Tags Posts tagged with "Sunken Meadow State Park"

Sunken Meadow State Park

Presented by Long Island Health Collaborative, Sponsored by AARP Long Island

The Long Island Health Collaborative has announced the return of  its annual AARP Long Island-sponsored Walk with a Doc series. Now in its third year, Long Islanders are invited to join the two organizations and their physician partners at the following free community walks on the third Saturday of May, June, September, and October.

The series aims to tackle chronic disease through free community walks where physicians will briefly speak about how attendees can prevent or better manage chronic conditions in their own lives through simple lifestyle choices like a balanced diet and regular physical activity before leading attendees on a walk where they can ask the doc questions and keep the conversation going.

All walks are FREE and walkers must register in advance to attend. State parking fees are waived. Learn more and register for each walk at the links below.

Walk with a Doc: Harborfront Park

Saturday, May 18, 2024 at 10 AM

Harborfront Park, Port Jefferson, NY 11777

Led by Dr. Shamim Khan, Interventional Cardiologist, Catholic Health

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/852479829117

Walk with a Doc: Belmont Lake

Saturday, June 15, 2024 at 10 AM

Belmont Lake State Park

Led by Dr. Keasha S. Guerrier, Family Medicine, Long Island Jewish Valley Stream Hospital

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/852497782817

Walk with a Doc: Sunken Meadow

Saturday, September 21, 2024 at 10 AM

Sunken Meadow State Park, New York State Reference Rte 908K, Kings Park, NY 11754

Led by Dr. Anupama Paranandi, Preventive Medicine Resident, Stony Brook Medicine

Special guest speakers from Suffolk County DOH’s Office of Minority Health and the Long Island Sound Study will discuss increasing equitable access to the Long Island Sound in the region and the Long Island Sound Estuary Program

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/858998687197

 

Walk with a Doc: Hempstead Lake

Saturday, October 19, 2024 at 10 AM

Hempstead Lake State Park

Led by Dr. Gerard A. Baltazar, Critical Care Surgeon, NYU Langone Hospital

Register Here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/858992087457

 

Why take a walk in the (New York State) park?

 According to the New York State Department of Health, chronic diseases such as asthma, cancer, diabetes, health disease, and stroke are the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. These conditions account for seven of every ten deaths and affect 90 million Americans. The good news is that these diseases are preventable with simple lifestyle choices, such as regular physical activity and a balanced diet. Walking is a simple, free way to get in regular physical activity that can help you manage or even prevent chronic conditions.

It’s no secret that Long Island is home to a multitude of scenic locations that lend themselves to safe, beautiful walking opportunities. In 2024,New York State Parks and Historic Sites also celebrates their Centennial, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the founding of our parks and sites system. Three of our four 2024 walks will be held at New York State Parks.

For more information about Walk with a Doc, contact Brooke Oliveri, Manager of the Long Island Health Collaborative at[email protected] or call 631-963-4167.

A previous Board Walk Your Way to Wellness event at Sunken Meadow State Park. Photo from Facebook

Health professionals from St. Catherine of Siena Hospital will be available at Sunken Meadow State Park’s boardwalk in Kings Park on Tuesdays, May 14, 21 and 28 from 5 to 7 p.m. to discuss heart health, healthy eating, weight management, breast health, stroke prevention, skin cancer and Lyme disease prevention tips. Free blood pressure screenings and free giveaways. To learn more, call 631-870-3444.

From left, Thelma and Louise. Photo courtesy of Suffolk D.A.'s office

In response to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office request for the public’s help to identify the owner of two small dogs that had been intentionally abandoned in Sunken Meadow State Park in March, the Suffolk County Police Department received a tip that led to the arrest of Roger Guzman-Gomez, 43, of Selden on April 18. Guzman-Gomez is due to be arraigned in Suffolk County First District Court on May 8. Both Thelma and Louise have since been adopted.

This case is being prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jack Nicholas of the Biological, Environmental and Animal Safety Team (BEAST).

Below is the original press release:

The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office, the Suffolk County Police Department, and Crime Stoppers are seeking the public’s help in identifying and locating the individual(s) wanted in connection to the abandonment of two small dogs in Kings Park.

