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Seatuck Environmental Association

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Photo by Caroline O'Callaghan

By Caroline O’Callaghan

Seatuck Environmental Association and environmental protection group Save the Sound partnered with Sweetbriar Nature Center in Smithtown on June 29, for Seatuck’s ongoing conference and documentary screening series titled “Let the Nissequogue River Run!” The event took place at the nature center’s barn, which is appropriately situated along the Nissequogue River. 

For those who braved the heat, the event shed light on the ongoing debate over whether or not the Stump Pond Dam should be rebuilt since last August’s storm ravaged the Nissequogue River and its surrounding areas, causing the river to flow freely through Byldenburgh County Park. The event sought to quell the dissonant reality which many residents have had to confront as a result of passive public education in regard to ecological consequences and outcomes when it comes to maintaining the river. 

Ecologist Enrico Nardone serves as Seatuck’s executive director and presented an educational powerpoint about the ecohydraulics of Long Island’s river pathways. He later moderated the event’s discussion portion, emphasizing the importance of sharing information with the public so they can formulate their own conclusions regarding the future of the Nissequogue. 

“We’re trying to create that alternative vision and explain to the public what’s gonna happen. [The Nissequogue River in its current, naturalized state] is not going to stay the same, plants will grow. It’s nice to help people see that vision, and their supportiveness,” said Nardone, referring to the opaqueness that many residents of the Nissequogue have felt since Suffolk County officials announced that they were putting $6.6 million aside to rebuild the dam. 

“We’re trying to convince them [Suffolk County officials] not to do it because it’s gonna save a lot of money, it’s gonna make the river healthier and more resilient, still provide recreational opportunities, and honor the full history of the site,” Nardone continued. 

In the past, four Long Island dams, excluding Stump Pond, have been removed due to damage and never replaced. Upon the removal of the dams, various ecological groups found that species diversity and water quality had improved in those areas affected. Despite this, some residents struggled to accept the evidence that dams might not be the only solution to maintaining our connections to the Sound. Dams can disrupt natural river flow, impact fish migration and alter habitats.

Louise Harrison, an ecology expert at Save the Sound, believes that keeping people open minded to restoring the environment is not a matter of presenting them with information, but lies in having them believe that good changes are always possible. 

“If you aren’t paying attention, it’s all new and it’s all scary.” Harrison said, encouraging people to get involved with local ecology. 

“People who have an attachment to a place have heartfelt feelings, and it’s hard to change people’s feelings with information. People have to experience the change themselves, and see and accept the change.” 

While the river serves the public by circulating nutrients for wildlife, retaining the land and keeping the natural ecosystem nourished, George Jackman, an ecologist at Seatuck, hopes the event will help residents see how serving the river can create a greater benefit for the fate of Long Island’s natural landscape.

“People say the river can’t defend itself, that’s why people can act as guardians. I think the time is now, in the progression of rights, that we need to consider the river’s rights,” said Jackman, of advocating for the health of the river. 

Megan Lung, manager of the New York Ecological Restoration Project at Save the Sound, was grateful for the positive response the event received from conscientious residents. “It’s really encouraging every time when I see people come out to hear what we have to say, give it a chance, or even if they disagree — to at least voice their thoughts and opinions,” said Lung, who provided the documentary for the screening.

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The Atlantic horseshoe crab. Public domain photo

By  Emily Mandracchia

In response to the alarming overharvesting and endangerment of horseshoe crabs on Long Island, conservationist John Turner of Seatuck is launching a groundbreaking fall project to create a lab-based, sustainable bait alternative — one he hopes will protect both marine life and local fishing livelihoods.

Horseshoe crabs are commonly used as bait for whelk, a carnivorous snail, and eel fishing; there are minimal measures currently in place to prevent over-harvesting. Long Island’s shore birds and migratory birds rely on horseshoe crab eggs for protein. Inhabiting as far north and south as Nova Scotia and Mexico, Horseshoe crab eggs are an essential food source for migrating shorebirds, fish and benthic (bottom-dwelling) species. Further, they are food sources for loggerhead sea turtles. Even sparrows feast upon their protein-rich eggs. 

Turner said these “very significant crabs”  linger on the sound’s floor, thereby increasing turbidity and stirring up a variety of food sources for other species. 

The consequences of horseshoe crab endangerment is not limited to our island’s coastal populations; they are most valuable to humans for their blood proteins which are extremely sensitive to bacteria, making them an effective reagent. 

