dairy, such as goat cheese.”

Water

Often the source of upset stomachs that can put a porcelain damper on traveling, water can cause problems for travelers.

Prior to becoming a gastroenterologist, Jamorabo himself visited Kenya, where he unwittingly picked up the parasite Giardia, which is also a threat to people drinking creek or river water on camping trips.

Jamorabo was sick for three weeks, which encouraged him on future trips to stick to bottled water during his travels for peace of mind.

When bottled water isn’t accessible, he suggested drinking boiled water or using purifier tablets. Some tablets can take up to two hours to purify a gallon of water, although others, which afford less protection, take 35 to
40 minutes.

Jamorabo said salads or fruits, which are peeled or prepared with sources of water that are hard to track, can be
a problem.

He suggested asking residents whether they have filtration systems in their homes or if they use bottled water.

Purow added that “if there is concern, use bottled water as much as you can.”

What to bring

Doctors suggested that people tend to bring stomach remedies with them when they travel, sometimes even taking them prophylactically.

Purow said some people bring probiotics, which are “unlikely to hurt you and may decrease the chance of getting anything or shortening the duration once it’s acquired.”

Pepto Bismol and Imodium could also help prevent or treat an upset stomach, particularly for people who are anxious travelers and who get so-called “traveler’s diarrhea,” doctors said.

Purow warned that people could get black stools from some of these medications, which could also be a warning sign of a gastrointestinal bleed or ulcer.

Taking these medications for symptomatic relief, however, is “fine” and will “not suppress” the need to remove something from the body, Purow added.

One of the dangers of diarrhea is that it can cause dehydration, as the body loses necessary fluids.

Jamorabo suggested traveling with or searching for Pedialyte as a way to restore hydration.

As for the dangers of going on cruise ships, doctors recommended being careful about touching tongs or servers at buffets that many other travelers, who might have brought their own pathogens with them, might also have handled.

“On these cruises, it’s like traveling in a small city,” Jamorabo said. Stomach bugs can “spread like wildfire.”

“Always be wary of foods that are room temperature. That’s often how people get food poisoning. Listeria is common in dairy, such as goat cheese.”

— Dr. Daniel Jamorabo

Mental health

Even for those who stay at home, people may be struggling with their stomach’s response to the mental health strain created by COVID-19, the Russian attack on Ukraine, and concerns about issues like violent storm and global warming.

Stomach doctors have increasingly referred patients to psychologists and psychiatrists.

“Stress can exacerbate” irritable bowel syndrome, said Purow. Concerns about the state of the world have “unmasked GI symptoms for those who didn’t have it before.”

Purow has seen a significant increase in alcoholic liver disease, as people stuck at home raided their own liquor cabinet amid health threats, lockdowns and economic uncertainty.

Jamorabo said more stressful times can lead to an increase in stomach-related discomfort or symptoms.

“We have to pay attention to what triggers people” to have panic attacks, nausea or diarrhea, Jamorabo added.

An under-treated mood disorder could compound GI-related symptoms.

Focusing on the things people can control can help soothe the stomach, such as sleeping well, exercising and eating a healthy diet.

“Look within yourself for your own mental health,” Purow suggested. Outlets such as bottles of vodka don’t tend to help, while speaking to friends and family and eating right can aid overall health, giving digestive systems relief and resilience.

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Chazz Palminteri. Photo by Barbara Anne Kirshner
Chazz and Gianna Palminteri with the staff at the Engeman. Photo courtesy of Engeman Theater
Chazz Palminteri. Photo courtesy of Engeman Theater
Chazz Palminteri with the cast of 'A Bronx Tale'. Photo courtesy of Engeman Theater
Chazz Palminteri with the cast of 'A Bronx Tale'. Photo courtesy of Engeman Theater
Chazz Palminteri with the cast of 'A Bronx Tale'. Photo courtesy of Engeman Theater
Chazz Palminteri. Photo by Barbara Anne Kirshner
Chazz Palminteri with the cast of 'A Bronx Tale'. Photo courtesy of Engeman Theater
Chazz Palminteri with the cast of 'A Bronx Tale'. Photo courtesy of Engeman Theater

Actor, filmmaker and playwright Chazz Palminteri and his wife Gianna attended the opening night of A Bronx Tale: The Musical at the John W. Engeman Theater in Northport on Saturday, March 26.