Abandoned dogs running in the park. Photo courtesy of Suffolk D.A.’s office

On March 5, at approximately 12:10 p.m., an unknown subject driving a tan or gold SUV was seen pushing two small white dogs out of the subject’s car, releasing them into Sunken Meadow State Park, and then fleeing. The two dogs were subsequently located and brought to the Town of Smithtown Animal Shelter covered in ticks. The dogs were not microchipped and had no other identifying information.

The Town of Smithtown renamed the dogs “Thelma” and “Louise.” They are both mixed breed dogs. Thelma, who has since been adopted, is estimated to be four years old. Louise is estimated to be two years old.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-220-8477. Crime Stoppers has pledged a reward of up to $5,000 for any information that results in an arrest. The public can also provide information directly to the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office at: https://suffolkcountyny.gov/da/Contact-Us/Report-Animal-Abuse-Neglect-or-Illegal-Possession- of-an-Exotic-or-Dangerous-Animal

If you are interested in adopting Louise, please submit an online adoption application to the Town of Smithtown Animal Shelter at https://www.townofsmithtownanimalshelter.com/.

By Aidan Johnson

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, with the Department of Environmental Conservation and the Canal Corporation, partnered together to host the 13th annual First Day Hike at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park. The Jan. 1 event was just one of many that were held across the state and nation to help kick off the new year, according to the state Parks website.

Kara Hahn, deputy regional director at New York State Parks, considered the event a “tremendous success.”

“The hike began on the boardwalk overlooking the beautiful white pebble beach on the Long Island Sound. Participants made their way east toward the marsh, crossed over Sunken Meadow Creek on the New Bridge and followed Mousehole Trail back west along the creek,” Hahn said in a statement.

“The group then crossed back over the creek at Old Bridge and returned to the boardwalk, proceeding west to the park office to complete the 1.5-plus mile hike,” she added.

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File photo
Yoneli Abimael Ramos Moreno

UPDATE: Yoneli Abimael Ramos Moreno, 20, of Brentwood, was identified as the man whose remains were found at Sunken Meadow State Park on Monday afternoon, New York State Police said in a press release on Nov. 1.

Ramos-Moreno was found by parkgoers off a trail at the eastern end of Sunken Meadow State Park, police said. His death is being investigated as a homicide, police said. He died recently, officials said.

Below is the original press release:

On October 30 just before 1 p.m.  the New York State Police and New York State Park Police responded to a report of male human remains found at Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park.

The New York State Police Bureau of Criminal Investigation (BCI) and Forensic Identification Unit (FIU) responded to the scene to investigate.

The remains were taken to the Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s Office, where an autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause of death. The person’s identity was not immediately clear, nor was how long the remains were there, who found the remains, or if there was foul play.

This is an active investigation and the State Police is asking for any witnesses or anyone with information to call 631-756-3300.

Student researchers from Brentwood Union Free School District have been working as environmental interns for New York State Parks in a program that was developed by Dr. Rebecca Grella and Regional Parks Environmental Manager Annie McIntyre. Grella is a Brentwood high school teacher and an affiliated Stony Brook University instructor.

Brentwood student researchers have been involved in marsh restoration efforts for the last three years and have collected informative ecological data at Sunken Meadow State Park. The district has partnered with the EarthBus partnership with the BIOBUS education program, which aims at increasing the diversity of student participation in geosciences and developed by SBU’s School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) and the Department of Geosciences in the College of Arts and Sciences

It is one of the Brentwood district’s most recent collaborative grants supported by the National Science Foundation to advance STEM for students and educators.

From left, Brian X. Foley, Leg. Kara Hahn, Adrienne Esposito, Robert DiGiovanni Jr. and artist Jim Swaim
Environmental sculpture to highlight the plastic pollution crisis

By Heidi Sutton

The community came out to Sunken Meadow State Park in Kings Park last Sunday morning to celebrate the unveiling of Shelley the Sea Turtle, a six-foot metal sculpture that was installed at Field 1 to serve as a teaching tool to bring attention to the plastic pollution crisis around the world. It is the first of its kind in New York state.

