The Stony Brook men’s lacrosse team sent its 10 seniors off with a thrilling 17-14 win over Fairfield on April 22. Senior attackman Dylan Pallonetti led the charge for the Seawolves as he tallied six points and scored a game-high five goals en route to the crucial CAA victory.
The Seawolves used a big first quarter to take an early 8-4 lead. Stony Brook had six different goal scorers in the opening frame, which included Pallonetti who recorded a hat trick over the first 10 minutes of play. The Seawolves scored six of the first seven goals in the game and at one point scored four consecutive goals in the first and took a 6-1 lead.
Stony Brook carried over its momentum into the second quarter as it outscored Fairfield, 3-2, in the frame and took an 11-6 advantage into the halftime break. Graduate midfielder Matt Anderson, graduate attackman Jonathan Huber, and senior attackman Will Button all rattled the cage in the second quarter as the trio helped cushion the Seawolves’ first half lead. The teams played an even third quarter as Stony Brook took a 15-10 lead into the final frame. Senior defenseman Michael Sabella made a highlight reel play with 3:04 to play in the third quarter. Sabella knocked the stick out of Fairfield midfielder Rob Moore’s hands to force a turnover, he then scooped up the ground ball, took it down to the offensive end of the field and ripped a shot into the back of the net. For Sabella, it was his first career goal, and it gave the Seawolves a 14-8 lead.
Fairfield started the fourth quarter hot by scoring three goals over the first four minutes of play to cut Stony Brook’s lead to 15-13. Following a Seawolves’ timeout and on the ensuing face-off, graduate defensive midfielder David Miele-Estrella picked up the loose ball at the X, charged down field, and found Pallonetti who ripped his fifth goal of the game and upped the Seawolves lead to 16-13.
Stony Brook added an insurance goal with 2:04 to play in the contest when senior attackman Blake Behlen found the back of the net to give the Seawolves a 17-14 advantage, a score they would hold on to win by.
Sophomore goalie Jamison MacLachlan came up huge for the Seawolves in the fourth quarter as he made six of his 15 saves in the final frame. Five of those six saves in the fourth quarter kept Stony Brook up 16-14 from the 10:01 mark until there was 2:04 to play.
Pallonetti finished the game with six points, which included five goals and one assist. He extended his goal scoring streak to 41 games, which continues to be the longest such streak in the nation. He now has 45 goals on the season, the eighth-most in a single-season in program history. For his career, he now has 115 goals, which ties him with Bo Tripodi and Tom Haun for the sixth-most in program history.
Huber and Anderson both finished the game with hat tricks. For Huber, it was his fifth hat trick of the season and the 21st of his career. For Anderson, it was also his fifth hat trick of 2023 and the 12th of his career.
Junior Noah Armitage registered four points (one goal, three assists). The three assists tied a career-high (also dished out three assists in a game at Monmouth on Mar. 25).
Behlen totaled three points (one goal, two assists). It was the 11th time this season that he recorded a multi-point game and fifth time he finished a game with multiple assists.
Sabella scored his first career goal, picked up a career-high tying five ground balls, and caused two turnovers. He held Fairfield’s Bryce Ford to just one goal on 1-of-5 shooting.
Miele-Estrella scored his first goal of the season and dished out his first assist of the season. The goal was the fifth of his career.
MacLachlan made 15 saves and picked up a pair of ground balls. It marked the seventh time this season that he made 10 or more saves in a game and the fourth time that he has made 15 or more stops in a contest.
“There is so much emotion on senior day and I am so happy for that group and so proud to get them a win in their last game at LaValle Stadium. The guys worked hard all week – I thought we had a really good week of practice and we saw the results in today’s win over Fairfield,” said head coach Anthony Gilardi. NEXT UP The team concludes the 2023 regular season next Saturday, April 29, when it makes the short trip over to Hempstead to take on Long Island rival Hofstra at 7 p.m. It marks the first time that the teams will meet since February 27, 2021, when the Pride earned a 20-17 win at Shuart Stadium. The Seawolves last defeated the Pride on February 25, 2020, when they picked up a 14-11 win at LaValle Stadium.
Last week felt a little more like summertime than springtime. Although it was an unusually mild winter, many individuals might be looking forward to the warmer weather, and recently they’ve been able to get a preview of the summertime heat.
On Friday, April 14, on a beautiful, 80-degree, sunny day, we went out to T. Bayles Minuse Mill Pond and Park in Stony Brook village to ask people what summer activities they are most looking forward to. The following are their responses.
Photos by Daniel Febrizio
Felicia Bilka with children Angelina and Thomas and parents Joe and Genine Spinelli, Port Jefferson
“Being with our family outside, not trapped inside,” Genine Spinelli said. “Definitely concerts, fairs, hot dog wagons,” Joe added. Bilka said that she was looking forward to family barbecues and teaching Angelina and Thomas how to swim.
