DAN'S PAPERS, October 10, 2008 Page 34 www.danshamptons.com
Ocean
(continued from page 21)
TIffany Razzano
Pond
basins’ ability to take up all the flow from upstream, so to speak, as the water level of run-off typically rose very quickly and ran so rapidly down the road that only the first 1/4” of rain actually went into the storm drainage system. The rest ran out into the pond. According to Freddie Havermeyer, a Southampton Town Trustee whose beat includes both Lake Agawam and Mill Pond, the first 1/4-1/2” of rainfall contains the most contaminants that could pollute the pond, and catch basins do siphon this first flush off successfully. But this is not the entire source of the problem with algae and fish kills. According to Havemeyer, Mill Pond and Agawam have similar issues: extensive upland drain fields that allow road run-off to go directly into the lakes. In the last 30 years, many houses have been built along Mill Pond’s waterfront with lawns that slope down to the water, like the situation at Lake Agawam. Steve Storch, who uses sophisticated com-
post teas to fertilize his customers’ lawns and gardens, works at a few places around Mill Pond. He feels that the problem is “stress from the surrounding environment … not any one thing.” Like others, Storch wonders if toxins from old agricultural run-off are still in the lake sediments, which can get stirred up. So by many accounts, the major culprit in Mill Pond’s recent fish kill seems to be run-off from surrounding houses’ gardens and lawns, as well as septic leaching, and lake and pondside homeowners need to shoulder much of the responsibility. The nutrients in fertilizers run into the lake and create ripe conditions for massive algae blooms that cloud the water. When there is a cold snap — like the one that preceded the fish kill in Mill Pond — the algae die and decompose, cutting off the supply of oxygen for fish. After the wind stirs up the lake water, the oxygen is replenished and the water clears up — which solves the mystery of the big swings in water clarity that Muller has been noticing in recent times. Having pinpointed the problem, the trustees and everyone else are ready to move toward a solution. Creating attractive landscape buffers that keep irrigation and rain from flushing run-off from lawns and gardens into the lake is one of the simplest solutions, along with the reduction of fertilizers and pesticides. Recently, a pamphlet was created and mailed it to all who live around Lake Agawam, but now the issue is one of compliance. How can the towns enforce a greater concern for the health of a lake than the look of a lawn?
(continued from page 21)
Pikitch said the collapse of the marine species around the world started around 2006. “In 2003, we saw 113 more marine extinctions, of which overfishing caused 55% and the rest was caused by habitat destruction,” she said. “At this rate, everything will be gone by 2048.” She then took a look at how the rate of fish extinctions is accelerating, showing photos of the deep coral forests in the Aleutian Islands, and the difference between the trawled and untrawled areas. The trawled areas were wiped clean of this important coral.She showed how the Collateral Impacts of Fishing affects the habitats, mortality, and the bi-catch (other fish which get caught in the nets and die). “There is a growing consensus today that we need a new fishing paradigm, where the goal is to maintain the fisheries,” she said. “But we need a functioning ecosystem in order to do it.” One of Pikitch’s goals is to save the sturgeon species — especially the Beluga. These “fossil fish,” as she calls them, have been around for many years and are among the largest fish in the sea. “They can weigh up to a ton and live to be 100 years old,” said Pikitch. “There were 27 species in the Western Hemisphere, and all but one species is considered extinct. They are one of the most endangered group of fish, and they are slow to recover once they are overfished.” Pikitch said the main threats to sturgeon are the value of and desire for Beluga caviar, which can cost up to $100 an ounce. “The U.S. was 80% of the global Beluga caviar (continued on page 36)
Southampton Synagogue Where you’re already a member (no membership required) Please join us for
Shabbat Services 7 Friday Evening - 8:30 pm Saturday Morning - 9:00 am “The Best Kiddush in Southampton” “The Only Kiddush...” Weekly Shabbat Children’s Hour - 10:30am Songs, Story Time & Fun Activities
All are Welcome! For more information about our year round community programs and services please call : 631-287-2249
Camp Gan Israel Southampton 2008 Ages 2.5 thru 12 years of age At the Southampton Montessori School Now open for registration For more information and a color brochure please call Chani Konikov 631-680-6140 email: ckonikov@yahoo.com web: http: //www.CampGanIsraelSouthampton.com 1141952
1146508