Loading...
November 04, 1982 - An Unusual Canoe TripPage 10A imbe cuff olh Timeg An Unusual Canoe 0 T rp We're never too old to learn. So it was when a canoe trip with a young biologist was suggested and Barbara and I were invited to tag along. Many years ago when we were going on student field trips with Art Cooley from the south side a young boy named Joe Beitel was always along. His eyes seemed never to leave the ground for he was a collector of plants. It was from these field trips that his interest led him to the University of Michigan. Today he is an instructor at a very prestigious college and on the brink of his doctorate in biology. We were to accompany him and his class along with his high school teacher, Art Cooley, and some of his students into the world of freshwater habitats. Other trips had already been taken to the pine barrens, salt marshes, ocean beaches, etc. Where else could we get better first hand information than from this budding bio- logist? This was not the usual Peconic River canoe trip. This one would start at Wildwood Lake, south of Riverhead, and meander from where the lake empties into a narrow stream to the old cranberry bog and then to the County Center. Eventually the stream would enter the Peconic River near its mouth. I knew this area well for over 20 years ago I helped the Riverhead Garden Club show the river's beauty through slides to other groups in hopes of getting support to preserve the area. Our efforts, along with the efforts of others like Dr. Robert Cushman Murphy and Orin Ryker of Riverhead, paid off for Suffolk County in better times did preserve this most important area. We rendezvoused at the County Center on Saturday morning. How barren and deserted those parking lots looked. A few empty cans and lunch papers were the only signs of what had been a busy week. Soon the others arrived. Three canoes stacked on top of a compact car and a college van loaded with students. After some friendly greetings and introductions, we were off to the lake where we promptly unloaded the canoes at the edge of the road near the sluiceway where the lake empties into the woods. In the Beginning... First Joe took his group over to the lake and explained how it was formed -- a huge chunk of ice buried itself deep in the ground as the glacier moved out of the north, thousands of years ago. Then as the glacier retreated and the great chunk of ice melted, a depression created what we now call Wildwood Lake. The present water level of the lake is approximately the water level of ground water in the area. Throughout Long Island there are these glacial potholes; Lake Success to the west, Lake Ronkonkoma in the middle of the island and the smaller lakes of Laurel and Marratooka in Southold Town. All were formed the same way. We were then introduced to the wet areas that made up the terrain from the lake to the bog. Once the canoes were down in the water we found it too shallow and so had to walk them three or four hundred feet to deeper water. Once floating we were lost in the quiet wilderness that closed in around us. Joe was busy showing this plant or that shrub to his students. Then it was how the sandy bottom supported grasses in the swift waters and in the slower eddies how mud accumulated and water lilies grew. Each plant had its own niche. Frost had touched some of the more tender plants and yet there was still some green and much fall color left. Our eye caught the grey -white berries of poison sumac. It is in these wet areas that I Tests prove... FORD 555 OUT-LIFTS CASE, DEERE AND MF! ONLY FORD 555 uFrs AND HOLDS 3,500 LUD0001 We knew the Ford 555 backhoe- loader was good at lifting heavy loads with its powerful 15 -ft backhoe. To prove just how good, in an impartial test, Detroit Testing Laboratory pitted the Ford 555 against comparable competitive rigs with 15 -ft backhoes. Certified results: • ONLY Ford 555 easily lifted 3,500 Ibs and held It above ground for 9 mins, 54 secs. • Case 580 Super D, Deere 410 and MF 60 could NOT lift and hold 3,500 lbs. Other tests prove Ford 555 also trenches fastest, uses less fuel per cubic yard moved than Case 580 Super D, Deere 410 or MF 60. A summary of official test results is available on request. If you need backhoe power to lift-and precisely position heavy loads, such as concrete pipe ... to trench fast and save fuel, get the best In Its class —the Ford 5551 You can rely on our fast parts availability and prompt, expert service when you need them. YourBackhoe- Loader Specialist MALVESE EQUIPMENT CO., INC. 1285 Cld Country Road, Riverhead, N.Y. 11901 516 -369 -1147 November 4,1982 COLLEGE CANOE TRIP -- Exploring the little known estuary from Wildwood Lake through the Cranberry Bog to the Peconic River gives these canoers a rare insight into the unique plant and water world of the area. Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh have always found it growing. It's not as prolific as poison ivy, whose usual three shiny green leaves have now turned to a wild array of fall yellows and reds. All along the bank, as we glided silently by, were the red and black berries of the serviceberry. This shrub has one of the most exquisite flowers in the early spring, but waits until late fall to show off its seedy berries. Clumps of ilex with its black berries and evergreen leaves were also abundant along the banks. This shrub makes an ideal planting in our acid soils and should be used more extensively in natural plantings. It requires little atten- tion, save an occasional cutting back. Ducks Overhead As we broke out of the wooded area, and paddled past clumps of purple loosestrife, we could see solid patches of watercress. We picked some for it would go good as a green in our sandwiches later. We both love its snappy taste. It's not a native plant, but one, like so many others, that had escaped from Europe. Every now and then the whir of wings could be heard as we approached. Black ducks and mallards that were feeding in the waters literally burst up before us. Even a pair of small fast -flying wood ducks moved out as we approached their sacred area. Our stream had broadened out to a sluggish open pond that at one time acted as a reservoir for the old cranberry bog. Across it we could see the old dike,and what remained of a foundation from an old building. It was alongside of this we'd find the sluiceway that controlled the water flow. We'd have lunch here and then take the canoes over the dike into the lower reaches of the stream. After lunch we explored some of the upland, with its acid - loving plants and lichens. Patches of bearberry blanketed whole areas while the crisp grey reindeer moss added a contrasting texture to the dark green mat. It was beautiful to see the enthusiasm of these young students. Some had walked right into the wet areas, shoes and all. Others had small collection boxes with specimens for later identification. We were on one of the streams that feed the Peconic River. Most are familiar with the Peconic that starts as a thread in Calverton and ends up as a wide river in the heart of Riverhead but few know that Wildwood Lake feeds its freshwater over- flow into the Peconic through the cran- berry bog by the County Center. All these fresh waters feed into Peconic Bay at its west end and are essential in making our bay less salty than the sea. Being less salty, they become more productive. -Add the salt marshes that ring our bays and creeks and you have the most superb nutrient and nursery area for a wide variety of fish and shellfish. Our trip ended opposite the County Buildings on the mowed lawns adjoining the highway. I must say we looked like a sorry bunch. All our equipment was spread out -- canoes, paddles, clothing, books, cameras, lunch pails and a multi- tude of other sundries that somehow came along. Soon the cars were brought up and it all disappeared into and on top of our vehicles. In no time the group was off; Barbara and I headed home, the others back to college and still others to their homes on the southside. We had all learned from each other. Barbara and I learned a bit more about the fascinating world of the cranberry bog and the students I hope had learned that others besides themselves were excited about being outdoors learning. They would sleep well that night and I hope that somewhere a small piece of their dreams will be about a canoe trip down a small stream in fall's splendor of color. PAULSTOUTENBURGH by Dr. Richard Hall & Dr. Robert Hall Treatment For Stiff Neck If you're suffering from a stiff neck, don't wait for it to take care of itself when treatment is available to correct it. Of all the bones in the spinal column, none are more easily injured or more vulnerable than the seven vertebrae in the neck. None are moved more often. We are constantly turning our heads to look at people and things. Neck stiffness can have many causes, from sudden and violent accidents to such simple activities as painting a ceiling or just sitting reading a book for a long time. But there's nothing simple about the pain. A careful examination will reveal the source of the pain and how best to treat it. Any misaligned vertebrae in the spinal column should be properly adjusted so there will be no abnormal pressure on your nervous system. Treatment may also include exercises for the cervical muscles such as gently rotating your head in all directions. This can help restore muscle strength and tone. Hall .Chiropractic Offices • Main Road, Southold 765 -1191 J 0 42 Woodhull Avenue, Riverhead 727 -3795