The installation was made possible by a grant from The Long Island Futures Fund, an organization that supports projects that aim to protect and restore the Long Island Sound and unites federal and state agencies, foundations and corporations to achieve high-priority conservation objectives.

From left, Robert A. DiGiovanni Jr., Leg. Kara Hahn, Adrienne Esposito and Brian X. Foley at the unveiling;

The unique 3-D piece was created by artist Jim Swaim of Environmental Sculptures who attended the June 2 event. Based in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, the company designs and builds large metal renditions of animals with the sole purpose to create art that inspires action. The sculptures are hollow and the community is encouraged to fill them with plastic items that would otherwise litter the landscape or waterways.

Since 2014, the company has installed over 20 environmental sculptures across the country in the shape of pelicans, whales, fish, frogs and a buffalo to, according to its website, “Serve as visual symbol of why we should protect the environment we enjoy.”

The unveiling, which was preceded by a beach cleanup, was hosted by Citizens Campaign for the Environment, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society and the New York State Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

“This outstanding metal sculpture was undertaken for a very, very important reason — to highlight the importance of combating plastic pollution in Long Island Sound and all our waterways throughout the state, throughout the country and indeed throughout the world,” said Brian X. Foley, deputy regional director of the Long Island region for the state’s park system at the unveiling.

Plastic pollution is a global epidemic and considered one of three top concerns for ocean health. According to National Geographic, 73 percent of all beach litter is plastic and includes filters from cigarette butts, bottles, bottle caps, food wrappers, grocery bags and polystyrene containers.

“Today’s event is about combining art with the environment in order to fight plastic pollution.” Adrienne Esposito, executive director of Citizens Campaign for the Environment, concurred. “Seals, turtles, whales, dolphins unfortunately are eating all of the plastic pollution that humans are leaving on the beach that washes out into the sea and when they ingest that plastic pollution it kills them,” she said.

Christina Faber of the Northport High School E Team deposits a plastic bottle into the sculpture.

George “Chip” Gorman, deputy regional director for New York state parks spoke about how the new sculpture complements the recent environmentally sensitive renovations to the park and a new environmental education center. “[Shelley] is going to educate people as they walk by that eliminating plastic will protect the environment but will also protect sea mammals and it’s a great project,” he said.

Chief Scientist Robert A. DiGiovanni Jr. of the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society was hopeful for the future. “We are seeing more sea turtles and humpback whales in the Long Island Sound. We can make a difference about marine debris. There’s no reason why it needs to be there and to pick it up and move it off the beach is pretty easy,” he said.

“Clearly there has been a sea change in public attitude about plastics and it’s because of people like you who are taking a stand,” said Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn (D-Port Jefferson).“We were successful in our plastic straw ban, our polystyrene ban, in reducing water bottle use and the plastic bag ban that now is statewide because people like you have said ‘No more.’ We don’t want to litter our landscape. We want to take care of what we have and we need to continue that fight,” she said.

The event concluded on a symbolic note, with children and students from Northport High School filling Shelley with plastic debris.

“Shelley will be a symbol for how important it is to remove the plastic that you bring onto the beach and maybe never bring any more the next time you come,” said Hahn.

Photos by Heidi Sutton

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Kings park residents and their elected officials stand opposed to any plans to build a bridge or tunnel across Long Island Sound. File photo

Kings Park residents and their elected officials find the idea of building a bridge or tunnel from their backyard to Connecticut illogical and nearly comical.

State Assemblyman Michael Fitzpatrick (R-St. James) has come out as a strong opponent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) statement that it’s time to pursue building a bridge or tunnel to connect Long Island to Connecticut to help reduce traffic — with an eye on Kings Park as a potential site.

“I find it inconceivable that you would destroy Sunken Meadow State Park and put truck traffic on the Sagtikos [State Parkway] to get over to Connecticut,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s one of these things that everybody in theory thinks is a good idea but no one wants the disruption.”

