Contact: Kate Schertel    
(631) 765-6450, ext. 208
kschertel@eastendenvironment.org


LOCAL, AWARD-WINNING MICRO-DOC TO BE SCREENED AT LONG ISLAND FILM EXPO
View Group for the East End’s Faith in a Seed on Saturday, July 11th at 7PM (Bellmore Movies)

July 7, 2010, Southold, NY – When William Goins of GoShow Entertainment (www.goshowent.com) was hired to produce a micro-documentary about the work of Group for the East End, he never expected that it would be the award-winning film it has become today. A winner of “Platinum Best In Show” at the Houston International Film Festival, it will be screened again this Saturday in front of a more local audience at the Long Island International Film Expo.

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By Paul Stoutenburgh

While growing up on the East End of Long Island I have always thought of Plum Island as a giant mysterious laboratory where scientists created bizarre animals.  During my summer internship with the Group for the East End, I have done some research and found that the majority of the island is actually pristine wildlife habitat, and currently 90% percent of the island remains undeveloped.  In 2009 the federal government passed a law that will allow for the sale of Plum Island to the highest bidder.  Many organizations, businesses, and even agencies have become concerned about what the sale of the island could mean for the diverse wildlife populations on Plum Island.

There have been several notable recognitions that emphasize Plum Island’s ecological importance.  The US Fish and Wildlife Service have labeled the Plum Island as a “Critical Natural Resource Area”.  The New York State Department of State has recognized the island as a “Coastal Significant Fish and Wildlife Habitat”.  Just off the southeastern section of the island you can find the second largest haul-out site for Harbor and Grey Seals in New England.  The most critical ecological function of Plum Island is its role as a diverse bird sanctuary.

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By Paul Stoutenburgh, Intern

On what started out as a calm Tuesday morning in the office, I volunteered to jump into the car with my coworkers, Jenn and Kate, to remove some Phragmites (an invasive wetland plant) from the shores of Marion Lake in East Marion, on the North Fork.  Shortly after arriving at Marion Lake, we realized we were underprepared for the intense dirty job ahead of us. 

We returned to the office to gear up against the marsh muck and sharp Phragmites stems, and returned to Marion Lake ready for battle.  The Phragmites removal is part of the Marion Lake Project coordinated by the Marion Lake Restoration Committee in collaboration with the New York State DEC.  The Restoration Committee has hired contractors to cut and wick (apply a chemical) to the Phragmites stems, but they are in need of volunteers to help remove the cut pieces of the plant so they can finish the project in time.

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By Jeremy Samuelson

"Transparency is a fake word." That was Town Board Member Theresa Quigley's response to a request for a public hearing on the sale of public park land. To make matters even worse, Mrs. Quigley, Supervisor Bill Wilkinson and fellow Board Member Dominick Stanzione, refuses to hold a public forum explaining how proceeds from land sales will be used. With less than one-minute of discussion, no public hearing and no notice, Quigley, Wilkinson and Stanzione agreed to list for sale 3.9 acres of public parkland which the Town bought in 2003 for both "passive and active recreation" use.

Simply put, your land is being sold without notice, without a public hearing and they wont even tell you how the money is going to be used.

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Group For The East End’s Fifteenth Annual Fauna-thon took place on Saturday, May 22. From pre-dawn to post-dusk, teams of naturalists scoured the Towns of Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island looking for as many species of amphibians, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, mammals, and reptiles as they could find. Thirty-four (34) volunteers ventured out on fifteen (15) search teams on a pleasant late-spring day, with mostly clear skies and temperatures climbing to the mid-70s.

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You may have been jumping for joy that state parks were reopened just in time for Memorial Day weekend, but this sweet victory came with a sour punch as state decision makers cut the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) by almost 40% in the final budget.

Dedicated Funding Source Slashed With No Repayment Plan:
The EPF, New York's dedicated funding source for environmental programs, will receive $134 million for the 2010-11 state fiscal year. This is a 37% cut from last year’s funding level and one of the lowest levels of funding in a decade. To add insult to injury, nearly $500 million has been swept from the EPF over the past decade, causing a significant backlog of unfunded projects, straining organizations, municipalities and others partnering with the state on environmental programs. Currently, there is no plan in place to repay the Fund.

