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Sabrina Artusa

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A banner in Centereach that reads Ramadan Kareem, an Arabic phrase that directly translates to “Generous Ramadan” in English. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

By Sabrina Artusa

The crescent moon lit up the night sky Feb. 28, signifying the beginning of Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting. This holy month honors the revelation of the Quran to Muhammad, and Muslims celebrate by strengthening their faith through restraint. 

For Sabri, a Setauket mechanic, the day begins at 4 a.m. He eats with his wife and children before his fast starts at 5 a.m. In the evening, he will put on a Muslim talk show and listen to the “Azan” (or “Adhan”), a song that precedes prayer, before breaking his fast in a meal called the “Iftar.” In Istanbul, Sabri loved to listen to the “Azan” as the sun rose, right before the first prayer of the day. 

For the Iftar, Sabri’s meals don’t deviate much from what he typically eats, but his meal will likely contain meat, which his wife ensures is “halal” by shopping at a Turkish grocer. 

“This is for control of your system,” Sabri said. “It is for yourself.” Water, also, is not allowed during the fasting period. Of course, there are exceptions for those whom it would be harmful or dangerous to fast, and children are also not expected to observe. 

Muslims not only fast from food but also restrain from doing any other action that is against Islamic principles, such as lying. Stony Brook University professor Ismail Zahed emphasized that Ramadan is meant to remove the reliance on nonnecessities in order to “factor in Islam in the right way.” 

“The most basic thing — to feed yourself — is taken for granted,” Zahed said. “[Ramadan] is a reminder of those who do not have. It brings you closer to those who do not have… It is not waiting for the 5:40 time card [sunset] to hit the table. It is making all the effort to think about that and to think of all the ways you can reach out and help.”

Removing superfluous luxuries helps Muslims connect more not only with their religion but also with their friends, family and community.  

Charitable acts are another signature part of Ramadan and part of the reason some mosques provide the Iftar for free. This tenet of Islam, giving to charity, is one of the five pillars of Islam, alongside fasting, pilgrimage, profession of faith and prayer. 

Ramadan serves to help Muslims get closer to Allah by looking inward at their own relationship with their faith, but it is also observed communally, with Muslims gathering to recite a portion of the Quran at mosques each night and breaking the fast together. Beginning on the first day of Ramadan, an Imam will recite one-thirtieth of the Quran so that, by the end of the month, it will have been read in its entirety. 

“It is also a month where families come together in observance of this particular event [the revelation of the Quaran] where we remind each other why this is so important. Getting people to sit together at the same time is difficult,” Zahed said. 

“My favorite part is to open the Iftar with my family,” Sabri said. Sabri doesn’t often go to the mosque for Iftar, preferring to break the fast at home with his family. He does visit the mosque for a prayer at least once a week. 

For Zahed, Ramadan is a chance to focus more on Islam, although the changes don’t end once the month is over. 

At the end of Ramadan, Muslims will celebrate with “Eid al-Fitr,” which will occur March 29, the day of the new crescent moon. 

“People have a really good heart,” Sabri said. “And God makes them see it.”

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The Main Street Pub in Kings Park had a fire on Feb. 25. Photo from GoFundMe page.

By Sabrina Artusa

At around 10:40 p.m. Feb 25, Scott McKinnon, owner of Main Street Pub in Kings Park, received a call that a fire had emerged. He immediately drove to the bar he took over from his father decades before from his home 20 minutes away. Fire was visible above the building. 

“I was driving up and light was coming out of the roof,” McKinnon said. 

Scott McKinnon stands with Lori, Ellen, Krista and Evelyn at the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in Kings Park. Photo by Rita Egan

According to McKinnon, the fire started outside in an alleyway between the pub and the neighboring Euro Barber Shop. The fire department extinguished it swiftly and with no casualties, but the bar has endured tremendous damage; about 30-40% of the pub that has been in operation for about three decades was severely damaged, Mckinnon estimates. 

“The firefighters did a great job extinguishing the fire but there is a lot of damage from the smoke,” McKinnon said. There is also water damage. 