Eddie McGee, South Setauket
“Definitely hiking,” McGee said. “I’ve been big lately on mental health, specifically for men because we don’t really address it or do anything about it.”
He said that it can be a bit harder to work on your mental health in the winter months.
“Being outdoors now and hiking and just being physical and whatever you can do … being in nature, soaking it all in, being mindful of your surroundings,” he said, adding that Mill Pond and Cold Spring Harbor are two of his favorite locations for being outdoors. In reference to his guitar, he said, “That’s another thing that also helps with my journey of peace.”
Christine Burkhardt and anonymous friend,East Northport
“Just hanging out at a place like this and going to the beach,” Burkhardt said. “Walking on the boardwalk. Any of those kinds of activities.”
She would not miss any winter activities. “I’m more of a spring/summer/fall girl,” she said. “I’m not really a winter girl.” Burkhardt said that one of her favorite locations to dine during the summer is Salt Shack, a restaurant in Babylon that features live music.
Lawrence and Debra Batton, Middle Island
“My favorite spot: the beach!” Debra Batton said. She usually goes to Smith Point on the South Shore or to Cedar Beach in Mount Sinai. “Lawrence said fishing was his favorite warm-weather activity. “That’s what I’m waiting for,” he added.
Lawrence said he didn’t make it out at all last year, but he’s planning to do a lot of fishing this season, come summer.
There have been rumblings recently regarding the state of the commercial real estate market. With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, people were forced to leave the workplace and instead work virtually, if possible.
Though going back to the office full-time is now an option for many businesses, some are satisfied with employees working from home. Experts now worry that remote work could be driving down the demand for commercial real estate.
“If these commercial landlords can’t make money, they’re going to file for … property tax relief,” said Martin Cantor, director of the Long Island Center for Socio-Economic Policy, in a phone interview. “And if they get it granted because they’re not making money, that property tax is going to be shifted to residential.”
Deputy Comptroller for New York City Rahul Jain also shed light on the topic, noting that the industrial market is doing very well right now but office markets remain questionable.
“Real estate generally pays a higher rate on the value of the property than residential does,” he said in a phone interview. “If you have a real decline in the value of that property … that means somebody else has to pick up the remainder. And so that burden could end up potentially falling on residential taxpayers.”
Phil Shwom, president of the Long Island-based industrial and commercial realtor Schacker Realty, added further context.
“We’ve seen a couple of deals where they’ve taken an office building and converted it to industrial,” he said in a phone interview. “There’s also been talk about taking down some office buildings and building residential, which I think is happening in the city, but less so on Long Island, although I wouldn’t be surprised if it does happen at some point.”
When asked if commercial property owners might consider repurposing some locations as residential developments, as Shwom said, Jain agreed that that could be a possibility.
“When you look at the economics of it, it might make sense not only on the demand side,” Jain said, referencing that there are now fewer people going to offices to work. “But on the supply side, there’s clearly some push to increase the number of housing units because housing in the metro area has always been more expensive than the rest of the country.”
Jain emphasized that the burden of commercial taxes potentially falling on residential taxpayers and the possibility for commercial spaces converting into residential development are very complex issues.
It may still be a few years until the full effects of the pandemic on commercial office spaces become evident and what domino effects may result from that.
Barbie Lux, store manager at East Setauket Starbucks, left, and Irene Michalos, founder and executive director of Agape Meals for Kids. Photo by Raymond Janis
A local Starbucks location and a nonprofit organization are joining forces to alleviate childhood food insecurity on Long Island.
Last month, The Starbucks Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Starbucks Coffee Company, awarded $10,000 to the Mount Sinai-based nonprofit Agape Meals for Kids through its Neighborhood Grants program. The grant was mediated by the Starbucks East Setauket location on Route 25A. Through the partnership, leaders of both organizations are working toward an overall goal of eradicating hunger on Long Island and across America.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service indicates that 10.2 percent of U.S. households were food insecure at some time during 2021. Long Island Cares estimates as many as 230,000 Long Islanders are food insecure, 68,000 of whom are children.
“We find that there are [nearly] 70,000 children on Long Island alone that live with chronic hunger and food insecurity,” said Irene Michalos, founder and executive director of Agape Meals for Kids. “That number is horrible, and we need to do something about it.”
Agape is 100% volunteer-run, providing weekend meals for students who rely upon free lunch programs. After being founded in the fall of 2021, the nonprofit organization quickly began branching out into school districts across Long Island, its program supporting students from Comsewogue, Shoreham-Wading River and Brentwood schools, along with The Thomas Emanuel Early Childhood Center in Corona, Queens.