The extracted compound, known as Limulus Amebocyte Lysate (LAL), acts as an indicator on screen-injected drugs and implanted biomedical devices for detecting gram-negative bacteria — Turner cites as a huge reason to thank these spider-legged creatures. Unfortunately, according to The Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, the mortality rate of these crabs, once released back into the wild, can surpass 30%. 

In terms of policy, Turner states that extremely small-scale measures may be decided by local jurisdiction. In the past, harvesting quotas have been instituted, reaching 150,000 crabs per year per location, as specified by the Department of Environmental Conservation.

But Turner says this is no solution, nor is it sustainable. 150,000 is a great number when considering how horseshoe crabs were exponentially more abundant in the past, especially because just one bird may rely upon hundreds out of a 4,000-egg nest to migrate — causing a ripple effect across the food chain. Humans are not exempt from the effects of wildlife endangerment.

Alongside the DEC, the Cornell Cooperative Extension and Stony Brook University, Turner’s project expected to launch this fall will craft lab-effective bait, which also must be cost and yield-dependent for fishers who participate in the trial.

Even still, stricter measures are necessary in keeping the horseshoe crab population abundant and thriving. Turner cited possible four five-day bans around new and full moons in May and June where harvesting is illegal so the crabs may spawn and disseminate uninterrupted, or total closings at certain locations. The DEC describes that sampling for taking population estimates would be conducted around these optimal moon phase and tide stage to indicate trends in horseshoe crab population.

Former closures have suggested that it takes between 8-10 years before changes in abundance of spawning-aged crabs are observed as a result of these management changes by the DEC, and an increase in adult horseshoe crab abundance is expected to begin in 2028.

State legislatures are still capable of vetoing these stricter conservation measures, as the  DEC’s overall goal is to improve the stock status of horseshoe crabs in the New York region over time while still maintaining use of the species, specifically “ecosystem services, commercial harvest and observation and appreciation.” 

Regardless, Turner remains cautiously optimistic as new, more serious regulatory policies for quotas or commercial banning still have a chance to be passed if conservation groups are persistent. 

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The northern dusky salamander in Anita Lago’s hand when she found it on Sept. 1, 2024. Photo courtesy Anita Lago

By Sabrina Artusa

Anita Lago was walking along a stream leading to the emptied Stony Brook Mill Pond on Sept 1, overturned earth and strewn twigs littering her path, when she spotted a black object. Thinking it was a fishing lure she picked it up.  

“It was not a fishing lure, it had legs,” she said. 

Lago put it back and showed a picture of the salamander to John Turner of the Seatuck Environmental Association, who shared it with Smithtown High School East senior and Four Harbors Audubon Society board member Gabe Finger. Finger and Turner identified the salamander as a northern dusky salamander.

A light form of the northern dusky salamander. Photo courtesy John Turner

The northern dusky salamander isn’t known to live on Long Island — the only traces of it having existed on the island are nearly a century old. One of the only samples was secured by Long Island naturalist Roy Latham. 

Finger and Turner returned to the pond. Finger overturned a rock and found another. Wading in the stream, Turner and Finger found four more salamanders of two different morphs: two salamanders were darker gray and two were a lighter, sandier color. The genetic expression of the salamander allows for wide varying appearances, Turner said, just like people. 

The finding was pure “serendipity,” according to Turner. “No one was looking for it.” 

“It is remarkable for a species that is thought to be gone for almost a century and to still be here and to be here in a fairly suburban part of Long Island,” Turner said. “I would not think of Stony Brook as where you would find it. I would think it would be further out east, maybe by the pine barrens, and it is hiding in plain sight.”

Gabe Finger presenting the discovery of the salamander at the Long Island Natural History Conference at Stony Brook University on March 21. Photo courtesy SCSD

Finger, who will be attending Cornell University to study sustainability and wildlife biology. gave a presentation about the finding at a Long Island Natural History Conference at Stony Brook University on March 21. “Since I was very, very little I’ve always been just fascinated with animals and I knew from a very young age that all I wanted to do with my life was study animals,” he said. 

Since the salamanders found at the Stony Brook Mill Pond have likely been geographically separated from their ancestors for tens of thousands of years, it is possible that they evolved into a new species —an offshoot of the northern dusky salamander.

The northern dusky salamander resides in cold, trickling waters. The small, fast flowing tributaries of the North Shore fit these criteria: the streams aren’t in the sun long enough to get warm and are fast-flowing enough for a quick turnover of water. The salamander also lurks in the muddy stream banks, maybe hiding under a rock or log. 