Evelyn Wood, McKinnon’s partner, said the last week has been “kind of like a rollercoaster.” The fire was devastating; however, at the Kings Park St. Patrick’s Day Parade, the community showed their support. 

“We are learning emotions we didn’t know we had and just trying to get through each one together,” Wood said. “It has been very overwhelming to [Scott]. This is everything. It has put a roof over his kids’ heads and helped them grow up and go to school and everything.”

The pub’s employees organized a booth on a side street next to the pub. They gave out food and raised money to supplement the income that the 80 employees have now lost. They chatted with regulars and tried to preserve the pub’s presence in the community. 

“It was nice to see the people that we always take care of and we always serve are taking care of us now,” Wood said. The pub’s employees, some who have been working at the pub for decades, are spearheading promotional fundraisers while McKinnon works with insurance companies and the town to navigate rebuilding. 

McKinnon described the bar as an “old-time” institution with regulars who spent “most of their time” there, drinking and talking.

“Regardless if you were an employee or customer, everyone knows everyone, cares for everyone. . . watches each other’s backs, it was just a tight knit place to be in,” Wood said. 

McKinnon, eager to get the bar back up and running, has had to wait for the insurance company to file the damages. He cannot touch or alter anything while this process continues, something McKinnon said is “impossible”.

During Covid, when the bar had to shut down, McKinnon supplemented the loss with his savings and income, ensuring the bar would get through the financial strain of extended closure. 

“All the means I had I had to put into the business,” McKinnon said. Now, he has to navigate town ordinances and insurance dealings before he can get the bar back to the state it was. He approximates the bar will be back in three to four months.

McKinnon said he might consider making some changes when the bar eventually reopens.

Wood started a GoFundMe page to support the bar. The link is https://www.gofundme.com/f/qrqzf3-helping-main-street-pub-recover-from-tragic-fire.

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Brookhaven Receiver of Taxes Louis Marcoccia speaks to the civic on March 3. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

By Sabrina Artusa

At the March 3 Three Village Civic Association meeting, Town of Brookhaven Receiver of Taxes Louis Marcoccia gave members valuable advice on how to wade through the thick of this year’s tax season. 

Facing a group of residents who are in the midst of tackling their taxes, Marcoccia had his work cut out for him. He was quick, however, to appeal to the group, reminding the civic that Mathew the tax collector was one of Jesus’ apostles. 

Brookhaven Receiver of Taxes Louis Marcoccia speaks to the civic on March 3. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

“The tax collector, out of all the elected officials, is closest to Jesus,” he said. “The most read gospel is Mathew, which is actually converted to tax code,” he added.

Marcoccia is proud of his department and the changes they have made over the years, including taking advantage of technology, thereby saving money on envelopes and allowing people to pay and view their taxes instantly. He also reduced his staff by 40% by simply not rehiring after employees left.

This year, many Three Village residents were alarmed to see a 5.47% increase in their school taxes. In the year prior, the assessor’s office mistakenly included about 30 properties in the calculations, resulting in a lower tax increase percentage for that year, so constituents paid less in taxes to the school. 

“The percent was 1.27% but it should have been 2.8 so people who live there paid less than they should have and the town had to eat that,” Marcoccia said.

The bill was never sent to those 30 properties, mainly Stony Brook properties, since the tax office caught the mistake shortly after filing, but the incorrect assessment caused a shortfall that amounted to “millions,” according to Marcoccia, causing the bill to be $125 less per household. 

After being filed with New York State, the tax bills are finalized. As a result, this year, the bill represents the correction from last year in the percentage, even though constituents will not be actually paying that percentage increase, as it would have broken the tax cap of 2.84%.  That correction is the cause of 1.47% of the increase represented on the bill and is not the taxpayer’s responsibility.

In a letter sent by the Three Village Central School District explaining their mistake, Superintendent of Schools Kevin Scanlon explains that 0.54% of the percentage is due to a decrease in the assessed values of some properties, causing the other properties to take on more taxes. The remaining 0.32% increase is due to the senior citizen exemption. The actual tax rate increase, disregarding the correction, would be exactly 2.84%. 

