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October 22, 2009 - A happy tale of two town preservesOCTOBER 22, 2009 1 SUFFOLKTIME A happy tale o two town preserves We hope you are enjoying me beautiful fall days before the cold of winter sets in. We have been busy, like so many others, bring- ing in the more sensitive plants we've enjoyed through the summer months. We have a small green- house attached to.our home and all the plants that are taken in win( up there. It's not heated, but it will be months before the killing frost sneaks in and does them all.in. In the meantime we have the pleasur of the bright and cheerful pink, salmon and fuchsia impatiens plants right off our living room. FOCUS ON NATURE PAUL STOUTENBURGH arting to break out and we like to ke advantage of it right here on our orth Fork. Just the other day we jaded to Mattituck, past the railroad ridge, to Laurel Lake Preserve. We've riven by this area a thousand times trough our lifetimes; it was once zown as Camp Molloy, a private imp., Now that it belongs to the )wn we can all eniov it. GEORGE Rowsom P is Nashville warbler was caught by George Rowsom in a mist net at Dam Pond in Trion. Mist nets are used for catching wild birds for banding and research. trail from the parking area down to the lake. What a delightful walk it was. This preserve is the largest in Southold Town: 400 acres surround- ing Laurel Lake. It is a very complex community of mixed hardwood forest dominated by oaks, hickories, beeches and maples, it says in the brochure. (Brochures for all parks and preserves can be picked up at the town clerk's office.) As the trail travels up and down u look off into the deep hollow that akes this area so unique; there you e huge trees that verify how long is area has been left undisturbed. sere were huge oaks that must be er 100 years old. Along the road' - iy there was a huge pine two feet in ureter, one of the many evergreens it include red cedar, white cedar d pitch pine. klona the trail we alsn caw mir lifterent shaped leaves: the three fingers, the mitten and the egg shape. [he roots of the sassafras can be teeped to make tea. Bittersweet, with its leaves turn - ng yellow, is still at an early stage, . nd its ornamental orange- colored �ods, which open to reveal scarlet seeds, are not yet open. Soon ey will open and be used through the holidays for wreaths and decora- tions. Be careful where you dispose of them when you are finished, as they will take root in most any soil, making it an invasive pest. The reason Laurel Lake Preserve is so important is that it is designated in plan. Not only does the preserve offer a great place for walking, canoeing, kayaking and fishing, but it is also pre- serving groundwater for future use. George Rowsom sent me a beauti- ful photograph of a Nashville warbler this week; the first one he ever caught in his mist nets. Mist nets, used by ornithologists to capture wild birds for banding or other research proj- ects; consist of two poles with a net strung between them. Disentangling a bird from a mist net can be difficult and must be done by trained person- nel. George has been keeping track of birds by mist netting for many years. He is presently working at Dam Pond. HONORING RUTH OLIVA Dam Pond brings to mind some re- cent news we've heard from Southold Town that work is in progress to hono the late Ruth Oliva by naming t e as Marion park for her. It couldn't be done for anyone more worthy. I can remember many years ago working with a very energetic young woman so enthusiastic about getting people, and particularly young people, involved in the world around them. She had been asked by Sylvia Gordon to help with an ecology workshop for young people she was starting. That was when Ruth gave me a call to see ii I was interested in helping out. We spent many hours seining . in local waters, finding all sorts of interesting specimens for the youn€ people to pick up, examine and enjoy. We visited John Tuthill, who showed the children unusual speci- mens he caught in his offshore fish traps that we couldn't catch in the shallow waters. It was not only young people Ruth worked with; she went on to get involved in organizations of all kinds, all for the benefit of the people and the place called Southold. She wanted the best for everyone and everything. She headed up organiza- tions and spent hours in Town Hall listening and asking questions of those in power. I was glad to hear the town is work- ing on honoring Ruth in this way, so all can remember the effort and hours she spent trying to keep so much of Southold Town in its natural state for not only this generation but all those that follow. PAUL STOUTENBURGH PF something your kids will never forget, give them a seine net; a whole new world n up to them.