Witnessing the problem from up close, Michalos has observed food insecure children often exhibit an inability to focus in class, show a tendency to act out and can have health outcomes.
“When you’re hungry, you feel aggravated, frustrated,” she said. “Their behaviors are interpreted as naughty, but they’re not — they’re hungry.”
Barbie Lux, store manager at East Setauket Starbucks, explained how the partnership with Agape first came together. Lux became aware of the program through a mutual contact at the Greek Orthodox Church of the Assumption in Port Jefferson. After meeting Michalos and learning about Agape’s community impact, she described herself as fully on board.
“I found out about the amazing work that she does with the kids,” the store manager said. “You tell me you’re feeding children, and I’m there to help you.”
Within the New York Metro Starbucks region, which comprises stores across Long Island and New York City, Lux began raising awareness about Agape. First at her store and then others throughout the region, word soon got out.
Lux and Michalos coordinated a food packing event in December, during which Starbucks staff and Agape volunteers filled backpacks with donated foodstuffs, which were later distributed to children in the program. Since then, the two organizations have forged even closer ties.
The Starbucks Foundation’s Neighborhood Grants program enables Starbucks staff to vote for a nonprofit organization reflective of their organizational and philanthropic priorities. Lux detailed her behind-the-scenes efforts to generate votes for Agape.
“To get 250 to 260 partners to vote for one organization, I hounded them,” she said. “I started to cry when I saw that Agape got $10,000.”
Agape currently feeds approximately 200 children. Michalos said the grant money allows the organization to grow considerably.
“We can comfortably see ourselves, through this incredible grant, being able to add 25 more children from September to December and another 25 between January and June,” she said.
With this momentum, Michalos and her organization are just getting off the ground. She outlined an ambitious goal for both the region and the nation.
“I think that childhood food insecurity and alleviating poverty in this country is something that we can do,” the nonprofit founder said. “There are many programs that we can expand and support to meet the needs of our families and children here.”
Lux added that public awareness of food insecurity represents an essential first step toward a resolution, noting that responsible stewardship of food waste would also play a role.
“There’s so much waste in the world, so much waste of food,” she said. “Just donate it in a timely manner so that it’s fresh and everything … because a child could be hungry.”
Along with East Setauket Starbucks, Agape collection baskets remain open at various Starbucks coffee shops, including at Stony Brook, St. James, Miller Place and Centereach.
Lux said she hopes to continue strengthening the partnership between Starbucks and Agape, with plans for another food-packing event and related activities already in the works.
The store manager said she does not plan on ending this partnership: “I’ve had so many people I’ve worked with, but the day I met [Michalos], I was like, ‘She’s doing good, we need to help her.’ So it’s not going to end.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as “a household-level economic and social condition of limited or uncertain access to adequate food.” Last year, Long Island Cares published a study that states as many as 230,000 Long Islanders are food insecure, with a staggering 68,000 food insecure children. These estimates come as food prices and inflation continue to climb.
The United States has the largest national economy by GDP on the planet. We lead the world in scientific and technological innovation as well as defense spending. Still, nearly 70,000 children right here on Long Island are food insecure.
In our democracy, citizens finance the government with the understanding that our tax dollars will advance meaningful public ends. In exchange for our votes, we expect government officials to plow our roads, secure our neighborhoods and ameliorate the condition of society in common.
Unfortunately, politicians don’t always follow these guidelines, instead pursuing the policy preferences of the donor class financing their campaigns. Too often, our elected representatives serve special interest groups over ordinary citizens.
The next national budget asks Congress for $858 billion in defense spending — a figure that dwarfs the $122 billion budget request for the federal Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.
While we certainly acknowledge the necessity of national security, we remind our leaders to balance this priority with the equally significant need of feeding children. The values of providing for the common defense and promoting the general welfare are not mutually exclusive.
For New York state, Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) has proposed cutting funding for the state’s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program — which funds food banks and pantries — from $56 million to some $35 million.
This proposal comes less than a year after Hochul helped broker a deal to construct a new football stadium for the Buffalo Bills — whose owner is worth $6.7 billion — using $600 million in taxpayer funds.
The governor’s decision to prioritize football over food banks is inexcusable, in part benefiting millionaire athletes and a billionaire owner at the expense of hungry Long Island school children. We encourage Hochul to reconsider her budget request, making the appropriate investment in alleviating hunger in our communities.
As with any complex social issue, we cannot blame any person or group. But we must ask ourselves if our elected leaders can do more to combat food insecurity. Fortunately, we have recourse.
Organizations such as Agape Meals for Kids and Long Island Cares are contributing valuably, working to address food insecurity on Long Island and eliminate hunger. We should support such organizations by donating money or volunteering our time.