“Once you file it and send it to the state you are stuck,” Marcoccia clarified. “A mistake happened, but it didn’t cost you any money.” 

Other News 

According to Legislator Steve Englebright (D, Setauket), the Town of Brookhaven, the Village of Head of the Harbor and the Ward Melville Heritage Organization are continuing to navigate the convoluted and uncertain ownership of Harbor Road. 

“A part of the controversy is who owns the road. Now the town highway department says [they] don’t own the road. It joins one village and one town together. Does Smithtown own half of the road?” Englebright asked, emphasizing the complicated discourse surrounding the issue. “Does ownership of the road mean ownership of the liability? Does the owner of the road also mean they are the owners of the land and the dam?” 

Under pressure to meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency deadline to file for aid, officials met to discuss a plan forward last month. 

“Time is short and now it is kind of a high wire act,” Englebright said.

For more information, visit www.3vcivic.org.

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Participants on a Holi cruise that sailed out of Pier 36 in New York City last year. Photo courtesy Indu Kaur

By Sabrina Artusa

As spring brings blue skies, blooming flowers of violets and yellows and flourishing green vegetation, Indian Americans look forward to Holi — the festival of colors — which falls on the first full moon in the Hindu month of Phalguna. 

Indu Kaur on a Holi cruise that sailed out of Pier 36 in New York City last year. Photo courtesy Indu Kaur

The holiday celebrates the coming of spring and the overall triumph of good, love and light over darkness and evil. On the day of the full moon, March 14 of this year, people in India play in the street, coloring each other’s faces with powder and water; children throw water balloons, sometimes at strangers, all in the good fun and light-hearted troublemaking of the holiday. 

“Holi Hai” is the predominant saying, meaning It’s Holi. In India, neighborhoods celebrate the holiday, drinking, eating fried pastries and throwing colored powder. Here, on Long Island, celebrations are more intimate. 

“Over in India, everybody in every neighborhood is celebrating,“ said Arvind Vora, who moved to Long Island 55 years ago at the age of 24. “There was no need to travel or make all sorts of arrangements/planning.” 

When he arrived, he wrote in an email, there were hardly 10 families that celebrated in the area. By the mid-1970s, he said, he started celebrating again to bring the cheer of the holiday to the children of the family.  

Indu Kaur, owner of the Curry Club at SaGhar in Port Jefferson and the Meadow Club in Port Jefferson Station, has hosted these gatherings in the past, treating friends and family to “gujiya,” a deep-fried pastry and plenty of color. 

“Holi in India is an all-encompassing celebration — it’s loud, vibrant and spills onto the streets with massive crowds throwing colors, dancing to dhol beats and sharing sweets with neighbors, friends, and even strangers,” Kaur said. “While the essence of joy and color remains the same [on Long Island], the scale is usually smaller, and people are mindful of space, weather and local regulations.”

Baldeep Singh, a friend of Kaur’s, was invited to one of Kaur’s “all-out” Holi celebrations. He also lived in India for 10 years. While whole neighborhoods get involved in the celebration like a “huge party,” Singh said that he enjoyed celebrating with friends and family. 

“Everyone’s in a great mood, everyone’s happy,” he said. “It is a representation of spring when flowers are in bloom. Everything is starting afresh and everyone is together having a great time. It is a lot of people really just living it up and being grateful.” 

Generally, people use organic, biodegradable materials for the colors, but some people use permanent colors that won’t come off easily. Singh remembers going to work after Holi, and some people showed up with purple faces and skin sore from scrubbing, although “no one really judges you.”

Indu Kaur on a Holi cruise that sailed out of Pier 36 in New York City last year. Photo courtesy Indu Kaur

“Holi reminds us to embrace playfulness, throw colors at each other, laugh out loud, indulge in sweets, dance freely and bond with family. It’s a time to heal our souls, connect with loved ones and share pure happiness,” Kaur said. 

Holi has two different mythological origins. According to one legend that is central to the celebration of Holi in Barsana and Mathura, the mischievous Krishna fell in love with Radha, a fair-skinned milk maid. Self-conscious about his darker skin, he applied colors to Radha’s face. Today, their love story is re-created in some areas of India and honored through Holi. 

