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February 29, 1996 - This Gator Was Right Up Their Alleylk 10A • The Suffolk Times • February 29, 1996 This Gator Was Right Up Their Alley They call the area in back of our campsite a prairie. Actually, it's a vast flat, grassy area that cattle roam in. It has a few scattered palm trees left stand- ing and huge discarded piles of dead wood from a long -ago period when the land around the area was cleared. Pass- ing through these fields is a network of canals that drain the area to make it dry enough to be productive. Far off in the distance are orange groves and sugar- cane fields. One afternoon recently as I looked out on this prairie (we're near one of the canals) I saw an alliga- tor lumbering along in back of a neighbor's camper. Now, alligators are nothing too special down here in Florida so I casually mentioned it to my neighbor, who was then busy cook- ing dinner outside. He soon called his neighbors and in no time at all there were five or six people looking down on this five- to six -foot alligator, who by then decided to play dead and just lay there in the grass, hopefully unnoticed. As time passed by, everyone's eyes had their fill of Mr. Alligator and all went back to what they were doing, leaving the alligator to be forgotten. We forgot about it as well. The next morning I got up and dressed for my watch at the river for manatees. We'd had a few go through the locks here at Ortona and I had high hopes of perhaps seeing one or two and being able to photograph them. All was in vain and so I decided to photograph some of the birds that are common in the area for the record and wa;� engrossed in that until I noticed across the way a crowd gathering around our camper. I won- dered if Barbara could be having a prob- lem. I'd better check. When I got closer I could see everyone looking under the camper. Was there a leak? A fire? No. Everyone had cameras. They were pho- tographing the alligator, which had crawled up from its resting place where it was last seen and taken cover under our camper during the night. Believe it or not, I had stepped down and almost over the alligator unknowingly as I left early on my way to work. Of course, there was an adventurous person in the park with a son even more adventurous and I found them busy try- ing to lasso the alligator, who seemed perfectly content to just lay quietly right under the camper. By now it seemed everyone in the campsite had gathered around to watch and photo- graph the daring episode of alligator capture. With much "Get back!" "Look out!" "Grab his tail!" "Hold on," "Now I've got him!" etc., the alligator was lassoed, brought out from under the camper carried by the father and son (the son holding onto the tail that twisted this way and that) and finally, with the lasso loosened, set free in the nearby Caloosahatchee River. If people would only leave wildlife alone the animals usually can find a place that suits them. This applies to everything from a baby bird to a baby deer to an alli- gator. In this case people felt the alligator might have harmed someone in the park and should be removed. The final result of all this was the presence of the local wildlife ranger, who wanted to meet the people who had handled the alligator, for it's against the law to molest, transport or harass alligators. After listening to their story the officer felt all was done in good faith and did not give them a summons, but did give them a written warning. So ended the excitement for that day. Like everywhere else the local festi- vals here bring in tourists and money to the communities and Focus on Nature by Paul Stoutenburgh service organizations. And like the tourists we are, we went to the Sugar Cane Crushing Festival last week here put on by the local fire department. It was a gala affair with a real bluegrass band and singers and dancers (cloggers). When you were right there seeing and hearing it you knew it was the real thing. You couldn't help but tap your feet and feel Photo by Barbara Stoutenburgh TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT —This alligator decided to crawl under our camper and sleep away the day. He soon drew a large crowd of concerned neighbors, each one having his or her own solution for its removal. the spirit flowing through the crowd. Like the Concert on the Green in Cutchogue, people brought their beach chairs to enjoy the music of guitars, ban- jos and fiddles. Then there was the famous southern barbecue of pork and chicken along with baked potatoes and coleslaw and tea or coffee, all for the entrance fee of $6. We wandered around to many craft booths and exhibits that were spread out under the palms and live oaks. We watched the raw sugar cane stalks being pressed through ancient giant rollers to squeeze out the muddy - colored liquid that was then poured into a giant iron pot where it was boiled down, much as they do with maple syrup. It takes 40 gallons of cane squeezings to make four gallons of refined liquid sugar, which they were selling. This all took place in an area called the Indian Mound Park, where the original Indians of this area once lived. Sorry to say, much of the Indian mound had been disturbed or `it seemed everyone in the campsite had gathered to watch the daring episode of alligator capture.' 