Childhood hunger should be regarded as a national security risk and a critical societal danger. Children are the next generation of soldiers, workers and leaders in this country. If adequately fed, they will be more competent in school and more successful in life. If not, the entire nation loses.
We must hold our representatives to a higher standard and do our part to support nonprofits making a change. With our aims in focus, let us end childhood hunger on Long Island.
For an Island as rich as ours, to have 68,000 children go hungry every day is more than unconscionable. It’s a sin.
Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce president Jen Dzvonar, above, is a declared candidate for Suffolk County’s 5th Legislative District. Photo courtesy Dzvonar
The race to replace Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Setauket) is now a three-way contest as Jen Dzvonar, president of the Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Chamber of Commerce, has declared her candidacy.
Hahn’s 5th Legislative District spans Three Village, Port Jefferson, Port Jefferson Station, Terryville and parts of Coram and Mount Sinai. The incumbent cannot seek reelection due to 12-year term limits for county offices.
Former New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright (D-Setauket) and 2022 GOP primary candidate for New York’s 1st Congressional District, Anthony Figliola of East Setauket, have received their respective party committee’s nominations. [See story, “Legislative races ramp up across levels of government,” The Port Times Record, March 9, also TBR News Media website.]
Dzvonar’s campaign is unaffiliated with a political party. She owns the Port Jefferson Station-based Bass Electric and has served as chamber president for over a decade. She is also a Port Jefferson Rotary Club member.
In an exclusive interview, Dzvonar told TBR News Media she entered the race to build upon ongoing efforts within the 5th District.
“I wanted to make sure that our community is moving in a forward direction, still making progress, still revitalizing,” she said.
The chamber president suggested local initiatives often stagnate due to bureaucracy. She expressed interest in “streamlining” government services, limiting paperwork and removing other impediments within the county government.
“Especially being in the chamber, I see the struggle of local and small businesses — even small developers — that have a hard time getting things to happen,” she said. “It just seems to take so long, and I want to streamline that whole process.”
Among other policy concerns, Dzvonar said she would focus on addressing homelessness, maintaining that the county offers valuable services that are not used to their full potential. Accessing social services, she noted, should be simple.
“There are so many great programs already established for homeless people, people with addiction, with mental health,” the candidate said. “We just need to make those services more readily available.”
She added, “There just seems to be a disconnect somewhere. They don’t make it easy for people that have these issues to be able to obtain help.”
Dzvonar also proposed expanding sewer access into Port Jefferson Station, a measure she contended could bolster further community development. “We can’t get rid of the blight until that is done,” she said.
Dzvonar added that increasing the number of mental health personnel within the county and promoting the Safer Streets initiative are also items on her agenda.
To get on the ballot, Dzvonar has a tall task ahead, needing to obtain 1,500 signatures between April 18 and May 23. Election Day is November 7.
Update on 04/23/23: Alexandra Hill, 38, and Chloe Sokolinski, 3, the mother and daughter reported missing in East Setauket on Wednesday, have been located and are unharmed.
Suffolk County Police Sixth Squad detectives are seeking the public’s help to locate an East Setauket
mother and her daughter who were reported missing on April 21.
Alexandra Hill, 38, was last seen with her daughter, Chloe Sokolinski, 3, leaving her father’s home where she was staying, located on Erik Drive, on April 19 at 8 a.m. She was driving a 2010 red Honda Accord with New York license plate LBH 7040. Hill and her daughter may be traveling to a relative’s home in New Jersey. Hill is white, 125 pounds, 5 feet 5 inches tall with brown hair and hazel eyes.
Anyone with information on Hill and her daughter is asked to call 911 or Sixth Squad detectives at 631-854-8652.
The weather outside has been frightful and local researchers suggest the trend has been anything but delightful.
Over the last year, the country has confronted numerous violent and intense storms, causing property damage and leading to evacuations and rescues. Just last week, Fort Lauderdale, Florida received a month’s worth of rain in an hour amid a storm that dumped over two feet of rain on the city. Such a torrential storm isn’t unique to Florida, as areas including Dallas experienced significant rains last August that crippled the city.
Malcolm Bowman
“The extremes are increasing,” said Malcolm Bowman, Professor Emeritus at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University. “It’s part of the prediction of climate science.”
Indeed, as the atmosphere becomes warmer, the increase in water vapor raises the amount of rain in a particular storm, added Edmund Chang, Professor in the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University. Chang and other local scientists discussed their concerns and potential cause for optimism amid the approach of the 54th anniversary of Earth Day.
Climate Change report
This March, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) released a report that suggested that climate change was worsening and that the Earth will likely increase by more than the 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial revolution averages that would lead to numerous environmental damage.
