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September 23, 1993 - The Pleasures of a Peconic River Cruise4A a The Suffolk Times - September' 23, 1 993 The Pleasures of a Peconic River Cruise By Paul Stoutenburgh The Peconic River separates the towns of Southampton and Riverhead and its upper reaches are well worth a canoe trip on this slow- moving fresh water river. When we take that trip we end up right in the middle of Riverhead just before the river flows under the road and Focus on out into Fl Mature Flanders Bay. We've never traveled the other side to the east and so when tickets were given us as a gift for the new sightseeing paddlewheeler we looked forward to seeing this area. Ring - billed gulls milled about the narrow river alongside the big municipal parking lot where we depart- ed. Occasionally they dropped down into the water to pick up some unseen morsel that suited their taste. Once aboard the boat we sat on the port side, giving us a view of the north side of the river leav- ing Riverhead. On the return trip we'd travel along the Southampton side. Phragmites, that tall plume grass we see trying to take over almost every wet spot on the island, was faithfully filling its role along the shoreline. Most of the riverside east of the highway has been at some time or another manipulated by man, making it ideal for the invasion of this pesky nonproductive plant. Only a fringe of the original thatch grass (Alterniflora) held on to its tenuous foot- hold along the edge. Marinas Along the Way Marinas dotted the northern banks of the river with their varied styles of boats both big and small. Like the homes of the owners, they carried their own indi- vidual styles. Soon we were passing under the bridge where Route 105 connects the north and south shore. Like most bridges it had its collection of wild pigeons roosting in its understructure. A family of swans moved gracefully along the shallows, the mottled grey and brown young trailing behind. Next in view was the county's Indian Island golf course. Here, years ago, was one of the largest black - crowned night heron colonies on Long Island. Today they are all gone. Besides the regular night herons that nested so prolifically there I photographed the rarer yellow - crowned night heron that somehow seemed to put up with the squawking, moving, often odiferous young nesters that surrounded it. As the tide was out there was ample wet edge showing and here, occasionally, snowy egrets could be seen stalking their evening meal. By now we had cleared the mouth of the river and were making our way out into the bay. Far to the north I could see the gleaming aluminum siding of the tall steeple of the Old Aquebogue Church. Well do I remember when it blew down in the 1938 hurricane. Out here in the bay snapper blues were breaking in their frenzy and I was surprised to see terns working over them for most have taken off on their migration south. Then I saw an exceptionally large tern and on closer scrutiny it turned out to be one of the big terns we usually associate with the south, a Caspian tern with its orange bill and distinct raspy call. Out in the bay `My mind cormorants could be seen diving wandered here and there back to when and far off to the the bay area east on the hori- zon were the was lined familiar sand with scallop banks of the shacks. jewel of the Peconic, Robins Island. Further along we saw Jamesport nestled along the shore to the north and my mind wan- dered back to when the bay area here was lined with scallop shacks and the weakfish that teamed in the offshore waters drew people from all over to experience the catch of tiderunners the area was noted for. Cormorants on Point Halfway through our dinner the boat took a gradual loop to Southampton's Cedar Point, where 30 or more cor- morants rested, along with an assortment of herring gulls, black - backed gulls and terns. Then the shoreline changed for there was a noticeable lack of homes. This was the vast county Hubbard Park that boasts of some of the finest wet- i_.mg9a% ■_ aaa I6 nwa.L 82 Years Ago Sept. 23, 1911 North Fork Country Club: The project to estab- lish a country club at Cutchogue is meeting not only with an unusual amount of favorable comment, but generous and more stable backing in stock subscriptions. This support comes not alone from the villages of Cutchogue and New Suffolk, but from all the towns on the North Fork. Farming Experiment: An important work is going on near the bay at Halyoake Farm in Orient. Mr. Hallock has been experimenting for some time with the muck on his meadows. He has analyzed it carefully and has found that it is very rich in nitrogen, and is very beneficial to the soil on his farm. It would be unprofitable to handle the muck by ordinary means, so he has his mud digger at work digging it out