The Bronx native, who wrote the play based on his childhood in 1989 and starred as Sonny in the movie version in 1993, thanked the Engeman and cast for a job well done.   

“I haven’t seen the musical since Broadway and it is really amazing what this theater did here with the space they have, with the set, it’s just outstanding. I am amazed by it, and my hat goes off to the incredible cast and all the people here at this incredible theater. It brought back a lot of memories,” he said. 

“We are truly honored that Chazz and Gianna Palminteri were able to attend the opening night of A Bronx Tale. To be able to celebrate our production with the man who created this brilliant story was a moment that none of us will ever forget,” said Richard Dolce, co-owner of the John W. Engeman Theater. 

See video of the event here.

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METRO photo

By Daniel Dunaief

Daniel Dunaief

I’ve tried to dodge the question for years.

For some reason, it comes up despite an eagerness on my part to point to the sky and shout, “Look, it’s a flying turtle,” or to ask, “Wait, aren’t Derek Jeter, Halle Berry and Eva Mendes all sitting together over there?”

You see, I have a dairy allergy. When I first noticed over three decades ago that I couldn’t eat or drink milk products, the world wasn’t as prepared, accustomed and, most of all, accommodating toward allergies.

I’d go in a restaurant, even a fancy one, and tell the waiter or waitress that I was allergic to dairy. I’d get this dubious look like she thought she was on candid camera or that I wanted the fancy French chef to make me a Big Mac.

I tried to order quietly while everyone was looking at their menus or diving for the gold coins I’d thrown across the room as a distraction while I whispered about my allergy to a waitress, begging for a chance to order without facing the inevitable food inquiry.

Alas, more often than not, my distraction techniques and whispering rarely worked.

“I’m allergic to dairy,” I’d mumble.

“Say what?” she’d say.

The restaurant would go silent as if EF Hutton were telling people how to invest.

“I can’t eat anything made with milk, cheese, butter or cream,” I’d say.

“So, what do you want to eat? The chef can’t redo the entire kitchen just for you,” she’d reply, while snarling, blowing the bangs off her forehead and rolling her eyes.

Typically, I’d come up with something creative like a plate of lettuce, an unbuttered bagel, a hard-boiled egg or a Chinese meal. Asian restaurants rarely use milk or butter, which makes Chinese, Japanese and Thai food among my favorites.

Once I’d finally placed the order and was ready to engage in a non-food-related conversation, someone would look me in the eye and ask.

“So, what happens to you if you eat dairy?”

And there it is. I’m not sure what to say. Going into graphic detail forces me to relive unpleasant experiences.

Over the years, I’ve looked at my wife for help. She’s tried to point out the scar from the IV she got when she gave birth to our daughter, shared some exciting anecdote from work, or offered a story from her childhood.

The more we try to redirect the question, the more likely it is to persist.

“No, really, what happens? Would you die?” people have asked eagerly. Sometimes, their tone is so matter of fact that I wonder if they’d like popcorn, with plenty of butter, to watch the death by dairy event.

Do I carry an EpiPen? Would my throat close? Would I need immediate medical attention?

While the answer to all three questions is “No,” I prefer not to think about, and relive, the consequences of a few mouthfuls of key lime pie.

Describing the discomfort that starts in my mouth and continues all the way to my, well, other exit point, requires me to share unpleasant details.

I try to shorten the interaction by suggesting, in general terms, that I’m in intense digestive discomfort.

“How long does it last?” someone asks.

“Long enough that I haven’t had ice cream for over three decades.”

While the question is unpleasant, the modern reality is not. Waiters and waitresses often arrive at the table and ask about food allergies.

Then again, out of habit, some of them ask at the end of my order if I’d like cheese in my omelet or on my burger.

I smile, waiting for them to look me in the eye.

“Right, right,” they eventually grin. “No dairy. I knew that.”

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Pixabay photo

By Leah S. Dunaief

Leah Dunaief

Unless you are a conspiracy theorist and view “the slap heard around the world” as a publicity stunt cooked up by Will Smith and Chris Rock, the episode at the Academy Awards Sunday night left you first puzzled, then shocked. After we caught on, there then ensued an outpouring of opinion and punditry about the incident. But there seems little consideration about how Mrs. Smith might have felt about the matter, or how societal values have dramatically shifted.