“Since the last IPCC report, there has been a lot more research looking at these weather extremes,” Chang said.
Edmund Chang
In warmer temperatures, which have increased on average for the Earth by 1.1 degrees, storms carry significantly more precipitation.
While it is outside the realm of his own research, Chang said that other researchers have demonstrated that storms in the Northeastern United States have had an increase in higher precipitation events, which is also linked to the fact that these storms are moving more slowly, drenching areas with rain before slowly leaving.
Chang is particularly concerned about sea level rise. “I have lived in coastal areas all my life,” he said. “We know that the sea level is rising. The rate of rise is accelerated.” Counteracting the effects of melting ice sheets in Greenland and the Antarctic are among the more difficult processes to mitigate, he added.
In his own research, Chang is assessing the bias in models that predict whether a season will likely be stormier than average. He is looking at how model biases may impact the accuracy of longer range forecasts.
Different models have different biases, he explained. Weather channel fans, and those who watch storm models for approaching hurricanes and other events, may recognize that meteorologists often overlay American and European weather models, particularly when describing approaching hurricanes.
In Chang’s research, he has found that combining different models improves the forecast. “A better way of improving models is to understand where the model biases or error comes from” rather than averaging errors that cancel each other out, he said.
Reasons for optimism
Chang believes there are reasons for optimism about efforts to mitigate the effects of climate change. The current administration is “starting to impose more stringent emissions controls from vehicles,” he said. “It’s getting a bit more encouraging.”
In other areas, world leaders have also taken encouraging steps towards protecting the oceans and biodiversity. Last month, the United Nations announced the legal framework for a High Seas treaty, which protects biodiversity, reduces pollutions and shares ocean resources. After 20 years of work, 193 countries verbally agreed to a treaty to protect 30 percent of the world’s oceans by 2030.
Ellen Pikitch
The treaty is “of monumental importance,” said Ellen Pikitch, endowed professor of Ocean Conservation Science and executive director of the Institute for Ocean Conservation Science at the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences at Stony Brook University. “The treaty will enable marine protected areas (MPAs) to be created in areas outside national jurisdictions and allow fisheries management of species in international waters not currently covered by regional agreements.”
Citing recent reports, Bowman said global emissions of carbon dioxide have declined 2 percent over the last 12 months. “There are moves, even in China, to bring in solar and wind” power, he added.
Local concerns
As storms hit areas like Florida and Texas, Long Islanders frequently wonder about the readiness of the region for future storms. Indeed, Hurricane Sandy wreaked havoc in the Middle Atlantic states in 2012.
“If we had another Sandy, it could be just as bad or worse,” said Bowman, who has been a part of a storm surge working group in New York.
In the fall, the Army Corps of Engineers published a tentatively selected plan for the area after the administration of President Biden (D) reinstated the Harbor and Tributary Study, which was temporarily halted in 2019. The plan doesn’t involve enough protection along the harbor with concrete and steel, Bowman said.
“They say [concrete] is terrible,” Bowman said. “We say it’s necessary.”
Any plan for flooding in and around the New York area would not only have to address how to handle a storm surge that brought water in from the ocean. It would also have to provide a way for any heavy rains to get out.
The reality of global warming is “scary,” said Bowman. And yet, “how many people are changing their living habits?”
As for his native New Zealand, Bowman said a tornado touched down in recent weeks, which is “unheard of.” While the tornado was not on the scale of such twisters in Kansas, he said it ripped through several homes.
New Zealand, with a population of five million people, is moving toward using electric cars, while the country is also considering a genetic modification in cattle that reduces the production of methane from when they burp or pass gas.
“There’s a big push in New Zealand to do its bit,” Bowman said.
A few of months ago my husband and I received a text message from one of our neighbors, “There’s a bald eagle at the top of one of your trees.” At the time we were in our car a few miles away from our home on Main Street in Setauket.
Bald eagle sightings are becoming more common on Long Island, and we have seen a couple flyover our home in the past, but have never knowingly had one grace over our yard. We were delighted, but also concerned. Our hens were free ranging around our house as they usually do. Was this eagle assessing whether one of our 5 girls was going to be their next meal? The neighbor texted a phone photo — a representative of the United States’ national symbol sat atop one of our red cedars looking like a tree-topper on a Christmas tree. We drove into our driveway shortly after the photo was sent but the eagle had already flown away. Our first instinct was to search for our hens and count them. They were all there. No birds were harmed on this day.
The American bald eagle became our national symbol in June of 1782 when Charles Thomson, then secretary of Congress, decided to incorporate the bird into William Barton’s design for the Great Seal of the United States. As the seal began to appear on official documents, flags, currency, and public buildings the bald eagle became an American icon, representing the strength and freedom of a fledging nation.