 “I find it inconceivable that you would destroy Sunken Meadow State Park and put truck traffic on the Sagtikos [State Parkway] to get over to Connecticut.”
— Mike Fitzpatrick

Suffolk County Legislator Rob Trotta (R-Fort Salonga) called the governor’s suggestion of building a tunnel “outlandish” given the state is facing a budgetary deficit. He echoed Fitzpatrick in “it’s not going through the center of a state park.”

In his State of the State address Jan. 3, Cuomo revived the decades-old idea of building a bridge or tunnel that would connect Long Island to New England.

“We should continue to pursue a tunnel from Long Island to Westchester or Connecticut,” Cuomo said. “DOT has determined it’s feasible, it would be under water, it would be invisible, it would reduce traffic on the impossibly congested Long Island Expressway and would offer significant potential private investment.”

The concept of a bridge across the Long Island Sound was proposed by Sen. Royal Copeland (D-NY) in the 1930s and has been tossed around for decades. A 1957 Oyster Bay-Rye Bridge study was conducted but never moved to fruition.

In December 2017, New York State Department of Transportation released a final draft of a Long Island Sound Crossing Feasibility Study that examined the potential of building a bridge or bridge-tunnel combination at five different sites. The 87-page study concluded that a bridge or bridge-tunnel combination could be economically feasible at three different locations: Oyster Bay to Port Chester/Rye; Kings Park to Bridgeport, Connecticut; and Kings Park to Devon, Connecticut.

The study concluded that the DOT should move forward with the next step: A five-year environmental evaluation process looking at the impact construction and the bridge would have on the three proposed locations.

Historically, when you see a bridge, tunnel or major interstate built you wind up with blight.”
— Tony Tanzi

“Gov. Cuomo has directed DOT to conduct additional engineering, environmental and financial analysis to determine the best path forward for this transformative project, which could reduce traffic on Long Island,” said DOT spokesman Joseph Morrissey in a statement. “DOT will closely examine any potential impacts as well as benefits to the local communities as part of the process.”

Tony Tanzi, president of the Kings Park Chamber of Commerce, said that he is not in favor of the project. He doesn’t see any benefit for Kings Park.

“I think physically these generally wind up with a blighted area,” Tanzi said. “Historically, when you see a bridge, tunnel or major interstate built you wind up with blight.”

Fitzpatrick agreed, citing that the construction of the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge forever changed the character of Staten Island. The assemblyman said he’d rather see Cuomo focus on the $5.6 billion Long Island Rail Road transformation plan to electrify the Port Jefferson line and build a third rail to improve traffic conditions.

Trotta suggested the state consider road widening to add lanes and reduce congestion, or start by fixing potholes on Route 25A.

If the state moves forward with construction plans for a bridge or tunnel in Kings Park, it is sure to face opposition.

“If the state tries to jam it down our throats, they’re in for one hell of a fight,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s not the right place for it.”

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Handful of cross country runners compete at state meet

Port Jefferson's cross country team finished first in Suffolk County's Class C. Photo by Dick Olson

By Jim Ferchland

Coach Rod Cawley called runner Sam Walker a “take-charge kind of guy,” and at the Suffolk County Class C championship Nov. 3, the senior raced his team to its second straight title.

The Port Jefferson cross-country competitor finished first at the 5,000-meter Sunken Meadow State Park course, crossing the finish line in 17 minutes, 48 seconds.

Sam Walker, who placed first at the Suffolk County meet, rounds a corner before punching his state qualifying ticket. Photo by Dick Olson

Walker has claimed gold his junior and senior season and said placing first two years in a row to cap off his final county cross-country meet was icing on the cake. He also was quick to point toward it being more about the team than himself this time around.

“I’m not going to lie, it felt pretty good,” Walker said. “This year didn’t entirely go as I wanted it to, but I was proud of myself because my main concern was if the team was going to qualify.”

The Royals finished 5-1 in League VIII, winning all but the final meet of the season with a loss to Shelter Island by a single point, 27-28. In all other meets, Port Jefferson dominated its opponents by 30 or more points.

“They worked very hard all season,” Cawley said of his athletes. “They did what they had to do.”

The head coach has led the Royals to 13 county crowns in his 25-year tenure. He said he gives all of the credit to his runners, especially Walker, who he said he’s had the privilege of coaching for four of them.