For larger celebrations comparable to those in India, some people travel either to New York City or even down south to Georgia. 

“It would be fun if the U.S. starts recognizing Holi,” Singh said. “I could really see a lot of people just having fun.”

Non-Hindus in India celebrate the holiday as well, including Vora, who said he celebrates in the same way non-Christians celebrate Christmas. 

This Holi, Kaur will dress in a white Indian outfit with a colorful scarf, known as a dupatta, Punjabi jutti shoes and silver earrings. Together with her friends and family, she will usher in the new season “dancing freely, throwing colors and indulging in sweets, bringing a rare sense of carefree happiness.”

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From left to right: Jerry Maxim, corresponding secretary; Ira Costell, president; Lee Brett, vice president; Sheila Granito, acting recording secretary; and, standing, Kevin LaValle, Brookhaven town clerk. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

By Sabrina Artusa

At the Feb. 25 Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Association meeting, the many services of the Town of Brookhaven Clerk’s Office were reviewed and various developments were discussed, including the Baylis Avenue site proposal and Jefferson Plaza. 

The association established their position on the proposed annexation of the 5.6-acre site on Baylis Avenue by the Village of Port Jefferson. Northwind Group, after their rezoning proposal was shot down by Brookhaven, preventing their plans for an apartment complex on the parcel, moved to transfer ownership of the land to the Village of Port Jefferson. 

“I would really like to reiterate that it is my objection…this is a thinly veiled backdoor move to get approval he otherwise wouldn’t have gotten,” Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic President Ira Costell said. The rest of the board, as well as civic members, seemed in agreement. 

March 6, Northwind Group will appeal the ruling to the Town of Brookhaven council and a public hearing will be held. The annexation would set a “bad precedent,” said civic member Charlie McAteer. 

Newly elected Port Jefferson Station/Terryville Civic Vice President Lee Brett lamented how the annexation would complicate the execution of services by putting a burden on the Terryville Fire Department and the Comsewogue School District. “Just because it says Port Jefferson Village and they get to go to the beach for free, I can care less, I want my town safe,” he said.

Brookhaven Town Clerk Kevin LaValle reviewed his department’s services and processes, including administering marriage licenses, disability parking passes, death certificates and record digitalization. 

He has also worked to use technology to his advantage, now sending people notices of renewals and allowing them to complete the form from home. 

“The most valuable thing in business is time, from the minute your client asks you for a service from the minute you get it done…we want to be a township that makes it easier for people to come in and do business with our township,” he said, adding that developers can now submit land-use applications online. Further, project information is now advertised through signs that have QR codes leading to the town website.

“It makes it a lot easier to get information on a project out there,” LaValle said. 

LaValle also discussed the prevalence of text message and phone call scams, sometimes under the guise of a bank or a police department saying a loved one is in jail.

LaValle got a scam himself in the form of a text. Presumably, it was his bank informing him of fraud. “I didn’t click the link they had there, I didn’t use the phone number they had on it. I went online…I called the number online that I know is the actual credit card company…they said absolutely that is not [us], can you send us the information,” LaValle said. 

“Don’t rush making decisions,” said LaValle, who attended a presentation on the subject by the Suffolk County district attorney.

Next month, Staller Associates will meet with the civic to discuss architectural design for their development of Jefferson Plaza.

For more information on the services provided by the town clerk visit www.brookhavenny.gov.

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New Leaf Energy presents a plan for a 8.75-megawatt project on Feb. 20, 2025. Photo by Sabrina Artusa
New Leaf Energy presents a plan for a 8.75-megawatt project on Feb. 20, 2025. Photo by Sabrina Artusa
New Leaf Energy presents a plan for a 8.75-megawatt project on Feb. 20, 2025. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

By Sabrina Artusa

At the Sterling Woods Condominium annual meeting on Feb. 20, New Leaf Energy Senior Director of Business Development Michael Conway spoke to the residents, whose condominiums neighbor the proposed site at 1575 Route 25A in Port Jefferson Station. 