Despite its newfound public celebrity, the bald eagle was not appreciated by farmers in the 19th century. They believed the birds to be villains who killed their livestock, even spreading strange myths that the raptors were capable of carrying away helpless human babies. In reality, bald eagles can only lift a maximum of 5 pounds, so yes, maybe a chicken as my husband and I feared, but not most domesticated mammals living on early American farms. Their habit of scavenging probably made them scapegoats for killings perpetrated by predatory mammals. The unjust accusation caused the decline of their populations across the country.
It is estimated that in the early 1800’s there were 400,000 American bald eagles across their range which extends north from the Mexican border, throughout the United States, and into Canada. Later that century their numbers had decreased to around 100,000 due to hunting and destruction of their preferred habitat, forested area near large bodies of water; habitat similar to what was found on Long Island before settlers arrived and cleared forests for farming, cordwood and construction of homes and ships.
Bald eagles were originally not protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 because it was falsely believed that the birds did not migrate. In 1940 Congress passed the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act providing full protection to our iconic bird of prey. At around the same time the birds were granted full protection the use of the synthetic pesticide known as DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) became popular for use on farms and mosquito-ridden marshes, but it took some time before it was understood how this pesticide would affect the lives of many of our country’s predatory birds, including the bald eagle. By 1963, the population of eagles reached its lowest point with an estimated 417 breeding pairs of bald eagles in the lower 48 states. In the 1970’s it was estimated that there were two bald eagles left in New York state. They seemed to have completely disappeared from Long Island, along with the peregrine falcons and beloved ospreys.
It was a Brookhaven Town resident, Dennis Puleston, who first noted the decline of ospreys on Long Island. He had been studying a large breeding colony of the birds—also known as fish hawks—on Gardiners Island. He shared his concern with members of the Brookhaven Town Natural Resource Committee (BTNRC), founded in 1966 by group of environmentally minded individuals that met at an adult marine biology class taught by Art Cooley at Bellport High School. The group included Stony Brook University professors Robert Smolker and Charles Wurster.
Informed by Rachel Carson’s book, Silent Spring, the group analyzed osprey eggshells and found that DDT weakened the shells so much that they would easily crack and prevent the embryos from developing into chicks. Puelston and the others from BTNRC testified in a class action suit, initiated by Victor Yannacone, Jr., a feisty Long Island attorney, demanding the ban of DDT usage across Suffolk County.
The case was originally dismissed but the group persisted, successfully having DDT banned across Suffolk County in 1967, New York state in 1970 and nationwide in 1972. Their unique approach to environmental issues, suing the government for protection of the environment, led to the group’s founding of the Environmental Defense Fund. Their first office was located behind the mechanical eagle that adorns the front of the Stony Brook Village post office.
Ospreys have now been a familiar sight around Long Island for many years, returning from their wintering grounds in mid-March, raising young, and leaving the island again in the fall. Eagles are following on their wings,sometimes even taking over osprey nests. There are now over 8 known bald eagle nest on the island.
The memory of the appearance of an American bald eagle atop our Eastern Red Cedar on Setauket’s Main Street, where it is said that George Washington walked when he came to thank the members of the Setauket Spy Ring, seems like a beautiful way to celebrate Earth Day and the conservation successes initiated by small groups of people who care.
About the authors:
Patricia Paladines is an Adjunct Instructor at Stony Brook University’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, as well as a photographer.
Peter Martin is a graduate student in the Marine Conservation and Policy Program at Stony Brook University.
North America has lost 3 billion birds or one-fourth of its continental population since 1970.
Photo by Raina Angelier
By John L. Turner
John Turner
On Saturday, April 22nd, citizens of the world will have the opportunity to participate in the 54th celebration of Earth Day. An event beginning in 1970, Earth Day has helped to galvanize public awareness about environmental issues and the plight of our planetary home.
So, in recognition of Earth Day 2023, here are 23 events, accomplishments, and issues to think about, reaching as far back as the first Earth Day more than five decades ago; some are good news, others bad. As these developments show, we’ve made great strides in living in greater harmony with the planet but at the same time, problems remain while new, highly significant ones have emerged.
1. A green wave washes over the nation: Fueled by the same sentiment that led to the first Earth Day, Congress, in a flurry of activity, passes the National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act (1968), National Environmental Policy Act (1969), Clean Air Act (1970), Clean Water Act (1972), and Endangered Species Act (1973). Several other important environmental initiatives were adopted administratively including the creation of the Environmental Protection Agency (1970). Collectively, these actions form the foundation of the federal government’s framework to protecting the environment.
