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November 23, 2000 - A naturalist's thank-you note (2)SA • The Suffolk Times • November 23, 2000 A naturalist' thank -vou note Thanksgiving hasn't changed that much over the years. Here my side of our family gathers around the table to enjoy the turkey and give thanks together just before our wedding 50 years ago today. At this time of the year most of us take time to pause and look back on all the good things we are thankful for: love of family, a special friend, some more intimate one, or perhaps the good health we enjoy. Surely in that list would be the thanks for the bounty of food before us along with the roof over our heads and, of course, we couldn't forget the world peace that has been with us these past years. When you start to list the thingE we are thankful Focus for, there seems to be no end to ON it and so I took NATURE my "thankful list" one step by Paul further in rela- Stoutenburgh tion to "Focus on Nature" and thought it might be appropriate to share my list with you. Probably my greatest "thank you" goes to the change in attitude of the general public as far as the natural world goes. Years ago when I first started writing this column, there was a lack of appreciation for the world around us. Words like wetlands, con- servation, preservation, endangered species, groundwater, pine barrens, dredging, the environment, etc., were practically unheard of, no less talked about. There just wasn't that much concern for the world around us then. Today things are different. One example that comes to my mind is a problem a contractor ran into on a job. He called to say that a turtle was laying eggs in a pile of dirt that was to be moved the next day. He wanted to know what to do. He didn't want to disturb the turtle but the job had to go on. Years ago there would have been little thought given to a turtle laying eggs. "Progress" would have moved on, leaving the uncovered turtle's eggs to rot. We were able to suggest an alternative, thereby hopefully a new generation of turtles was saved. Then there was the situation in the parking lot at the Peconic recreation center, where a kildeer decided to nest in a little patch of ground that was open in the blacktop. It became the topic of the day and soon barricades were put around the nest so that nature could fulfill its mission. Another kildeer in Greenport chose a construction site for its nest and all the dirt three feet deep around it was moved except where the nest was. The female was left high on her "pedestal" to continue her motherly duties. It makes me feel good when I get calls from people wanting to help wildlife. One such call came from someone who had rescued a baby rab- bit from a nest that had been vandal- ized by the neighbor's cat. Sometimes these things can be taken care of and sometimes they can't, but the impor- tant thing is there was someone who cared to ask and wanted to help. Then there was the person who called to say his son had watched an owl fly into an evergreen tree during a storm only to have the tree crash down in the high winds with the owl in it. What to do? When we got there we found the owl had a damaged wing and so we took it to our wildlife vet- erinarian, Dr. Zitek. You can always count on him to do the best for wildlife. And so on Thanksgiving Day we look back and thank all our readers for their loyalty and their concern for the world around them. We now have many organizations that have sprung up here on the North Fork that are vitally concerned about the environ- ment and are working hard to do what they can to help it. The North Fork Environmental Council has spread its concern not only in Southold Town, but now is actively engaged in the problems of Riverhead as well. They are also working with our young people to help them understand more about what is happening in our town and beyond. conservancy concerns Then there's The Nature Conservancy, which has blossomed into a worldwide organization that tackles much larger problems, such a rain forest depletion, general habitat destruction and much, much more. Locally The Nature Conservancy at Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island acts as an educational/researcl center. They have nature walks and programs of all sorts throughout the year, all concerning our local envi- ronment. I In land preservation we have the Peconic Land Trust, which has just recently established an office in Cutchogue. Their work is primarily involved with preservation of farm- land and open space. In Cutchogue they are presently working with help from volunteers on the Corchaug Indian site. The North Fork Audubon Society, which has educational programs to develop the minds of the young and old alike into a more caring world, ha just gotten its own headquarters in a little red building outside of Greenport on the North Road. In our Peconic dunes area we have Dick Hilary running summer pro- grams for young people to explore and learn about the wonders of the world around them. Orient Beach State Park runs programs with walks through the Roy Latham Maritime Forest and educational walks along the seashore, all dealing with our local flora and fauna. More recently Save the Bays has been active in making the public aware of the problems and need for concern of the Peconic Estuary. One of the growing organizations in our area in the education of and teaching awareness to our young peo- ple is the Marine Center at Cedar Beach in Southold. Here Cornell University has a staff that runs pro- grams throughout the year for young and old alike in education and research, all with the idea of bringing an awareness of our fragile world and the importance of the stewardship of the land to those who participate. So you see, the world and our own 'ommunity is becoming more and nore concerned about the environ- ment and its care and for that I think ve should all be thankful, not only for )urselves today but for all the future ;enerations that will