Mrs. Smith, otherwise known as the actress and producer Jada Pinkett Smith, is a force of her own. An award winner and named by Time magazine as one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2021, does she need defending by her husband? Although it was only a quick shot on the camera, she seemed to grimace at Rock’s joke about her baldness. And indeed, alopecia is a serious and anguishing condition that usually occurs when the immune system destroys the hair follicles and causes hair loss that can last for months or years. She had revealed the diagnosis, sharing a video on her Instagram showing herself with a shaved head, in 2018.

Back in the day, my day, women expected the men in their lives to defend them physically. That was the rationale for men walking on the outside of the sidewalk if a man and woman strolled down a street. The man would be there to protect the woman from any danger or even any mud splash that might come from the road. It was part of the definition of manhood that the male was there to protect the female. Is that an expectation today? Do men still take the curb position during any sidewalk stroll? In truth, I haven’t noticed. I haven’t even thought about it. The idea goes with men opening doors or pulling out chairs for women. I suppose it still happens, and it’s thoughtful if it does, but it doesn’t seem like de rigueur today.

This is a significant societal change. I remember an exchange I had in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a graduate student who was a friend at the time. As we were passing an ice cream parlor, he suggested we go in for cones. I readily agreed and stood in front of the door, waiting for him to open it. How surprised I was when he asked, “Why do I have to open the door for you? Is anything wrong with your arm?” He was clearly ahead of his time, believing as he did in equality of the sexes, and I was glad he wasn’t my boyfriend.

It is my sense today that whoever is in front opens a door. Is that correct or am I just an aggressive woman?

Later, when Will Smith won the award for best actor as the father of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams in the movie “King Richard,” he made the first of his apologies, explaining that he had acted because he had become emotional. Hey, again, back in my day, men were not allowed to show any emotion, unless they were wimps. Macho meant the strong, silent type. Men who cried were certainly not poster models for unfiltered cigarettes or Marines. If a man cried, there was probably something wrong with him.

Today, men are praised when they offer their “soft” side. Men are allowed to have feelings and to show them. Even the President of the United States, any one of them, has been seen wiping away a tear. For men, feelings can even be a license for strange behavior, which is how Smith explained his behavior. Never mind that he could have stood up and walked out or even turned his back on the comedian. His feelings freed him to be violent, and in front of 15 million people no less.

I wonder what his wife said to him when they got home.

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File photo/TBR News Media

By Warren Strugatch  

Twenty years ago almost to the day, I met Lee Koppelman, widely regarded as Long Island’s planning czar. Koppelman at the time was well into his four-decade run at the Long Island Regional Planning Board. I was two years into my own tenure as Long Island business columnist at The New York Times. I came to cover the planning board’s April 2002 meeting simply because Lee had gotten both Nassau and Suffolk county executives — Tom Suozzi and Robert Gaffney at the time — to share a podium.

Warren Strugatch was a business columnist for The New York Times when he first met Lee Koppelman

Koppelman told me: “If the two county executives are really going to work together, it augurs well not just for good governance but for good planning. It raises the possibility that we will be able to tear down the imaginary Berlin Wall that divides the Island at Route 110.”

The potential breakthrough never happened. I didn’t think Koppelman thought it would. The interview comment however was classic Koppelman: insightful, erudite, flinty, yet optimistic.

Long-time Setauket resident Lee Edward Koppelman died March 21, two months shy of his 95th birthday. Up until recently, he was still going to work, teaching Public Policy classes at Stony Brook University, after a lifetime of public service.

Koppelman made his name in planning by advocating open space preservation, water quality protection, coastal zone management, and other efforts to balance quality of life with sustainable economic growth, affordable housing, and other quality of life goals. He also mentored three generations of planners, who continue his legacy.

Koppelman’s resume featured long stints as Suffolk County planning director, Regional Planning Board executive director, and director of Stony Brook University’s Center for Regional Policy Studies.

In Suffolk, he bolstered low-density development patterns, strategically expanded roadways, preserved open spaces and protected water supplies. His advocacy helped Suffolk maintain its rural nature even as Nassau grew more congested. Recognizing the need for well-planned development, he helped launch the Hauppauge Industrial Park, Ronkonkoma’s industrial center, and the county court complex in Central Islip.

