Page 28 March 14, 2014
DAN’S PAPERS
danspapers.com
NEWS BRIEFS Compiled by kelly laffey
New Website Helps Build Community Garden on Long Island THE INTERWEBS: The Suffolk County Food Policy Council, Sustainable Long Island and Stony Brook University Family Medicine have put together a new website for establishing and sustaining community gardens as an educational tool and a way to help Long Islanders eat healthy. The Long Island Community Gardens website, at longislandcommunitygardens. org, provides a locator for existing community gardens plus resources on starting a garden from scratch. On the East End, there are community gardens at the Shinnecock Indian Reservation, at Hampton Bays Middle School, in Montauk, Riverhead, Southold and New Suffolk. The website can help pick a proper location and give info on readying the soil for a successful garden, and a calendar lists ideal planting times plus gardening events and lectures. “Not only will [the website] provide information on how to create and maintain your own garden, but it will offer ideas on expanding access to healthy, affordable food options. In creating this resource, our hope is that it will inspire the public to get outdoors more,” Erin Thoresen, the senior program coordinator at Sustainable Long Island and chair of the Suffolk County Food Policy Council’s Food Equity Subcommittee, said in a statement.
Pi Day Friday EAST END: Pi Day is on Friday, March 14. The date celebrates the mathematical constant of pi, which, in shortened form, is 3.14. Expanded out, pi equates to 3.141 59265358979323846264338327950 288419… Or, more appropriately, to a delicious, circular sweet. Plan to celebrate Pi Day with a pie. Incidentally, Albert Einstein was born on March 14. See Dan’s story on Einstein’s time in Southold on page 19.
Deer Advocates Block DEC from Issuing New Permits for Cull EAST END: A coalition of groups opposed to the ongoing deer cull on the East End obtained an injunction from a New York State Supreme Court judge in Albany on March 6, temporarily barring the state Department of Environmental Conservation from issuing any more deer damage permits in Suffolk County. The DEC has issued 12 deer damage permits—also called nuisance permits—in the towns of Southampton, Southold and East Hampton, and at least six more permits for the cull were pending, according to a DEC spokeswoman last Friday. Also, the DEC issued 500 deer tags, which are required for each deer “taken,” i.e. killed. At least until both sides meet at the next court date March 28, the DEC is prohibited from granting any more deer damage permits for the Long Island Farm Bureau–sponsored cull, which is being carried out by U.S. Department of Agriculture sharpshooters. The agency also may not issue permits on North Haven, where the village has its own cull planned using the wildlife management firm White Buffalo. Deer damage permits are available to landowners whose property and vegetation are being destroyed by deer. The permits allow for shooting of deer outside of hunting season, and the permits are typically restricted to antlerless deer only. With the USDA’s involvement, the hired shooters are allowed to use a number of techniques not available to average hunters on Long Island, such as baiting, shooting at night and use of rifles. The groups that successfully sought the injunction are the Wildlife Preservation Coalition of Eastern Long Island, the Animal Welfare Institute, Long Island Orchestrating for Nature, the Evelyn Alexander Wildlife Rescue Center and Hunters for Deer. In his decision, Judge Joseph C. Teresi wrote that it appears the petitioners are likely to succeed on the merits of their claims and that the DEC’s actions will cause them “immediate and irreparable injury” if the DEC is not “immediately restrained.” The petitioners claim the DEC failed to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act and that the agency must conduct an environmental assessment and an environmental impact statement on the effects of the “large-scale cull.” “It’s good to see that Judge Teresi is able to see through the wall of secrecy that runs rampant through the DEC,” said Hunters for Deer founder Michael Tessitore, who was also individually named among the petitioners. He said the DEC needs to be held accountable, and he also questioned why the Long Island Farm Bureau has a hand in deer management policies. Among the reasons given for the cull are deer’s carrying of ticks that spread Lyme disease, deer-versus-vehicle accidents and—the reason closest to the Long Island Farm Bureau—damage to crops. Tessitore said he has many questions regarding the cull and he has been unable to get any answers from the DEC, the USDA and the farm bureau. One thing he has been trying to find out is what’s happening to all of the deer that have been taken by the sharpshooters. While it has been said that the deer are being donated to food pantries, Tessitore said, no one has been able to verify where the deer are going. Hunters for Deer became involved in opposing the cull because it favors loosening hunting restrictions in order to allow hunters to take more deer. The group also does not believe taxpayer dollars should be used to take deer that belong to the people of Long Island. In a case of strange bedfellows, Hunters for Deer is working hand-inhand with animal advocates, many of whom are opposed to any hunting whatsoever. “All of my guys have evolved from this process, realizing the importance of being conservationists,” Tessitore said of his group. Plus, he said animal rights advocates have evolved, realizing that hunting is here to stay and that it is needed to manage a deer herd. Now, his group is working on a venison distribution plan and a program to match landowners with ethical hunters. “We believe in management, not a massacre,” he said.
Suffolk County Golf Fee Reductions Made Permanent for Veterans SUFFOLK COUNTY: The Suffolk County Legislature has unanimously approved legislation to make discounted golf fees for veterans and active military personnel permanent. This resolution, sponsored by Deputy Presiding Officer Jay Schneiderman, expands the pilot program, set to expire March 11. Schneiderman introduced legislation that established the pilot program, which charged military veterans golfing fees at Suffolk County courses equivalent to those paid by senior citizens, in 2012. “This is one small way we can show our appreciation to the men and women of the armed forces,” Schneiderman says. Suffolk County Parks has four golf courses, including Indian Island Golf Course in Riverhead, as well as Bergen Point Golf Course in Babylon, Timber Point Golf Course in Great River and the West Sayville Golf Course. The legislation now moves to Steve Bellone for his signature. Suffolk veterans can contact the Parks Department at 631-854-4949 or go to county park locations where green keys are sold with proper proof of residency.
Suffolk County to Create Tick Control Advisory Committee SUFFOLK COUNTY: During its March 4 meeting, the Suffolk County Legislature unanimously passed a resolution creating a tick control advisory committee. Sponsored by Suffolk County Deputy Presiding Officer Jay Schneiderman, the resolution creates a 12-member committee to advise the county’s division of vector control on developing a plan to reduce tick-borne illnesses in Suffolk County. “This committee will help Vector Control develop a plan to reduce the incidence of tick borne illnesses,” said Schneiderman, who has historically been an advocate for tick awareness.