__________________ Merrick _________________
HERALD Music outdoors at the library
Young students move up a grade
Hebrew school graduates
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Vol. 26 No. 29
$1.00 $1.00
JUlY 13 - 19, 2023
LIIFE returns to the big screen By JoRDAN VAlloNE jvallone@liherald.com
Tim Baker/Herald file
Debra Markowitz, president of the Long Island Film & TV Foundation — and co-director of the Long Island International Film Expo — announces the return of the LIIFE to the Bellmore Movies and Showplace, 222 Pettit Ave., on July 19.
For 26 years, the Long Island International Film Expo has united filmmakers, producers, actors and actresses — and of course, moviegoers — right in the heart of Nassau County. A great opportunity for people to network with professionals, learn about filmmaking, and watch some of this year’s best independent films, the expo — better known as LIIFE — returns to the Bellmore Movies and Showplace at 222 Pettit Ave., on July 19. The expo has a lot in ConTInuED on PAgE 2
Cleaning up Mill Pond, one invasive species at a time Volunteers pull water chestnut, a hazard to wildlife habitat, from lake’s surface By MICHAEl MAlASZCZYK mmalaszczyk@liherald.com
Mill Pond, in south Wantagh, is now a little cleaner thanks to the efforts of state officials and volunteers to rid the small lake of water chestnuts — an invasive species that can be harmful to hikers and water birds. The state’s Department of Environmental Conservation hosted its annual water chestnut pull on July 5, putting volunteers to work in either waders or kayaks — which are not typically allowed in Nassau County’s freshwater bodies, but an exception was made for this event.
State Sen. Steve Rhoads and his staff also took part in the cleanup. Water chestnuts have taken over Mill Pond, which is just off of Merrick Road, and appear to be out-competing the native vegetation. While the plant does create some habitat for the fish in the pond, it’s not ideal habitat, because it reduces oxygen levels in the water, according to DEC officials. The water chestnut also makes it more difficult for recreational anglers to catch anything, because it often tangles their lines — and Mill Pond has no shortage of fish to catch, with
T
he real solution is a harvester.
HEIDI o’RIoRDAN DEC biologist species including bluegill, largemouth bass, pickerel, catfish, carp, yellow perch, American eel and, unlike many other lakes in the area, white perch. Heidi O’Riordan, a DEC freshwater fisheries manager and biologist, said the problem first arose just to the east, at Massapequa Reservoir, and she specu-
lated that water chestnuts might have been introduced as a household plant that someone tossed in the water. “It’s an attractive-looking plant,” O’Riordan said. “It probably came as an ornamental from someone’s aquarium. It doesn’t take much, because the seed pods can survive 10 to 12 years.” The chestnuts contain sharp
spikes, which can stick to water birds, contributing to the plant’s spread to other ponds — which, most likely, is how they were transplanted from Massapequa Reservoir to Mill Pond. “When you look out on the water body here, you really only see a few types of plants,” O’Riordan said of Mill Pond’s ConTInuED on PAgE 4