This proposal comes after the Town of Brookhaven rejected a rezoning application by New Leaf Energy in June 2024. 

Now, New Leaf Energy, a renewable energy developer, is planning an 8.75-megawatt battery energy storage system in an area with the appropriate light industrial zoning. The system would occupy 22,142 square feet and can power 8,500 single-family homes for 4 hours. 

Conway, joined by Energy Safety Response Group co-founder Paul Rogers, reviewed the site plan, which neighbors a gas station. The property will be encompassed by a 10-foot-tall fence and vegetative screening and will include a 50-ft setback. 

“Dense places are the most difficult places to get electricity to,” Conway said, addressing the location. “We need to have electricity whether it comes through a fossil plant, or it comes in through a solar plant, or it comes in through transmission lines. Energy storage systems are an efficient way to deliver more electricity to an area without building more poles and wires all over the place and more power plants.”

One resident said, “I don’t think we disagree with technology. I don’t think anyone does. We have to look forward. But where are you putting it? There is no benefit to be putting this here, absolutely none. Basically, you want us to be a test case for your business.” 

New Leaf Energy will be working with manufacturers to develop the system and will then sell the BESS. Defined as a business that “establishes important partnerships with landowners, utilities and local communities to brainstorm, secure, design and permit community and utility-scale renewable energy,” New Leaf Energy essentially works to give the project momentum and get it approved before then selling to another company for around $3 million to $4 million.  

“Our business model is to transfer ownership to a long-term asset owner just prior to construction,” Conway said. It usually takes 6-8 months to find a buyer. The buyer will then be responsible for the safety and operation of the system, including the battery monitoring system. 

The oldest BESS New Leaf Energy has created was built in 2018. The largest is 200 megawatts. 

This system will help manage the grid during peak hours and potentially save PSEG from having to purchase additional equipment. The BESS will be privately owned so will not, in theory, be the direct cause of rate increases from PSEG. Instead, the system will store energy in times of low demand and sell it back during high-demand times. 

Rogers, who has been a prominent figure in the battery energy storage conversation throughout Brookhaven, says that manufacturers are required to permit large-scale controlled failures on their equipment. This could mean burning cells or, in some cases, modules. 

Rogers said that thermal runaway is caused when the cells are interfered with or abused and are unable to regulate normally, thus causing the liquid within the cells to turn to gas. For instance, if a container is not sealed properly when it is raining, the water could cause electrical problems. 

Rogers, who has helped implement and navigate the various safety codes, said that the BESS has to be listed under Underwriters Laboratories UL9540, which authorizes that the equipment is up to standard, and must adhere to precautions listed in the National Fire Protection Association codebook as well as New York State codes. 

The Moss Landing fire, which burned for days and led to the evacuation of residents, was described by Brookhaven Councilman Jonathan Kornreich (D, Stony Brook) as “sobering.” The old and outdated system consisted of nickel manganese cobalt batteries as opposed to lithium iron phosphate, which is less energy dense, and was situated in a designated-use building.

Rogers said of the 750-megawatt system, “we would never use that technology today.” 

“This is fairly new technology,” said Kornreich. “It is almost as if the car had been invented and they said oh this is a great way to make deliveries and drive around town but they haven’t invented the brake pedal yet…we don’t know yet and that is why we have to go slow with these things.”

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The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak
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The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak
The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak
The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak
The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak
The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak
The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak
The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak
The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak
The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak
The lower level of the Smithtown Library's main branch has been restored after Aug. 19 storm. Photo by Robert Lusak

By Sabrina Artusa

After the Aug. 19 storm, the lower level of the Smithtown Library’s main branch at 1 North Country Road had to be cleaned and gutted. The stairwell has been repainted and all electriclal equipment has been removed. Now, the floor is a blank slate. Smithtown Library Director Robert Lusak views this as an opportunity to re-situate the floor to make it a better, nicer area.  

–Photos by Robert Lusak

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Visitors are cautioned not to enter Harbor Road in Stony Brook Village. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

By Sabrina Artusa

Six months after the Aug. 19 storm that damaged infrastructure, washed away the dams at Stony Brook Mill Pond and Blydenburgh County Park’s Stump Pond and upturned Harbor Road in Stony Brook, community pillars such as the Smithtown Library and Stony Brook University are on the mend. 

