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May 31, 1984 - The Annual LaunchingPage 20 The Suffolk Times May 31;1984 The Annual Launching By PAULSTOUTENBURGH One of the projects that has to be done this week is getting the boat in. I've done all the hard work like scraping and polishing; the motor was started up and it seemed to be functioning okay and, of course, the bottom has its new anti- fouling paint on. Barbara's cleaned and washed the inside of the boat, put in the miscellaneous gear that was stored in the cellar, and stocked the galley with provisions for overnight trips. She works below deck while I work above. The boat sits high in her cradle waiting to be hauled to the yard where she'll be launched. Last fall we stored her in the back pasture under the trees where she wouldn't stand out but found that choice of location wasn't the best. I never realized how much debris falls from the trees before the final leafing out takes place. No wonder it is said that plants and trees have made the earth what it is. First the casing over the leaves fell, then the petals from the big cherry fell, and finally the discarded flowers of both the cherry and hickory that were above found their way to the deck. We literally had to sweep them off. All this debris adds to the mulch that will eventually decay along with the leaves in the fall to enrich our world. The final act, if left alone, would be the decay of the fallen tree when it dies. But then the cycle would start again, for new trees and plants are eager to take the place of the old. Everything works in cycles. A reminder of this was the meeting of an old friend of ours who was on her way to see the horseshoe crabs coming in to lay their eggs on the high beach. Now there's qaj,n� mo nr-pq a cycle that's over 200 million years old. It's really quite a wonderful thing when you think about it. Kings and queens have come and gone, empires have risen and fallen, wars have been fought, boys and girls have fallen in love while generation after generation have witnessed this annual event. Struggle for Survival Once the eggs are laid by the large female and fertilized by the usually smaller male that travels piggyback on the female, the eggs are left to the warmth of the sun to incubate. Once free of the egg these tiny horseshoe crabs, about the size of BBs, start their endless struggle for survival. Only a few of the hundreds and sometimes thousands of eggs will survive to become the mature crabs we see along our beaches on these special spring nights. As a tiny horseshoe crab grows, it sheds its shell and then for a brief period is soft. Then the shell hardens, the crab grows within until it no longer can stand the confines of the shell and then once more opens the front and comes out soft, each time a little larger. The shedding takes place much more often when they are young and growing, but once they achieve adult size, shedding sometimes takes a year or more. Evidence of this is that old horseshoe crabs carry with them barnacles, slipper shells and seaweed that have sometimes been on them for years. The next time you see a discarded shell along the beach, look and see if there is an opening along the front edge of the shell. If so, you have found the discarded skeleton of this most interesting creature. These shells can be taken along and left to dry for they are perfectly clean and empty. What brought the horseshoe crab to my Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh LEAST TERN- -This smallest of all our terns is on the "endangered species" list of New York State because of its loss of beach nesting areas. The pressure of man and his activities have cut deeply into their numbers and unless better protected we will lose this dainty white flier that fishes in our creeks and bays. mind was that Barbara and I came across their tracks on a sandy point when we were checking on some tern colonies over the weekend. In this particular place there were ruts and trails where the crabs had pushed their way in the sand. We even found one piggy- backed pair that were buried deep in the sand and left high and dry when the tide went out. The pair had buried itself and was awaiting the return of the tide. All the others had disappeared into the deep. Survey Under Way The survey we were doing was part of an island -wide check on all tern, black skimmer and piping plover nesting areas. It's being done with the Joseph L. Townsend INSURANCE HOMEOWNERS AND MARINE INSURANCE Main Street, Greenport 477 -0153 Folded Star Lessons - Starting 6/4 and 6/11 AUnique Country Gift Shop Heirloom Country Collectibles 31 McDermott Ave. (Behind McCabes) Riverhead • 727 -5909 'eat Country Gifts for all occasions handcrafted with care and pride OPEN: TUESDAY - SATURDAY 10 - 5 Visit our Calico Room -a lovely selection of stenciling, quilting and so much more cooperation of Seatuck Research Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation. The aim is to try to protect these "endangered and threatened" birds that nest on sandy beaches from predators and other disturbances. Endangered means only one thing, a species is on the threshold of extinction and sorry to say it is usually man causing the problem. Yet many times, if detected soon enough and if man changes his ways, the species can be saved. The typical example is the mighty fish hawk or osprey that hit a low about five years ago and is now on its way back thanks to results of many studies, elimination of certain pesticides in the food chain and an educated public. It would be a pity to lose these once - common birds that we all take for granted around our area. Let's hope with a little effort and understanding on our part they, too, will be able to keep their particular cycle going and that each year we can look forward to their return. KATHERINE H. HUGHES, M.A. Educational Therapist Reading Specialist ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF AN OFFICE IN NEW SUFFOLK Help is available for children and adults who want to: • Overcome Reading Problems • Improve School Performance • Understand the Nature of their Learning Problem • Prepare for SSAT's, PSAT's and SAT's Appropriate Medical & Psychological Referrals Consultation by Appointment (516) 734 -7656 i Culligan reverse osmosis drinking water system controls contaminants! 