He also helped extend the Long Island Expressway and Sunrise Highway eastward into the Hamptons, continuing the infrastructure expansion initiated by Robert Moses, variously a mentor, ally, and sharp-elbowed opponent. Later in life, Koppelman enjoyed referencing a letter from Moses which opened: “Dear Knucklehead.”  

Koppelman’s non-salaried regional planning board role was mostly advisory. He was however compensated for numerous studies. He also labored over and drafted four master plans for Long Island, producing enough volumes to line several bookshelves. His 1970 plan alone comprised 60 volumes. Even he laughed at the implausibility of reading them all.

Koppelman is the author or co-author of more than 20 books, including Urban Planning and Design Criteria (Van Nostran Reinhold, 1982), a widely used grad school text. Many of his grad students and protegees have gone on to influential careers themselves.

Over the years, I interviewed Koppelman many times. Lee always made time available, briefed me on the issues, and occasionally needled me with a smile. He displayed an impeccable command of facts. Decades after a discussion he could recite the evidence cited by both sides.

Lee Koppelman was born May 19, 1927, in Manhattan. Raised in Astoria by parents who owned small floral wholesale businesses, Lee joined the Navy in 1945. He returned to start a landscape architecture business; earned an undergrad degree in electrical engineering from City College (1950) and a master’s from Pratt (1964); and a Ph.D. in public administration from New York University (1970).

Lee entered urban planning during the late 1950s when, as president of the Hauppauge Civic Association, he devised a plan that sought to balance economic Lee with sustainable land use management principles. Soon thereafter, Suffolk County executive John V. Klein hired him as director of the Suffolk County Planning Department, where he stayed from 1960 through 1988.  He was named executive director of what was then the Nassau-Suffolk County Regional Planning Board in 1965, making him effectively the region’s planning czar — even if precious little regional planning took place.

Also in 1965, Koppelman joined Stony Brook University as adjunct professor in the marine sciences department. He was named director of the university’s Center for Regional Policy Studies in 1988 and taught classes until September of last year.

Last year, I called Lee seeking his signature on a petition opposing the Gyrodyne company’s development plans for Flowerfield in St. James. My old friend voiced strong opposition to the project but couldn’t sign the petition. I told him I understood. His last words to me were: “Warren, you were always on the side of the angels.”

  Lee Edward Koppelman, may you rest in peace.

 Warren Strugatch is a journalist, consultant, and civic advocate in Stony Brook.  

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A domestic goose, above, was found abandoned and hungry near a local nursery school. Photo from Long Island Orchestrating for Nature

Earlier this year, when a Stony Brook nursery school teacher spotted a distressed goose outside of the school, being walking distance from Avalon Nature Preserve, it was thought the bird was injured.

Rescuers John and Juliana hold the abandoned duck. Photo from Long Island Orchestrating for Nature

Long Island Orchestrating for Nature, also known as LION, recently rescued what turned out to be a domesticated goose outside Mill Pond Nursery School in Stony Brook village. Every year on Long Island, the nonprofit rescues approximately 1,000 animals, around 600 of them being waterfowl.

John Di Leonardo, LION president and anthrozoologist, said the goose was found next to a dumpster outside the school and was crying for two days. Teachers tried to get her help, and when LION was notified, the animal rescuers arrived at the school to find the goose, hungry and scared, behind the dumpster. Di Leonardo said his wife, Juliana, was able to grab the waterfowl by hand. While the bird was frightened, he said it realized it needed help.

The anthrozoologist said they had rescued domesticated geese and ducks from Avalon in the past. As for the nursery school incident, he said somebody may have been bringing the goose to the pond and thought people saw them and abandoned the bird at the nursery school.

Di Leonardo said it’s common to find domesticated waterfowl abandoned in the wild. The birds have large bodies and small wings, and therefore they cannot fly to escape predators. The abnormalities are a result of being bred for the farming industry.

“Should these domestic ducks and geese breed with wild birds, their offspring will likely be flightless, exposing the young to the same dangers as their domestic parent,” he said.

Di Leonardo said the birds often starve to death in the wild because they don’t have the instincts to search for food, such as finding holes in icy waters.