Turner and Finger can’t pursue their studies further until they have permission to take a small toe clip of the salamander to study its DNA. “There’s been a lot of red tape to go through,” Finger said. 

Once they have a DNA sample and the salamanders become more active in the warmer weather, researchers can begin employing environmental DNA collection techniques to detect the presence of salamanders by simply testing the water of streams in which they potentially reside. 

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The Setauket Mill Pond is being considered for an upcoming alewife study. Photo by Rita J. Egan

By Lisa Scott

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) mission is to “conserve, improve and protect New York’s natural resources and environment and to prevent, abate and control water, land and air pollution…” 

Within the newly created Nissequogue River State Park in Kings Park, the DEC Division of Marine Resources has a state-of-the-art headquarters and laboratory to pursue these goals and ensure the conservation of our local marine life and habitats. All are welcome to visit their public lobby equipped with aquariums of local species and learn more ways to get involved and help monitor and protect marine life locally.

Shellfish have been a resource for Indigenous inhabitants of Long Island for thousands of years for a myriad of uses. In spite of massive human development over the past 400 years, shellfish are still an important resource today. Monitoring threats to shellfish and working to restore their populations and habitat is an important part of DEC’s work.

DEC Marine Resources Shellfish Microbiology Laboratory operates the only FDA-evaluated laboratory in the State for processing water samples to certify approved shellfish harvest areas. The laboratory features advanced equipment for processing and analyzing plankton, shellfish, and water samples, ensuring that shellfish harvested legally from approved areas in New York’s marine waters are safe for consumers and supports the State’s commercially important shellfish industry.

Year-round, the DEC conducts water quality sampling of over one million acres of shellfish harvesting areas across Long Island and the lab analyzes approximately 13,000 water samples annually to monitor water quality trends. As a result of continuous testing, the DEC classifies shellfish harvest areas as open year-round, seasonally open, or closed year-round. Use the DEC’s Public Shellfish Mapper to learn about harvest area boundaries, seasonally open dates, and water quality sampling locations: https://on.ny.gov/shellfishmapper

Under the Long Island Shellfish Restoration Program (LISRP), the DEC in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension, Stony Brook University, and the Town of Huntington completed the stocking of 13.6 million juvenile (seed) clams and (spat-on-shell) oysters and 650,000 adult clams in Huntington Harbor in October 2020 to improve water quality and enhance shellfish populations. The LISRP completed four additional stocking efforts at sanctuary sites in Bellport Bay, Hempstead Bay, Shinnecock Bay, and South Oyster Bay.

Monitoring of sanctuary sites is conducted by the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) at Stony Brook University to obtain biological and environmental information on shellfish growth, survival and spawning success, and to assess the effect on water quality, phytoplankton uptake and filtration and nitrogen cycling and removal. The results of the project will guide and support the success of future restoration efforts on Long Island.

Most Long Island tributaries once supported spring runs of returning alewife, a species of river herring native to Long Island. Like salmon, they split their life cycle between salt and freshwater. Alewife runs have been decimated by dams, habitat loss and declining water quality but remnant populations still exist in a few rivers and the public’s help is needed to learn more about their overall status across Long Island. 

Through the Long Island Volunteer Alewife Survey, volunteers help record observations of spawning alewife and documenting existing runs is an important step for restoration efforts. Monitoring efforts start mid-March and training workshops will be announced soon for Spring 2023. Suggested sites include: Frank Melville Memorial Park/Setauket Mill Pond in Setauket, Crab Meadow East Pond (Makamah Nature Preserve) in Fort Salonga, Stony Brook Grist Mill/Stony Brook Dam in Stony Brook, and Carlls River in Argyle Park, Babylon. Visit Seatuck’s website for workshop information and how to get involved: https://seatuck.org/volunteer-river-herring-survey/

The newly released Long Island Sound Marsh Migration Viewer is an online tool used to easily examine changes in marsh habitat along New York’s shores of the Long Island Sound watershed under various sea level rise scenarios over different time periods: http://warrenpinnacle.com/LIMaps.

New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission (NEIWPCC), Long Island Sound Study (LISS), and DEC will be hosting virtual public workshops for community stakeholders to learn more about the Viewer in early 2023. These workshops will demonstrate how to use the Viewer and will highlight an additional 47 marsh complexes that are added to the Viewer.

