November 11, 1982 - Lost in the Pine BarrensNovember 11, 1982 Page 9A
Mbe Miuffolh Timeo
Lost in the Pine Barrens
This past week was unusual in that it
seemed that all our fall leaves came down
at once. All night long they drifted down,
never stopping until late the next day. How
bare the trees looked. By substituting snow
for the leaves we could be describing a
beautiful snowfall: "It was quiet prior to
the days before the snow -- then gradually
ever so gradually the flakes started to fall
so that by morning everything was
covered with a blanket of snow — the lawn,
the woods, the car top, the patio — all were
covered. All day the snow came down ever
so gently." And on and on we could go.
Even now, days after they fell, our lawn is
still brown with the fallen leaves.
Some will rake them and take them to
the dump where they will be lost amongst
the garbage of our world. Others will use
their goodness for mulch or compost to
revitalize the life- giving soil. Ours will be
used in the garden in one way or another
with the overflow going into the woods to
decay, thereby creating the richness that's
needed to replenish what the trees and
shrubs have taken away. This is part of the
balance of nature that continues day after
day, year after year, century after
century.
In contrast to the rich oak woods here on
the north shore are the pine barrens that
run generally through the center of our
island. This is the area we hear so much
about today because of the vast reservoir
of unpolluted fresh water below them. It is
this water that Suffolk County should be
counting on to replenish the depleted and
polluted waters that lie under most of
Suffolk County's communities.
Varied Plant and Animal Life
Besides this vast resource of fresh
water, the area itself is most interesting. It
has a wide variety of plant and animal life
that is unique only to this harsh land. Like
so many aspects of life, we pay little
attention to them until we become
involved. I became involved years ago
when photographing this flat hot and
stunted wilderness. To some the pine
barrens are far from a wilderness,
because mostly what they've seen is
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merely the view from their car as it speeds
along the Long Island Expressway. But to
be in the middle of this vastness, where
everything soon blends into endless scrub
pines and oaks, can soon bring anxiety and
sweat.
We had been working late photographing
in the pine barrens. The last job we were
going to do was to band an osprey in one of
the more desolate areas. Night was
approaching, but we thought little of it as
we were involved in an exciting task.
When our banding was done and we had
picked up our gear, we were amazed to
find ourselves in a twilight zone of look -
alike trees and shrubs. We had not come in
by road, but had plowed through the scrub.
There were no stars out and silence was
everywhere.
We almost became separated on our way
back as we pushed through the thickets in
what we thought was the right direction.
Only by shouting did we stay in touch.
Knowing it would be almost impossible
to get lost here on Long Island, we
reassured ourselves that the road must be
just up ahead and soon we'd be back in our
car.
What really threw us off was the intense
thicket that the pine barrens grow. None of
the trees were particularly tall and the
understory of scrub kept ripping at us. We
started to hear cloth being torn as it hung
up on a sharp branch and branches were
continually scratching at our faces. We
had to do something better than just mill
about. We'd never imagined getting lost
and therefore had not even thought of
taking a compass along. Lost on Long
Island? Impossible -- but it was happening.
PINE BARRENS- -These vast stretches of pine and oak scrub make up a
unique plant and animal community. Underneath this lies Suffolk
County's largest and purest freshwater aquifer.
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
Laughing Soothes the Soul
I think we laughed at each other as we
sat down to contemplate our next move.
The laughter being sort of a tranquilizer.
As we sat a whip -poor -will called far off in
the distance. We bet he wasn't lost. Then it
came -- ever so far away -- the low drone of
a truck. That's our direction.
Soon we were up and joking and kidding
about our ridiculous situation. We walked
for probably 20 minutes or so but really it
was more likely only five minutes and then
we stopped. We'd lost our sound and our
bearings again. The truck had gone. We
decided to stay still until we heard
something more. Surely another car would
be around but then the cars were too
muffled for us to hear. We'd have to wait
for another truck. By now it was pitch
black and the problem of branches tearing
at us would become even more of a danger.
There it was again, the drone of another
truck. Up and off we were heading for the
highway.
Of course we made it a wee bit
bedraggled and quite a distance- from
where we started. We'd gotten to know the
pine barrens as few people ever would.
Those dark hours milling about left us both
.with a deep impression of how one feels
when one truly is lost in the woods. You
walk on the edge of hysteria.
From that day on I had a greater respect
for those vast scrubby areas. I got to know
them a lot better in years to follow. I got to
know how the pine cone resisted the fires
which often swept through the area by
keeping closed tightly until after the fire
passed, then to open and reseed and start
again.
I found a system that was uniquely
different than any other area on Long
Island, and because of the vast untouched
waters beneath them there just might be a
chance of saving this area for all to enjoy
in the future.
PAULSTOUTENBURGH