_________________ WANTAGH ________________
your HEALTH body / mind / fitness
and April 25, 2024
HERALD
with a focus on:
Senior Healthy Living
VoL. 72 No. 18
Blanket drive for those in need
Lacrosse team holds its own
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APRIL 25 - MAY 1, 2024
$1.00
Led by Lions, fourth-graders plant 200 trees ing trees in neighborhoods, cities and forests around the world. The Lions handed out ColoIn observance of Arbor Day, which encourages Americans rado blue spruce and eastern to plant a tree on April 26, the white pine saplings to students Wantagh Lions Club led the in Mandalay, Forest Lake and way with some fourth-graders Wantagh elementary schools. Each student received one saplast week. To encourage young genera- ling, and instructions on how to tions to participate in the plant it. According to Lions national celebration, the Lions Club member Karen Quinn, the Club delivered kids get excited to more than 200 sapplant their first lings to fourth gradtrees. ers in the Wantagh “They get a kick School District on out of it,” Quinn April 16. For Larry said. “My kids take Lamendola, Lions t h e m h o m e, a n d Club first vice presthey love this.” ident, the occasion LARRY Lamendola said represents a great LAMENdoLA the event has been a w ay t o g e t k i d s good way for the Wantagh Lions Club involved with the club to connect with first vice president environment. schools in the com“It’s a great sermunity, which also vice to the community,” Lamen- creates a bonding experience dola said. with students and their famiThe Wantagh Lions have lies. embarked on this Arbor Day “They get excited about gettradition for the past six years, ting the tree and going home after member Ben DiMarco with mom and dad,” Lamendola came up with the idea to deliver said. “It’s a family thing.” saplings to kids and teach them Students are given step-byhow to plant trees. DiMarco is step instructions from a pamno stranger to the environment phlet, guiding them on how to — he’s a member of the Arbor properly care for the plant. Day Foundation, a nonprofit These steps include soaking the organization dedicated to plantContinued on page 4
By CHARLES SHAW
cshaw@liherald.com
I
Tim Baker/Herald
A London fog rolls through Wantagh Wantagh High School Senior Anthony Lerro giving a captivating performance as the titular character in the school’s drama club performance of ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ on April 13.
Addressing concerns about drinking water Expert says quality and quantity need to be prioritized By RACHEL BAMGBoSE Herald intern
A packed house attended a meeting at the Levittown Public Library on April 17 to learn about the pressing issues of water quality and consumption on Long Island, igniting a call to action among concerned community members. The League of Women Voters of East Nassau, which hosted the meeting, invited Sarah Meyland to make a presentation on the topic of water contamination and conservation. For more than 20 years, Meyland was a professor of sustainability at New York University, with a background in water quality. She also holds a
degree in environmental law from St. John’s University and a master’s in water resource management from Texas A&M. According to Meyland, toxic chemicals in drinking water are the key issue regarding water quality in Nassau County. She explained that chemicals, such as nitrates, herbicides, pesticides and pathogens, are frequently found in the water supply. On Long Island, groundwater is the sole source of drinking water. Separated by sand and dirt, groundwater is stored in geological formations called aquifers, which could store, transmit and yield usable quantities of water. As a Continued on page 9
t’s a great service to the community.