Whether you want to get outside to observe alewife in local rivers, sit at your desk to see changes to  local marsh habitats with rising sea levels, or learn about shellfish monitoring, you have these and many other resources and opportunities available from our local DEC Marine Resources Headquarters. Check out more ways to get involved from DEC’s website: https://www.dec.ny.gov/ or contact them at 631 444-0450 or [email protected]. We all should be responsible, educated stewards of our beautiful island home. 

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

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J.J. Audubon circa 1840
J.J. Audubon circa 1840 King Eider
J.J. Audubon circa 1840 rufous sided towhee
J.J. Audubon circa 1840 green-winged teal
Antique botanical print
Alexander Wilson circa 1829
Alexander Wilson circa 1829
Antique landscape print circa 1870’s
Birdlovers art sale to support local environmental groups

By Melissa Arnold

Birds have long fascinated nature enthusiasts of all ages, and it’s easy to understand why. Their wide variety, brilliant colors, seasonal travel and flight skills provide a lot to admire. Those same qualities have made birds a frequent subject in art for generations as well.

On the weekend of Nov. 11, the historic Bates House in Setauket will host a special 3-day art sale and silent auction entitled “Audubon and Friends.” All proceeds from the weekend will be split equally among four local organizations dedicated to protecting Long Island’s wildlife and environment: The Seatuck Environmental Association, the Four Harbors Audubon Society (4HAS), The Safina Center, and Frank Melville Memorial Park.

The idea for the event came from conservationist John Turner and his brother Craig, who shared a love for nature from their early years.

John, who is conservation chair at Seatuck and serves on the board of 4HAS, developed a passion for birding as he watched his father feed the birds as a young boy.

“I was pretty active in conservation even as a teen — when you fall in love with something, you want to see it protected and have the ability to flourish,” said the Setauket resident. “I was really affected by stories of pollution, fires and disasters on the news, and I wanted to do whatever I could to help.”

Craig Turner’s interest in birdwatching developed later, thanks to an old friend from his time in the Air Force.

“He fed all sorts of birds at his home, and whenever I would visit I would become completely captivated by watching them stop to eat,” Craig recalled. “It became a wonderful excuse for me to get outside and see what I could find, and it was a great window into exploring natural history as well.”

Craig would go on to befriend a man who lived near him in Maryland who ran an Audubon magazine and also collected an array of bird depictions, many of them made by early natural history artists. Craig found the prints beautiful and desired to start a collection of his own.

“I thought the prints would look great at home, and then eBay came along, which gave me the ability to acquire things that would otherwise be very expensive, like prints made by John James Audubon in the 1840s,” he said.

By 2012, he had amassed so many prints that he decided to open his own shop in Annapolis, Md. The Audubon and Friends Gallery sold a variety of natural history prints as well as glassware and wood carvings before its closing in 2015.

As much as he treasured each piece, it didn’t make sense for one person to have so many, Craig said to John some time afterward. Why not continue to find ways to share beautiful work with others?

And John had another thought: Why not make it for a good cause as well?

“I wanted to do whatever I could to support the hard work of environmental conservation and protection, and I thought it would be fun to explore the history of natural history art in a talk,” said Craig.

So the event took shape — the beautiful Bates House in Frank Melville Memorial Park would host more than 100 prints from some of the earliest natural history artists, including John James Audubon, Mark Catesby and Alexander Wilson. Depending on value, some pieces will be for sale, while other, rarer pieces will be available in a silent auction held throughout the weekend.

“Audubon wanted to catalogue all the North American birds in life-size prints, and his work became the pinnacle of bird engraving,” Craig explained. “The idea of owning an original natural history print appeals to a lot of people as an important part of Americana, regardless of whether or not they’re birders themselves.” 

Among the pieces included at the fundraiser are many first edition, hand-colored prints from John James Audubon’s Royal Octavo edition of “Birds of America,” a foundational work in the field. 

Visitors to the show will enjoy light refreshments throughout the weekend, and on Friday, Nov. 11, Craig Turner will offer a special presentation on the history of bird illustration.

It’s a win-win situation for natural history enthusiasts, art lovers and the organizations who will benefit.

“When John Turner approached us about the fundraiser, we thought it was a splendid idea. The art is exquisite and classic,” said Carl Safina, founder of the Safina Center in Setauket. “Birds make the world livable. They are the most beautifully obvious living things in our world and they connect everything, everywhere. It’s truly a tragedy that most people barely notice them, nor do they understand that nearly 200 species can be seen on and around Long Island in the course of a year.”

The Safina Center inspires awareness and action in the community through art, literature and other creative outlets. Safina said that their portion of the funds raised would likely benefit their fellowship program for young, up-and-coming creators.