111_ef9m. UAAL Dw%. 16 aura Rip asSPIWIM a/AVllm 75 Years Ago March 4, 1921 A Suggestion: The following has been sent in by one of Greenport's women voters: "A suggestion has been made that it might be a good plan to increase to five the number of our village Trustees. This would make room for two women on the board without crowding the city fathers. Unless our communi- ty is different from the majority of others in the country, there will, before long, be a demand here for women to fill some of the positions of public trust. Why not prepare for this change and let it come about gradually and comfortably? "How anyone can wish to be on the Board of Trustees we do not understand, for it is a position offering plenty of hard work to be done — or neglected — plenty of criticism and fault- finding and no money. "We conclude that nothing less than unselfish devotion to the interests of the village could win anyone to the thankless posi- tion. We do not know of any women who crave this, but we think two could be found whose housewifely instincts might induce them to serve as Trustees long enough to clear away the germ -laden dump heaps and plant flowers in the park." 50 Years Ago March 1, 1946 County News: A carload of potatoes, shipped from Canada, was condemned by state inspectors at Riverhead recently, when nematode was discovered in all of the 450 100 -pound sacks. Several weeks ago it was reported that shipments of similarly infected potatoes had been found in Nassau County, and Suffolk officials have given assurance that everything possible would be done to prevent a spread of the pest into this county. Classified Advertisement: We can fill your needs. Numerous unadvertised house listings starting at $2,500. Tired of looking? See us. Walter H. Burden, Greenport. 25 Years Ago Feb. 26, 1971 Advertisement: Announcing the "Get Going Party." Get Greenport Going! The GGG candidates: Going for Mayor — Get George Hubbard (Village Trustee completing four - year term; owner - operator of local Shell Service Station). Going for Trustee — Get Richard Manwaring (Greenport High School principal; basketball coach; member, Zoning Board of Appeals). Going for Trustee — Get William Lieblein (Co -owner Port of Egypt Marina; U.S. Naval Officer on Polaris submarines; Lt. Commander, Naval Reserve). Help "Get Greenport Going" on Election Day, March 16. Real Estate for Sale: Attractive summer cottage on wooded creekfront, furnished, $18,000. Cottage: Five rooms, porch, furnished. Close to boating and swimming. $15,000. moved away by the makers of progress. Little remains to show where the Indian settlement once was. To make you feel a bit better about the bursts of cold and snow you have been having up north, let me assure you that we, too, have had our share of cold snaps here in the south. Instead of seeing people walking around in shorts and tee - shirts, we have been seeing people wrapped up in sweaters, scarves, jackets and gloves. It got to 28 degrees one morning and as I look around a week later I see the evidence of the cold: burned brown palm trees, banana plants, shrubs, etc. The lettuce, tomatoes, string beans and other crops have taken a ter- rific loss. It reminds me of when our farmers plant their potatoes and are caught by a late freeze in the .spring. You see the new green potato leaves just coming through the ground one day and the next day they are withered and brown. Then, like the farmers here who have lost their crops to freezing weather, they have to plant again. Living by the weather down here in the south can be costly, as many a farmer has found out this year. EL/H Gets $130,000 From Auxiliary in 195 GREENPORT —A total of $130,000 was raised in 1995 through the efforts of members of the three branches of the Eastern Long Island Hospital Auxiliary and from the Opportunity Shop and the hospital's Comer Shop. The Auxiliary has a membership of 389 in its East End, Shelter Island and Southold- Peconic branches. New offi- cers for 1996 include chairman Judy Demarest and co- chairman Audrey Rothman for Southold- Peconic; chair- man Claire Wright and co- chairman Marge Baker, East End; and chairman Joan Sibek and co- chairman Betty Ryan, Shelter Island. The Auxiliary has a busy schedule of fund - raising events planned for 1996, including a Winterfest Brunch on March 3; a soup /salad luncheon in Shelter Island on April 13; a new series of bus trips to New York City beginning April 24; a chicken dinner on April 25; an awards luncheon on May 1; a flower sale on May 11; and a fashion show at the Opportunity Shop on June 3.