benefit from the lard work that these organizations are loing for us. SA • The Suffolk Times • November 23, 2000 A naturalist' thank -vou note Thanksgiving hasn't changed that much over the years. Here my side of our family gathers around the table to enjoy the turkey and give thanks together just before our wedding 50 years ago today. At this time of the year most of us take time to pause and look back on all the good things we are thankful for: love of family, a special friend, some more intimate one, or perhaps the good health we enjoy. Surely in that list would be the thanks for the bounty of food before us along with the roof over our heads and, of course, we couldn't forget the world peace that has been with us these past years. When you start to list the thingE we are thankful Focus for, there seems to be no end to ON it and so I took NATURE my "thankful list" one step by Paul further in rela- Stoutenburgh tion to "Focus on Nature" and thought it might be appropriate to share my list with you. Probably my greatest "thank you" goes to the change in attitude of the general public as far as the natural world goes. Years ago when I first started writing this column, there was a lack of appreciation for the world around us. Words like wetlands, con- servation, preservation, endangered species, groundwater, pine barrens, dredging, the environment, etc., were practically unheard of, no less talked about. There just wasn't that much concern for the world around us then. Today things are different. One example that comes to my mind is a problem a contractor ran into on a job. He called to say that a turtle was laying eggs in a pile of dirt that was to be moved the next day. He wanted to know what to do. He didn't want to disturb the turtle but the job had to go on. Years ago there would have been little thought given to a turtle laying eggs. "Progress" would have moved on, leaving the uncovered turtle's eggs to rot. We were able to suggest an alternative, thereby hopefully a new generation of turtles was saved. Then there was the situation in the parking lot at the Peconic recreation center, where a kildeer decided to nest in a little patch of ground that was open in the blacktop. It became the topic of the day and soon barricades were put around the nest so that nature could fulfill its mission. Another kildeer in Greenport chose a construction site for its nest and all the dirt three feet deep around it was moved except where the nest was. The female was left high on her "pedestal" to continue her motherly duties. It makes me feel good when I get calls from people wanting to help wildlife. One such call came from someone who had rescued a baby rab- bit from a nest that had been vandal- ized by the neighbor's cat. Sometimes these things can be taken care of and sometimes they can't, but the impor- tant thing is there was someone who cared to ask and wanted to help. Then there was the person who called to say his son had watched an owl fly into an evergreen tree during a storm only to have the tree crash down in the high winds with the owl in it. What to do? When we got there we found the owl had a damaged wing and so we took it to our wildlife vet- erinarian, Dr. Zitek. You can always count on him to do the best for wildlife. And so on Thanksgiving Day we look back and thank all our readers for their loyalty and their concern for the world around them. We now have many organizations that have sprung up here on the North Fork that are vitally concerned about the environ- ment and are working hard to do what they can to help it. The North Fork Environmental Council has spread its concern not only in Southold Town, but now is actively engaged in the problems of Riverhead as well. They are also working with our young people to help them understand more about what is happening in our town and beyond. conservancy concerns Then there's The Nature Conservancy, which has blossomed into a worldwide organization that tackles much larger problems, such a rain forest depletion, general habitat destruction and much, much more. Locally The Nature Conservancy at Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island acts as an educational/researcl center. They have nature walks and programs of all sorts throughout the year, all concerning our local envi- ronment. I In land preservation we have the Peconic Land Trust, which has just recently established an office in Cutchogue. Their work is primarily involved with preservation of farm- land and open space. In Cutchogue they are presently working with help from volunteers on the Corchaug Indian site. The North Fork Audubon Society, which has educational programs to develop the minds of the young and old alike into a more caring world, ha just gotten its own headquarters in a little red building outside of Greenport on the North Road. In our Peconic dunes area we have Dick Hilary running summer pro- grams for young people to explore and learn about the wonders of the world around them. Orient Beach State Park runs programs with walks through the Roy Latham Maritime Forest and educational walks along the seashore, all dealing with our local flora and fauna. More recently Save the Bays has been active in making the public aware of the problems and need for concern of the Peconic Estuary. One of the growing organizations in our area in the education of and teaching awareness to our young peo- ple is the Marine Center at Cedar Beach in Southold. Here Cornell University has a staff that runs pro- grams throughout the year for young and old alike in education and research, all with the idea of bringing an awareness of our fragile world and the importance of the stewardship of the land to those who participate. So you see, the world and our own 'ommunity is becoming more and nore concerned about the environ- ment and its care and for that I think ve should all be thankful, not only for )urselves today but for all the future ;enerations that will benefit from the lard work that