2. The Long Island Pine Barrens is protected: After a four year David vs. Goliath battle between the Long Island Pine Barrens Society and the Towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead, and Southampton, Governor Mario Cuomo, in 1993, signs the Pine Barrens Protection Act into law. The legislation preserves more than 55,000 acres of pine forest and tightly controls development in another 47,000 acres.
3. Continental bird decline: Researchers publish a major paper in 2019 documenting that since the first Earth Day, North America has lost 3 billion birds or one-fourth of its continental population. Cat predation, window collisions, and habitat destruction are the leading causes. Loss of insects, affecting aerial insectivores like common nighthawks, swifts and swallows have led to additional declines. Many species have dropped by 50% or more in abundance during this time.
4. Eagles and ospreys surge: With DDTbanned for use in 1972 in the United States birds that feed “higher on the food chain,” such as birds-of-prey and waterbirds, have rebounded. Hundreds of osprey nests dot Long Island’s coastal landscapes and bald eagles, which were extirpated as a breeding bird, have returned with the first nest found at The Nature Conservancy’s Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island more than a decade ago.
5. The emergence of “forever” chemicals: Over the past several years “forever” chemicals such as PFAS and PFOShave emerged on the scene. A group of more than 3,000 chemicals, they are ubiquitous, having been used in non-stick pans, stain resistant fabrics, even fire-fighting foam. They have contaminated water supplies throughout the country and have affected public water supply wells on Long Island. These chemicals increase the risk of cancer and can damage human organs, notably the kidneys. One study documented PFAS in 97% ofthe participants, suggestingthe chemical is widespread in the environment.
6. Cleaner water in Long Island Sound: Due to a significant commitment of public funds expended to upgrade sewage treatment plants, conditions in Long Island Sound are improving. Hypoxic or low dissolved oxygen levels, stressful to lethal for bottom-dwelling marine animals such as lobsters, crabs, and shellfish have declined, both in terms of extent and duration.Stressful conditions still exist in the western portion of the Sound due to sewage discharge from New York City’s large sewage treatment plants.
7. Plastics pollution is a problem!: In the past two decades plastic use has exploded, resulting in massive pollution of land and ocean. Scientists estimate that about eight million tons of plastic enter the oceans every year.When plastics fragment, they become micro-plastics and many marine species ingest it, thinking its food items,often with fatal consequences. In an often referred to but highly alarming statistic, it’s estimated that by 2050 there will more plastic debris, by weight, in the ocean than fish biomass.
8. Bag the plastic bag!: First in Suffolk County, and then in New York State, the use of single use plastic bags is banned and a fee is placed on the use of paper bags.Reusable, multi-use bags have become the norm for shoppers. Our roadsides are now cleaner and are largely devoid ofwindblown bags.
9. Waste reduction takes hold: Waste reduction is the most effective but least used waste management strategy, better than recycling, burning, or burying garbage.One great example of a waste reduction strategy was approved by the NYS Legislature last year which phases out small, single use, shampoo and hair conditioner bottles provided in hotel bathrooms. Soon, your hair needs will only be supplied by refillable, pump receptacles located in shower stalls. This legislation will result in tens of millions less plastic containers being burned or buried in New York annually.
10. Bats are suffering: Over the past several decades many bat species, especially those roosting colonially, have been afflicted by a contagious virus called white-nosed syndrome or WNS. Some species have declined by more than 90%, resulting in a few once common species facing extinction.Non-colonial roosting bats are doing better.
11. Coastal waters are alive with menhaden: Due to a ban on the commercial harvest of menhaden in New York waters, this species has staged a remarkable comeback. Its remarkable abundance, with schools containing millions of fish, has fueled a resurgence in species that feed upon it — humpback whales and other cetaceans, tuna, sharks, marine birds, and birds-of-prey like bald eagles and osprey.
12. Suffolk County’s Drinking Water Protection Program: Funded by a 1/4 cent fraction of county sales tax, this program, first adopted in 1987 and approved several times by Suffolk County voters, has allowed the County to buy thousands of acres of environmentally important properties and to advance water quality protection projects.The program has been especially critical for Pine Barrens purchases.
13. Global climate disruption: Climate change or climate disruption, as it is more aptly described, is having enormous impacts to human society and the natural world. An all encompassing threat caused by the manufacture and use of fossil fuels, countries still are adding climate-changing gases to the atmosphere at an alarming rate. We’re tossing the planetary dice and still collectively suffer too much from denial by a critical mass of society whose intellectual and emotional support is badly needed.
14. Otters have returned, coyotes have arrived: River otters are slowly reestablishing themselves in Long Island waterways with sightings in many places.Coyotes have begun to colonize Long Island, probably reaching here via a bridge or tunnel connecting the island to the Bronx and perhaps by island hopping the eastern island archipelago of Plum Island, Little and Great Gull Islands, and Fisher’s Island. Being hit by vehicles remains a critical concern to their recovery/colonization.