The rescuer said they will be friendlier than their wild counterparts, begging people for food and sometimes pecking at a person’s legs.

“They’re not trying to be aggressive,” he said. “They’re just literally starving out there.”

He said often people buy geese and ducks online or in a store without realizing what is involved in caring for them. Di Leonardo said it’s not uncommon for people to buy the birds for Easter photo shoots and then let them loose. LION representatives have urged local stores not to stock them.

“Most people don’t realize what they’re getting into when they get these animals,” he said, adding some geese can live 30 years and ducks 10 to 12.

“People aren’t realizing that when they get them,” he said. “They’re cute and small, and they can outlive you in some cases.”

“Should these domestic ducks and geese breed with wild birds, their offspring will likely be flightless, exposing the young to the same dangers as their domestic parent.”

— John Di Leonardo

Di Leonardo said there was also an increase in people purchasing birds during the pandemic, especially chickens, since many were worried they wouldn’t find eggs in the stores. He said they didn’t realize that chickens don’t lay eggs for the first six months.

“We had a tremendous uptick in the number of animals abandoned since the pandemic started,” he said.

Di Leonardo said for those who own waterfowl, it’s essential to have an avian veterinarian. He added people need to watch for avian flu when it comes to domesticated waterfowl. The birds are more susceptible to it since they have weaker immune systems. He said it’s predominantly a commercial flock problem that can be transmitted to wild birds, and in rare cases, even humans. It can be difficult to tell if a waterfowl has the avian flu, he said, because they are largely asymptomatic. Chickens, however, would be dead in 24 hours, according to Di Leonardo.

He added the best practice is for those who already own birds to keep their flocks contained.

The rescuer said if people see a waterfowl in trouble or that looks out of place, they can call LION at 516-592-3722. A representative will come to check if it is a migrant bird or a creature that has been domesticated and needs help.

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Lee Koppelman, sitting, in April 2018, was presented with a replica of the sign that marks a nature preserve dedicated in his honor by former Brookhaven Councilwoman Valerie Cartright, state Assemblyman Steve Englebright and Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine. Photo from 2018 by Alex Petroski

After the passing of Lee Koppelman, Suffolk County’s first regional planning board director, he is remembered fondly by those who knew him and his considerable work.

File photo/TBR News Media

Koppelman, of South Setauket, died on March 21, at age 94, at Stony Brook University Hospital.

“Lee Koppelman was a true pioneer whose comprehensive vision for sustainable development on Long Island was well ahead of his time and laid the foundation for countless initiatives we are still pursuing to this day,” said County Executive Steve Bellone (D) in a statement. “Lee’s push, against political backlash, to preserve open space, manage coastal erosion and improve water quality has had a lasting impact that spans generations.”

Bellone added, “As a county, we continue to pull his ideas ‘off the drawing board,’ with more than 20,000 acres of open space and farmland being preserved, as well as continued investments into downtown sewering, water quality improvements and public transit corridors.”

Before his illustrious career, Koppelman was born in Harlem on May 19, 1927. He grew up in Astoria and graduated from Bryant High School in Queens. His parents owned greenhouses in addition to a flower shop in Manhattan.

Koppelman was a Navy veteran who joined in 1945. He held a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from City College of New York and a master’s degree from Pratt Institute. He also earned a doctorate in public administration from New York University.

After he was married, Koppelman and his wife, Connie, moved to Hauppauge, where the planner, then president of the Hauppauge Civic Association, would play an instrumental role in the development of the Hauppauge Industrial Park.

In 1960 the Koppelmans moved to Smithtown and in the late 1980s to East Setauket. In 2014, he and his wife moved to Jefferson Ferry’s independent living in South Setauket. According to his son Keith, Koppelman designed and built his homes in Hauppauge, Smithtown and East Setauket. 

Koppelman served as the first Suffolk County regional planning board director for 28 years, from 1960 to 1988, and also served as the executive director of the Nassau-Suffolk Regional Planning Board from 1965 to 2006. He was an early advocate for preserving open space and was responsible for drawing up Suffolk’s first comprehensive master plan in 1970.

In an article by historian Noel Gish posted to the Stony Brook University website, he described Koppelman as “a planning gymnast, contorting and twisting his way through the development of the post-World War II period on Long Island.”