's • • • NOT LIKE SOFTENING OR SIMPLE • • ' FILTRATION — Aqua -CI a give. you • • 3.wo, ,y,, , in I.ding . ,. • hot .uboonfialloy r< • • mo...'.hlorina .fe, ndfe � odor. —plu. many unde.ir • � able impurifie.. � • NO ROTTLESI Costs J LESS PER GALLON! • • You grt vP I. ISO • • gallon. of fresh, deli. ! • ciao. Aq_CI_ wo. • f,r. on .eP —fc. dint. • • • • ;ng, cooling, all uu.. i Nona Ia f,ic conn�c • • fion: oP..of., from � • � ho u.�hold wafer d • • Pra.wr�. �` • "KEYCOUIGAN MAN!® 785 Raynor Avenue Riverhead, N.Y. 727 -6600 qaj,n� mo nr-pq a cycle that's over 200 million years old. It's really quite a wonderful thing when you think about it. Kings and queens have come and gone, empires have risen and fallen, wars have been fought, boys and girls have fallen in love while generation after generation have witnessed this annual event. Struggle for Survival Once the eggs are laid by the large female and fertilized by the usually smaller male that travels piggyback on the female, the eggs are left to the warmth of the sun to incubate. Once free of the egg these tiny horseshoe crabs, about the size of BBs, start their endless struggle for survival. Only a few of the hundreds and sometimes thousands of eggs will survive to become the mature crabs we see along our beaches on these special spring nights. As a tiny horseshoe crab grows, it sheds its shell and then for a brief period is soft. Then the shell hardens, the crab grows within until it no longer can stand the confines of the shell and then once more opens the front and comes out soft, each time a little larger. The shedding takes place much more often when they are young and growing, but once they achieve adult size, shedding sometimes takes a year or more. Evidence of this is that old horseshoe crabs carry with them barnacles, slipper shells and seaweed that have sometimes been on them for years. The next time you see a discarded shell along the beach, look and see if there is an opening along the front edge of the shell. If so, you have found the discarded skeleton of this most interesting creature. These shells can be taken along and left to dry for they are perfectly clean and empty. What brought the horseshoe crab to my Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh LEAST TERN- -This smallest of all our terns is on the "endangered species" list of New York State because of its loss of beach nesting areas. The pressure of man and his activities have cut deeply into their numbers and unless better protected we will lose this dainty white flier that fishes in our creeks and bays. mind was that Barbara and I came across their tracks on a sandy point when we were checking on some tern colonies over the weekend. In this particular place there were ruts and trails where the crabs had pushed their way in the sand. We even found one piggy- backed pair that were buried deep in the sand and left high and dry when the tide went out. The pair had buried itself and was awaiting the return of the tide. All the others had disappeared into the deep. Survey Under Way The survey we were doing was part of an island -wide check on all tern, black skimmer and piping plover nesting areas. It's being done with the Joseph L. Townsend INSURANCE HOMEOWNERS AND MARINE INSURANCE Main Street, Greenport 477 -0153 Folded Star Lessons - Starting 6/4 and 6/11 AUnique Country Gift Shop Heirloom Country Collectibles 31 McDermott Ave. (Behind McCabes) Riverhead • 727 -5909 'eat Country Gifts for all occasions handcrafted with care and pride OPEN: TUESDAY - SATURDAY 10 - 5 Visit our Calico Room -a lovely selection of stenciling, quilting and so much more cooperation of Seatuck Research Program, Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology and N.Y.S. Department of Environmental Conservation. The aim is to try to protect these "endangered and threatened" birds that nest on sandy beaches from predators and other disturbances. Endangered means only one thing, a species is on the threshold of extinction and sorry to say it is usually man causing the problem. Yet many times, if detected soon enough and if man changes his ways, the species can be saved. The typical example is the mighty fish hawk or osprey that hit a low about five years ago and is now on its way back thanks to results of many studies, elimination of certain pesticides in the food chain and an educated public. It would be a pity to lose these once - common birds that we all take for granted around our area. Let's hope with a little effort and understanding on our part they, too, will be able to keep their particular cycle going and that each year we can look forward to their return. KATHERINE H. HUGHES, M.A. Educational Therapist Reading Specialist ANNOUNCES THE OPENING OF AN OFFICE IN NEW SUFFOLK Help is available for children and adults who want to: • Overcome Reading Problems • Improve School Performance • Understand the Nature of their Learning Problem • Prepare for SSAT's, PSAT's and SAT's Appropriate Medical & Psychological Referrals Consultation by Appointment (516) 734 -7656