The storm, which unleashed 9.4 inches of rain in only 24 hours, flooded the lower level of the Smithtown Library, bursting one of the windows and completely filling the area with water. Since the library sits at a lower grade, the water from higher grades flowed to the building and down the staircases on either side, overwhelming the sump pump and clogging it with leaves; therefore, it was not only 9 inches of water that flooded the library, but 8 feet. 

However, walking through the Smithtown Library today, it would be difficult to discern evidence of the storm on the first floor or the mezzanine. The bookshelves and tables look relatively untouched; it seems that at any moment a library page might round the corner with a cart of books or a high school student will settle down at one of the tables. In a few months — April, possibly, according to Library Director Robert Lusak — the library could open again. 

“In order to bring people back into the building, first we need power obviously, we need HVAC, we need heat and air-conditioning functioning, we need to have the elevator working, we need to have fire sprinklers operational … so there are a lot of factors that need to come into play before we can open the building,” Lusak said. The library’s architect, in collaboration with the Federal Emergency Management Agency and the Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services, has put together “a two- to three-inch book” detailing the steps to reopening. 

Temporary power has been restored. “Everything is moving along pretty well,” Lusak said.

Lusak and the rest of the library staff have been working with FEMA to account for damages to potentially get up to 75% of eligible costs reimbursed. The staff listed every item that was destroyed. One of the main obstacles, however, is the time-consuming process of ordering the necessary materials and the months it takes to ship. 

“It is really the equipment that we need to reinstall that is keeping us from moving forward,” Lusak said. “When we have to wait for materials we have to wait 6 to 8 weeks in some cases. That is what we need in order to open the building up.”

Next month, Lusak and other staff members are flying to Michigan to evaluate the archive renovation progress done by Prism Specialties. The Richard H. Handley Collection, which features centuries-old documents and maps, was situated on the lower level. On the day of the storm, however, the water detection system failed and water infiltrated the room. 

Lusak will have to determine which archives should be restored, such as precious original copies, and which would not be worth the expense, perhaps second copies. The cost of archival restoration already amounts to over $700,000. The archives will be considered by FEMA for reimbursement. 

Lusak said that the designers will begin to redesign the lower floor this week. Since the first floor and mezzanine are nearly ready to be opened to the public — after the elevator, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system and electricity are restored — Lusak plans to open the upper levels and have construction on the lower floor occur simultaneously. 

In addition, the storm has exposed issues in the grading and stairwells. “We are looking at ways of safeguarding the building to make sure a situation like that never happens again … we are going to change the grading there [and] we are going to address the stairwells.” 

At Stony Brook University, the rainfall affected 61 buildings, according to university officials; the Ammann and Gray residence halls were hit the hardest, and students residing there had to be reassigned to other buildings. 

Vice President for Facilities and Services Bill Hermann wrote in an email, “In response to the flooding of our residence halls, we advocated for and will be relocating core facilities infrastructure (boilers, electrical equipment, IT and fire alarms) to upper floors.”

The university paid for a comprehensive storm infrastructure study which, according to Hermann, “revealed that our campus growth over the years had not been matched by adequate increases in storm infrastructure capacity.”

The university already addressed some of the weak spots dictated by the study, such as collapsed sections, but still has stormwater maintenance plans in the horizon, one being a plan to implement a stormwater detention and retention system under the athletic stadium surface lot to manage runoff. 

“This mitigation is needed to upgrade and modernize the campus storm infrastructure to meet the current demands,” Hermann wrote. 

At this time, Gloria Rocchio, president of the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, was unable to comment on the damage to Harbor Road, the ownership of which is debated as it crosses into Head of the Harbor. 

Head of the Harbor Mayor Michael Utevsky said that discussions are progressing.

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An ill swan in Old Field. Photo by David Goldblum

By Sabrina Artusa

Residents across the county are noticing swans straying from their habitats, wandering onto roads, drive-ways and parking lots, often disheveled and disoriented. 