“Henry David Thoreau said that in wilderness is the preservation of the world, and it’s never been more important to do the work of preservation,” John Turner said. “The biggest thing we can all do is think about the planet in our everyday choices. Some people don’t realize how much of an impact they can make in what they eat, what they buy, and what they reuse.”

The “Audubon and Friends” art sale and silent auction will be held at The Bates House, 1 Bates Road, Setauket on Friday, Nov. 11 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. with a special presentation from Craig Turner titled “A History of Bird Illustration” at 7:30 p.m.; Saturday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and on Sunday, Nov. 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The event is free to attend. For more information, call the Bates House at 631-689-7054.

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Juvenile clams maturing in Brookhaven’s hatchery. File photo by Alex Petroski

By Alex Petroski

Restoring Long Island’s coastal waters as a haven for shellfish to thrive has been a multidecade battle for the Town of Brookhaven. This year, it has added some artillery to the fight in the form of a public-private-nonprofit partnership born in the spirit of sustainability and recycling.

In the 1800s, Long Island was considered the oyster capital of the world, according to Maureen Dunn, water quality scientist at Seatuck Environmental Association, a nonprofit dedicated to preserving Long Island’s wildlife and environment.

“So, to think that there’s virtually no wild oysters in the South Shore is incredible, but it’s really something that we can fix,” Dunn said Sept. 7 at Brookhaven’s shellfish hatchery located on the shores of Mount Sinai Harbor.

For more than 30 years, Brookhaven has been buying juvenile clams and oysters when they are just a millimeter in size, partially maturing them at the town’s hatchery and strategically returning them to North and South Shore waters in an effort to boost the population. Tom Carrano, the town’s assistant waterways management supervisor who has overseen this process since taking the position in the early ’80s, is set to retire imminently.

“Realistically, clams and oysters are the only natural resource the town actually owns because we own the bay bottom,” he said. “It’s our responsibility to make sure that there is sufficient quantities of these animals.”

To aid in fulfilling that responsibility, beginning this year the town has partnered with Seatuck and so far five restaurants to spearhead a program called Half Shells for Habitat. The program entails the restaurants setting aside shells from eaten clams and oysters; collecting them; delivering them to the town’s composting facility in Manorville where they are aged in the sun for six months to a year to ensure viruses and bacteria are not inhabiting the discarded shells; bringing the shells to the hatchery to allow the tiny shellfish to adhere to the larger shells, building what essentially amount to shellfish reefs; and then returning them to the water in the hopes of growing new shellfish. 

The town has the capability to grow more than 3 million shellfish in its hatchery per year, and officials believe the use of mature shells will give them a better chance at maturation and warding off predators. Creating the shellfish reefs has several other benefits. The juvenile shellfish require a hard bottom to survive, which the reefs can provide. They also can work as erosion control if placed properly, can counteract the effects of water acidification spurred by climate change and also help to filter algae from the water.

“As CO2 levels in the atmosphere go up, ocean and coastal acidification become more of a concern,” said Anthony Graves, Brookhaven’s chief environmental analyst. 

He said taking the shells out of the town’s solid waste stream and using them to improve water quality by staving off erosion and stimulating shellfish growth is a “win-win-win” for the environment.

“It’s tremendous how far we’ve come,” Carrano said, reflecting on the evolution of the operation of shellfish seeding in the town from when he started in his role. “When I started we were growing 100,000 clams. Now we’re growing a million and a half, close to 2 million clams this year and 2 million oysters. The town has been very generous and forthcoming in pushing this program and allowing it to move forward.”

Brookhaven Supervisor Ed Romaine (R) said he would like to see New York adopt a similar law to the state of Maryland’s, which prohibits discarding shells in landfills.

“We’ve made a major commitment to restocking our bays, our harbor ways, our Sound, doing what we can do to restore the balance of nature,” he said. “It’s a cumulative battle, but it’s a battle that we’ve joined, it’s a battle that we intend to continue to fight because we think it’s important not only for the health of the bay, but also to ensure that the bay or harbor can support clams and oysters.”

Currently five restaurants have signed on to participate in the program — Catch Oyster Bar in Patchogue, Prime in Huntington, H2O Seafood & Sushi in East Islip and Tellers: An American Chophouse in Islip — though the town is looking for more. Prior to placing shellfish reefs back in the water, Graves said the town will need permission in the form of a permit from the state Department of Environmental Conservation.

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