these organizations are loing for us. SA • The Suffolk Times • November 23, 2000 A naturalist' thank -vou note Thanksgiving hasn't changed that much over the years. Here my side of our family gathers around the table to enjoy the turkey and give thanks together just before our wedding 50 years ago today. At this time of the year most of us take time to pause and look back on all the good things we are thankful for: love of family, a special friend, some more intimate one, or perhaps the good health we enjoy. Surely in that list would be the thanks for the bounty of food before us along with the roof over our heads and, of course, we couldn't forget the world peace that has been with us these past years. When you start to list the thingE we are thankful Focus for, there seems to be no end to ON it and so I took NATURE my "thankful list" one step by Paul further in rela- Stoutenburgh tion to "Focus on Nature" and thought it might be appropriate to share my list with you. Probably my greatest "thank you" goes to the change in attitude of the general public as far as the natural world goes. Years ago when I first started writing this column, there was a lack of appreciation for the world around us. Words like wetlands, con- servation, preservation, endangered species, groundwater, pine barrens, dredging, the environment, etc., were practically unheard of, no less talked about. There just wasn't that much concern for the world around us then. Today things are different. One example that comes to my mind is a problem a contractor ran into on a job. He called to say that a turtle was laying eggs in a pile of dirt that was to be moved the next day. He wanted to know what to do. He didn't want to disturb the turtle but the job had to go on. Years ago there would have been little thought given to a turtle laying eggs. "Progress" would have moved on, leaving the uncovered turtle's eggs to rot. We were able to suggest an alternative, thereby hopefully a new generation of turtles was saved. Then there was the situation in the parking lot at the Peconic recreation center, where a kildeer decided to nest in a little patch of ground that was open in the blacktop. It became the topic of the day and soon barricades were put around the nest so that nature could fulfill its mission. Another kildeer in Greenport chose a construction site for its nest and all the dirt three feet deep around it was moved except where the nest was. The female was left high on her "pedestal" to continue her motherly duties. It makes me feel good when I get calls from people wanting to help wildlife. One such call came from someone who had rescued a baby rab- bit from a nest that had been vandal- ized by the neighbor's cat. Sometimes these things can be taken care of and sometimes they can't, but the impor- tant thing is there was someone who cared to ask and wanted to help. Then there was the person who called to say his son had watched an owl fly into an evergreen tree during a storm only to have the tree crash down in the high winds with the owl in it. What to do? When we got there we found the owl had a damaged wing and so we took it to our wildlife vet- erinarian, Dr. Zitek. You can always count on him to do the best for wildlife. And so on Thanksgiving Day we look back and thank all our readers for their loyalty and their concern for the world around them. We now have many organizations that have sprung up here on the North Fork that are vitally concerned about the environ- ment and are working hard to do what they can to help it. The North Fork Environmental Council has spread its concern not only in Southold Town, but now is actively engaged in the problems of Riverhead as well. They are also working with our young people to help them understand more about what is happening in our town and beyond. conservancy concerns Then there's The Nature Conservancy, which has blossomed into a worldwide organization that tackles much larger problems, such a rain forest depletion, general habitat destruction and much, much more. Locally The Nature Conservancy at Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island acts as an educational/researcl center. They have nature walks and programs of all sorts throughout the year, all concerning our local envi- ronment. I In land preservation we have the Peconic Land Trust, which has just recently established an office in Cutchogue. Their work is primarily involved with preservation of farm- land and open space. In Cutchogue they are presently working with help from volunteers on the Corchaug Indian site. The North Fork Audubon Society, which has educational programs to develop the minds of the young and old alike into a more caring world, ha just gotten its own headquarters in a little red building outside of Greenport on the North Road. In our Peconic dunes area we have Dick Hilary running summer pro- grams for young people to explore and learn about the wonders of the world around them. Orient Beach State Park runs programs with walks through the Roy Latham Maritime Forest and educational walks along the seashore, all dealing with our local flora and fauna. More recently Save the Bays has been active in making the public aware of the problems and need for concern of the Peconic Estuary. One of the growing organizations in our area in the education of and teaching awareness to our young peo- ple is the Marine Center at Cedar Beach in Southold. Here Cornell University has a staff that runs pro- grams throughout the year for young and old alike in education and research, all with the idea of bringing an awareness of our fragile world and the importance of the stewardship of the land to those who participate. So you see, the world and our own 'ommunity is becoming more and nore concerned about the environ- ment and its care and for that I think ve should all be thankful, not only for )urselves today but for all the future ;enerations that will benefit from the lard work that these organizations are loing for us.