Lisa Jaeger, who runs an animal rescue business, has already picked up six swans this year, a number she says is above normal. In fact, Jaeger was relocating a swan that was found on 25A only hours before her phone interview with TBR News Media. In her ten years of running her business, Jaeger said she has never noticed such an influx of displaced, sick or even dead swans.

“It is very bad. One of them we found dead on the beach on Shore Road” Jaeger said. “It’s horrible. It’s just horrible.”

Swans are extremely territorial creatures and after mating, reside in one area for the rest of their lives. They may leave that area if pushed out after fighting with another swan or if they are confused and unable to navigate back. Lead poisoning is the likely cause. 

“[Lead poisoning] is very common,” Adrienne Gillepsie, wildlife rehabilitator at Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center in Hampton Bays. “Every single swan that we admit to this center, and we get a lot, has lead poisoning.”

Jaeger frequently travels to the rescue center to drop off swans, if they have room. The Evelyn Alexander Rescue Center is the only wildlife center in Suffolk County that has a large waterfowl pen. Other centers have smaller pens and are only capable of taking a few waterfowl. 

Lead poisoning affects the swans’ central nervous system and can cause the swans to neglect their grooming, becoming dirty and odorous as a result. They can become sluggish and confused or lose control of their legs and wings and become grounded. When this happens, the swan may try to eat dirt or sand, compounding their sickness. 

“If they don’t get treated, it is a death sentence and it is very, very slow. They are uncoordinated, they can drown, they get hit by cars…they slowly just go downhill because they don’t have that medicine or treatment,” Gillepsie said. 

Gillepsie estimated that when she started 12 years ago, only around half of swans that were brought in had lead poisoning; now, she said it was essentially a guarantee that a bird would show high levels of lead when given a blood test. 

Gillespie and her team administer a treatment called chelation therapy, a 5-day treatment that flushes the toxic metals from the swan’s system. They administer dimercaptosuccinic acid to extricate the heavy metals. This treatment is repeated until lead levels are low enough for the swan to be released.

Swans must be returned “exactly where they came from.” They are invasive and aggressive, so relocating them is problematic not only to other swans, but also to the surrounding ecosystem. 

The cured swans return to their nest site, ingest the same contaminated vegetation or lead shots. Gillespie said they regularly get “repeat offenders”.

Other birds like hawks, owls, loons, ducks, and canadian geese can also get lead poisoning, but not as frequently as swans. 

Lead shot and pellets were outlawed in 1991. The sale of lead fishing sinkers under one-half ounce or less was banned in New York in 2002 as it was the leading cause of death for the common loon. 

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Ice skaters enjoy the Miller Place Duck Pond. Photo by Bill Landon
Miller Place Duck Pond
Ice skaters enjoy the Miller Place Duck Pond. Photo by Bill Landon
Ice skaters enjoy the Miller Place Duck Pond. Photo by Bill Landon
Ice skaters enjoy the Miller Place Duck Pond. Photo by Bill Landon
Ice skaters enjoy the Miller Place Duck Pond. Photo by Bill Landon
Ice skaters enjoy the Miller Place Duck Pond. Photo by Bill Landon
Ice skaters enjoy the Miller Place Duck Pond. Photo by Bill Landon
Ice skaters enjoy the Miller Place Duck Pond. Photo by Bill Landon
Ice skaters enjoy the Miller Place Duck Pond. Photo by Bill Landon
Millers Pond County Park
Ice skating on Millers Pond in Smithtown. Photo by Sabrina Artusa
Ice skating on Millers Pond in Smithtown. Photo by Sabrina Artusa
Enjoying Miller Pond in Smithtown. Photo by Sabrina Artusa

By Bill Landon

As temperatures fell and with a respite from the unrelenting wind, skaters of all ages, including tomorrow’s hockey stars, flocked to Miller Place Duck Pond and Millers Pond in Smithtown. In Smithtown, hockey players weren’t the only ones enjoying the perks of the cold weather; a furry friend wandered onto the ice, prompting skaters to take a short intermission. 

— Photos by Bill Landon and Sabrina Artusa

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