In addition to his accomplishments in his planning career, Koppelman was a professor emeritus at Stony Brook University, where he taught until last semester, according to his son. In 1988, he was appointed director of the Center for Regional Policy Studies at the school. The center handles research projects including governmental productivity, strategic economic planning and environmental planning.

“Lee Koppelman was a true pioneer whose comprehensive vision for sustainable development on Long Island was well ahead of his time and laid the foundation for countless initiatives we are still pursuing to this day.”

— Steve Bellone

According to his profile on the university’s website, his focus was “the environmental policy aspects of regional planning and has been specifically directed toward coastal zone management.”

Among his accomplishments listed on the SBU website, he was project manager for research “including coastal regional planning, comprehensive water management, shoreline erosion practices and related studies.” He was also involved “in the development of synthesis techniques for relating coastal zone science into the regional planning process.”

Leonie Huddy, distinguished professor and chair of the Department of Political Science, said Koppelman was “a leading member of the Stony Brook Political Science Department for over five decades and trained generations of local and regional leaders and policy analysts. He will be sorely missed.”

Koppelman also served as executive director of the Long Island Regional Planning Board and was chairman emeritus of the Town of Brookhaven Open Space and Farmland Acquisition Advisory Committee.

A 46-acre parcel of woodlands near the Stony Brook campus was named after him during a ceremony in April of 2018. Now known as Lee E. Koppelman Nature Preserve, the property east of Nicolls Road and south of the university has been owned by the Town of Brookhaven for nearly 50 years and was used as passive open space.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine (R), who was a county legislator in the 1980s, said in a phone interview he worked closely with Koppelman during his time in the Legislature working on open space acquisitions in Suffolk County. Romaine was able to get one of the largest acquisitions with the former Havens Estate in Center Moriches. The acquisition included 263 acres of land, now known as Terrell River County Park, that sits from Montauk Highway south to Moriches Bay. He also worked with Koppelman on other acquisitions.

In later years, Koppelman hired Romaine, a former full-time teacher, to teach a graduate course at SBU in 2005. He described Koppelman as gifted and intelligent. He said the two may not have always agreed on matters, “but I always thought his heart was in the right place.”

“I thought he was a visionary, and people say, ‘Well, what does it mean to be a visionary or to have vision,” Romaine said. “Well, vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others. He made quite visible to us the possibility of things that we should be working on as a county in terms of farmland acquisition, preservation, where development should take place.”

Romaine said he counts himself among others who “are beginning to see that his vision was for the, most part, the correct vision for the future of Long Island, and we regret those things where past leaders did not have the same vision — it was invisible to them to see what he was saying, what his vision was.”

The town supervisor said many would visit Koppelman’s office at SBU to seek advice.

Lee Koppelman in a recent photo from Jefferson Ferry where he lived.

“He was a guy with a tremendous amount of knowledge,” Romaine said. “He will be missed for a long time, and his contributions will go on long after his passing, so I have nothing but absolute praise for Lee Koppelman and his efforts to make sure that Long Island was somewhat more rational than it is today.”

State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) said Koppelman was a superb administrator who knew how to surround himself with expert master planners. He said Koppelman and the planners “reflected a sense of mission and a sense of strength,” and he leaves behind a great legacy.

“In the years in which sprawl was a menace, every morning, there was Lee Koppelman and his cadre of top-flight planners who offered another vision for Long Island and made a difference, and enabled us to really bring thought into the experience of what appeared to be a daily exercise in chaos on the roadways and in the hallways where approvals for construction were being granted,” Englebright said. “He was a breath of fresh air.”

Englebright said Koppelman’s legacy will continue.

“The expectation, which is really built on of his legacy, is that we will plan, we will reason and we will make thoughtful decisions regarding our land use and natural resource uses,” Englebright said.

Koppelman is survived by his wife, Connie; four children Lesli, Claudia, Laurel and Keith; and three grandchildren Ezra, Ora and Dara. A funeral was held Thursday, March 24, at Shalom Memorial Chapels in Smithtown.

“We shared our father’s time and attention with the entire community of Long Island,” Keith Koppelman said in an email. “We have always been and will remain incredibly proud of him. Working for a rational future for Long Island did take him away from us at times, but now we have reminders of him everywhere we travel on the Island.”

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