“He leads by example,” Cawley said. “He works hard and does what he has to do. He continued to improve each year.”

Walker said his focus this time around was on the underclassmen because of the fact the team hasn’t had many state qualifiers over his last four years.

“That whole race was trying to get the younger guys to the state meet and get that experience,” he said. “I know those guys have got a lot of talent and a lot of promise. And I know they’ll do the same for their younger guys.”

Grant Samara finished right behind teammate Sam Walker for second place. Photo by Dick Olson

The Port Jefferson team ran an average of 18:48.21, and had three runners place in the Top 5, with freshman Grant Samara placing second in 18:41 and freshman Cooper Schoch rounding out the fifth spot with a 19:05 finish. Right behind Schoch was Mike Ruggiero with a time of 19:06, and three others placed in the Top 15 — Brian Veit finished in eighth, Alex Rebic placed 11th and Owen Okst finished 15th.

“It’s amazing to see,” Walker said of the talented underclassmen. “I know when I go off to college, I’m going to be coming back to watch these guys. I know they have so much promise in this sport, especially since we are such a small school compared to the bigger Class A schools. We got so lucky with these freshmen that have such a future. I wasn’t even that driven when I first participated in the sport.”

Cawley said he too is liking what he’s seeing from his young guys.

“Samara’s an outstanding freshman,” Cawley said. “He came along quite a bit. He was the fourth guy in the beginning of the season and he ended up being the second. He improved considerably over the course of the season. For Schoch, he’s very talented and right there with Grant. Both of them ran as eighth-graders.”

Cawley said there were some challenges this year, but they were primarily a result of mother nature.

“It was a warm season — it was difficult to train sometimes and difficult to compete,” he said. “One meet got canceled because they ran out of ambulances, so I would say the weather was a difficult challenge for us this year. Cross-country is designed for the 50s and maybe the 60s, not the 70s.”

Cooper Schoch placed fifth at the Suffolk County meet. Photo by Dick Olson

With this, the weather once again became a colossal obstacle for Port Jefferson in the state meet at Wayne Central School District in Ontario Center just east of Rochester. The conditions were in the 20s with snow and wind, according to Cawley, a drastic change from what the Royals were getting used to. Port Jefferson finished the meet in ninth place.

“The ground was frozen,” Cawley said. “It wasn’t pleasant, and everyone had the same conditions, but the upstate schools are a little better handling that than us Long Islanders.”

Walker hit a major setback in the state meet as he suffered an injury in the tough conditions, costing him a Top 20 finish.

“I was feeling good,” Walker said of his confidence before his injury. “I tried catching up with the lead pack, but it was so muddy and there were foot tracks from the previous day that had frozen over. There were a bunch of holes and I rolled my ankle, fell, and it took a while to get back up. I knew that race was over. I couldn’t run as well as I wanted to, but it’s something to learn from.”

Despite the rough upstate experience, Cawley continues to remain optimistic about the future with his young, talented team.

“I’m very excited,” Cawley said. “I have very high expectations for the next few years.”

Men on the boat stranded in the Long Island Sound wave to officers. Photo from SCPD.

Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers rescued four men who became stranded in a 10-foot inflatable raft in the Long Island Sound Thursday night, June 29 while a small craft advisory was in place.

Suffolk Police said they received a 911 call at approximately 9:15 p.m. from a man who was stranded in a 10-foot inflatable raft, along with three other male occupants. The men, who launched from Sunken Meadow State Park to go fishing, were pulled out to the Long Island Sound approximately one mile and a half north of the Nissequogue River. Their boat did not have a motor, and they were unable to paddle back due to winds blowing between 20 to 25 miles per hour.

Marine Bureau Officers Charles Marchiselli, Edmund McDowell and Erik Johnson, responded in Marine Bravo and located the men within 15 minutes of the 911 call. The boat’s owner, Marco Murillo, 36, of Massapequa, and three additional men, were taken aboard Marine Bravo and transported along with their raft to Sunken Meadow State Park.

All of the men were wearing life vests and there were no injuries.