and depositing it on scows. From the scows it is hoisted by an engine on shore in quarter -ton buckets to a car overhead. This car is filled and runs along a track about 10 feet high and the contents dumped. After being permitted to dry for a number of months, it will go through a grinding process, and receive other treatment before being spread upon the land. 50 Years Ago Sept. 23, 1943 Labor Shortage Hurts Oyster Industry: Oys- By Paul Stoutenburgh FAMILY OF SWANS —There are no better guardians of their young than parent swans. By now the young hatched this spring are almost as large as their parents. lands in the whole bay area. How did our past governmental officials have such foresight and courage to set aside these splendid areas for posterity? ` It was' in these very creeks of this great expanse of wetlands that over 45 years ago I spent a night alone in a small boat, dreaming youthful dreams and sleeping under the stars. I had caught a weakfish in a creek no wider than 15 feet and cooked it on a one -burner alco- hol stove thinking I was king. But that's reminiscing again. Now we were traveling along the Southampton side. In the distance I could see the high moraine left from the glaciers that runs down the spine of the South Fork, and on one of the high spots the already ancient military radar domes of the past, and hopefully forgotten. The sun sparkled as we headed westward. We passed green buoy No. 9 with its wobbling antennae to keep gulls off and now started to see homes spotted along the shore. As the bay narrows great marshes to the south take over, a haven ter dredging, opening and packing operations are about 40 percent of normal at the West Sayville and Greenport plants of the Bluepoint Company Inc., and the situation looks none too promising as the 1943 -44 season gets under way. The greatest difficulty is the labor shortage and while oys- ters are plentiful, they are running small in size, still reflect- ing the damage done to the beds in the 1938 hurricane. While the two plants normally employed about 250 workers, a mere 100, including 12 women, are now engaged. It has been found that women cannot be utilized for shucking oysters, but they are efficient in grading for size and washing them. Negro women in opening plants in the area farther south, however, take men's places at the shucking tables. 25 Years Ago Sept. 20, 1968 Sound View Restaurant Gets New Owners: The well -known Sound View Restaurant, one of the most popular eating places on the North Fork, located on the Sound shore at Arshamomaque, has been sold to Jack Levin of the Levin Enterprises, owner of the Sound Shore Motel adjacent to the restaurant. The Sound View Restaurant, of which Joseph Wielandt and Edward Speeches are the propri- etors, opened for its 20th summer season this spring. for weary migrating waterfowl on their flight south along the Atlantic flyway. By now the river once again closed upon us and the tall phragmites grew right to the water's edge. We were see- ing more and more of this year's mallard ducks paddling in the shallows. They evidently came from nests in the area. Green - backed herons stalked for killies and kingfishers flew off chattering as they went. Red - winged blackbirds were dropping into the phragmites to roost for the night. The sun was getting low. Great blue herons gracefully took off and found another spot to stalk their prey. Looking up we caught sight df three nighthawks as they dipped for insects on their migration south. The white spots in their wings could barely be seen. In all, our trip was a pleasant one. There was much to be seen if your eyes were in tune and your body in the right spirit. It was nice to acquaint our- selves with the outer reaches of the Peconic River and the Peconic River Lady seemed to fit the bill well. CAST Offers Kids After - School Help GREENPORT—Comm unity Action of Southold Town (CAST) will continue its after - school services for the 1993- 1994 school year. Tutoring, self- esteem- building workshops and discussions of social issues that affect our youth are of- fered at the CAST Learning Center for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. The center is open for tutoring and enrichment from 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Self- esteem - building workshops and social awareness topics are addressed on Fridays. There are spe- cific schedules for different grades and some tutoring can be arranged by ap- pointment. The CAST Learning Center is seeking volunteers and mentors who can work with individual students. Also needed are donations of folding chairs, work tables, cabinets and safe outdoor play equipment. For further information call director Jeanne Dirhalleh or tutorial assistant Shawn Smiley at 477 -8656 Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.