________________ OYSTER BAY _______________
HERALD Jeff Shaara’s new book
New president of village group
Fun for all ages at the feast
Page 3
Page 5
Page 10
VOL. 125 NO. 29
JULY 14 - 20, 2023
$1.00
Raynham showcases history on a small scale By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com
Elisa Dragotto/Herald
The miniatures all come from Richard Schuster’s private collection, and, like the dioramas in the Raynham Hall Museum Education Center, were donated to the museum for the exhibition.
A new exhibition has opened at Raynham Hall Museum, featuring miniatures from a number of historical epochs and continents. Entitled “History in Miniature,” the exhibit offers visitors a different way to view history, capturing moments and ways of life from across the expanse of human history. The presentation was organized by Richard Schuster, treasurer of the nonprofit Friends of Raynham Hall. Schuster, an avid miniature collector since he was a child in CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
North Shore Land Alliance celebrates 20 years By WILL SHEELINE wsheeline@liherald.com
The North Shore Land Alliance has been celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, as well as the completion of its new headquarters at the Taver n House and Cook’s Cottage in the Humes Preserve in Mill Neck. After two decades of work, the future of land preservation on the North Shore is looking a little brighter. Founded in 2003, the nonprofit Land Alliance was originally several distinct organizations, including the Centre Island Land Trust and the Oyster Bay Cove Land Trust, which were both
created in the late 1990s. Working in conjunction with the Nature Conservancy, which was seeking to adopt a more global outlook, the land trusts came together to take over the conservancy’s local land-preservation efforts. Lisa Ott, the president and CEO of the Land Alliance, has been with the organization since the beginning, having been one of the founders and served as secretary of the Oyster Bay Cove Land Trust. It seems like just the blink of an eye, Ott said, since the Land Alliance was formed, and she added that she was amazed by how much it has accomplished over the years.
“It’s a very good feeling to have grown and matured as an organization and to be in this place right now,” Ott said. “You know, it’s clear there’s a lot more work to be done, but it’s nice to take a minute and look back at what’s been accomplished.” The mission of the Land Alliance is to “conserve and steward Long Island’s natural and historic lands, waters and environmental resources.” Using a mixture of outreach, volunteerism and education, it promotes awareness and protection of the North Shore’s natural beauty, covering an area that stretches from the western boundary of Nassau County to the western
boundary of Brookhaven Township, and from the Long Island Sound to the north to the Northern State Parkway in the south — roughly 1,300 acres of land. The celebration this year has included the official opening of the alliance’s new headquarters on the historic Humes property, which it has been renovating for the past eight years. In the past, the organization had rented
office space, most recently from the Planting Fields Arboretum. Before the alliance purchased the Humes estate, which also includes 42 acres of nature preserve, the property, including the historic Taver n House and Cook’s Cottage, was in a state of disrepair. The two buildings date back to the late 1700s, and over the decades the land has served CONTINUED ON PAGE 2