15. The hole in the ozone layer isn’t closed (yet)!: First detected in the late 1970s, a “hole” in the Earth’s stratosphere over the planet’s two polar regions slowly has beengetting smaller. Caused by certain man-made chemicals that destroy ozone, these chemicals were phased out by an international agreement in 1986.
16. Water reuse becomes a reality: In 2016 the first Water Reuse project on Long Island comes on-line involving the Riverhead Sewage Treatment Plant and Indian Island County Golf Course. Instead of dumping wastewater into the Peconic River/Flanders Bay the water is used to irrigate the grass on the golf course next door and by so doing keeps an estimated 1.2 tons of nitrogen from entering the estuary and g 63 million gallons of water in the ground.
Because of reuses’s water quality and quantify benefits, the Seatuck Environmental Association in 2023 prepares an islandwide water reuse road map. If the top 17 reuse projects are funded 15 less tons of nitrogen will enter LI’s coastal waters and nearly 600 million gallons of water will be kept in the ground helping to maintain wetlands and preventing salt water intrusion.
17. Terrapin excluder devices (TEDS) are required: In 2017 New York State Department of Environmental Conservation enacts a regulation requiring all commercial crab pots located in Long Island’s bays, harbors, and steam/creek/river mouths to be equipped with TEDS. Putting TEDS on the vents of crab pots can reduce diamondback terrapin drownings by 75% while having no discernible effect on crab harvest.
18. Keeping the deer in Deer Park: In three separate stages — in 1983, 1984, and 1998 — New York State creates the 850-acre Oak Brush Plains Preserve in Deer Park from properties once used by the Edgewood and Pilgrim State Psychiatric facilities. Thiswesternmost forest of the Pine Barrens is home to fox, many songbirds, birds of prey, and even whip-poor-wills, and living up to its name given the community in which it is located — deer. Efforts are currently underway to add another 115 acres to the Preserve.
19. Reconnecting nature: All throughout the country efforts are underway to mitigate, and in many cases eliminate, obstacles to the movement of wildlife such as those posed by roads and dams. Dozens of small dams have been removed and some that haven’t have been equipped with fish ladders. In areas with high roadkill under- and overpasses are being installed to allow for the safe movement of animals. The recently passed federal Infrastructure Act provides $400 million for such projects.
20. SEQRA is adopted: SEQRA, the New York State version of the National Environmental Policy Act, passed in 1975. This law establishes a legal requirement for agencies and legislative bodies to “look before they leap” when it comes to approving projects that might have an adverse impact on the environment and to mitigate those impacts. This Act has been responsible for ensuring that the quality of the environment is a factor in decision making.
21. West Meadow Beach is restored: After years of unfortunate divisiveness, dozens of privately owned cottages at the Town of Brookhaven’s West Meadow Beach are removed, opening the property to broad public use and enjoyment, allowing for this ecologically significant habitat to begin recovery. The action constituted one of the few “de-development” actions ever undertaken on Long Island.
22. The Pebble Mine dies the death it deserves: The proposed Pebble Mine, situated in southwestern Alaska, would have resulted in a 12-square copper-gold-molybdenum mine sandwiched between globally important salmon rivers upon which Native Alaskans depend. These rivers flow into Bristol Bay which supports a $1.5 billion fishing industry. The mine would have been the largest in North America and there was great fear that a mine collapse (this happened at a different mine by thecompany that wanted to operate the Pebble Mine) would have sent acid tailings and enormous amounts of sediments into the rivers destroying the environment for miles around the mine and the critically important fish runs.
23. Wetlands, both freshwater and tidal, are better protected: A few years after the first Earth Day, New York State passes important laws to protect fresh- and tidal wetlands preventing their wholesale destruction through draining and filling. The law to protect freshwater wetlands was significantly strengthened in the 2022 state legislative session.
This list, of course, is just a very small sample of the environmental challenges and problems we collectively confront. If we are ever to get ahead of the curve in protecting our planetary home, we’re going to have to do more than adopt one or a few actions each year that protect some aspect of the global environment, as meaningful as they are, which we then celebrate each Earth Day. Our survival requires much more than an annual Earth Day celebration. Rather, we need to realize that we have to act like Earth Day is every day, which it is, since we still depend upon the sustenance of the planet on thoseother 364 days.
A resident of Setauket, John Turner is conservation chair of the Four Harbors Audubon Society, author of “Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Nature Guide to Long Island” and president of Alula Birding & Natural History Tours.
Eddie McGee, South Setauket
Christine Burkhardt and anonymous friend,
Lawrence and Debra Batton, Middle Island
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