Budget Offloads Rejected by State Legislature, Fund Integrity Preserved:
The Legislature’s rejection of “offloads” proposed to the EPF by Governor Paterson was a significant victory that protected the integrity of the Fund. Offloading funding for state agency operations and certain state tax payments into the EPF would have set a dangerous precedent and undermine the original intent of the Fund.  In short, stealing environmental funds to fill budget shortfalls would have eventually left nothing for the important programs the Fund was created to support.

TAKE ACTION

Tell Your Assembly and Senate Leaders to Repay the EPF:
As the remainder of the budget is negotiated, please urge your State Assembly and Senate representatives to revisit the EPF and create a repayment plan for the nearly half a billion dollars that has been taken for non-environmental purposes. A repayment plan, which is required by law since 2007, would address the large backlog of conservation and restoration projects throughout the state and ensure New Yorkers have access to clean air, water and natural spaces.

Click here to e-mail Senator Lavalle and Assemblyman Thiele.

You can also cut and paste the following language into an e-mail to Senator LaValle (lavalle@senate.state.ny.us) or Assemblyman Thiele (thielef@assembly.state.ny.us).

Dear ___________,

I am writing to encourage you to revisit the Environmental Protection Fund (EPF) during final budget negotiations.

The decision to hold back funding to the EPF in exchange for the reopening of state parks is very short sighted. Over the past decade, about $500 million has already been swept from the Fund for non-environmental purposes, without a plan for repayment. 

Defunding the EPF has caused a backlog of unfunded projects, straining organizations, municipalities and others partnering with the state on environmental programs. Without these projects, the state parks may not be worth visiting in the future!

I hope you will work hard to adopt a reasonable repayment plan and restore the already crippled EPF to its proper funding levels. The integrity of the Fund is more important now than ever.

Sincerely,

The first time I walked into the Group for the East End office building in Southold, I knew this was the place I needed to spend my summer.  It is a large historic building filled with wildlife replicas, images of wildlife and wild-lands.  Before visiting the office, I had a chance to view the documentary "Faith in a Seed" which was posted on their website, and the emphasis of the speakers in this documentary matched up strongly with my feelings about the East End. Luckily, they felt I would be a strong match to the work of the organization as well!

After three years at the New York State College of Environmental Science and Forestry in Syracuse, it would be impossible to divert my interest from the natural world. Through my coursework, I realized the critical state of so many wildlife habitats worldwide and decided that I could be most effective by taking action in our community.  Growing up in Cutchogue and Sag Harbor has given me a detailed view of the changing East End environment.  My grandparents, Barbara and Paul Stoutenburgh, have nurtured a family of environmentalists. Their continued passion and knowledge of biodiversity conservation has boosted my enthusiasm for nature preservation. 

I am honored and excited to be among the many citizens of this community who strive to protect these ecosystems, and I cannot wait to contribute to the vital work of Group for the East End.  

Paul Stoutenburgh, Intern

I have been reviewing a number of large-scale development proposals in Tuckahoe, Speonk and Water Mill.  Some are Planned Development Districts (PDDs).  My experience demonstrates that this tool is being abused and the time has come for PDD reform or an end to them altogether. 

What’s a PDD?
Plain and simple, a PDD is part of the Town’s zoning law that allows a developer to propose pretty much anything he or she wants, anywhere, as long as the developer provides the community with a defined set of “benefits.”

A small glimmer is that the Town Board has the power to deny any PDD application outright if it doesn’t jive with community plans or offer legitimate benefits.  But so far, the Town has yet to find a PDD that it wasn’t willing to consider.  This sends the wrong message to developers. 

Community Benefits?  What Community Benefits?
In theory, I believe a PDD could actually be beneficial.  But developers seek everything under the sun without providing benefits to residents while the Town Board gives away the store. 

Excessive density and pathetic community benefits are being accepted.  As a result many approved PDDs have become the bane of the local community instead of the benefit they were claimed to be.

Southampton PDD Laws Need Reform
Although the Group has supported PDDs as a concept, Southampton Town’s track record has tainted that view.  Reform is needed now!

Jenn Hartnagel, Environmental Advocate

Dear Friends,

With the welcome approach of Spring, Group for the East End has begun preparations for our Fifteenth Annual Fauna-thon. We cordially invite you to participate in this exciting event to raise money for children’s environmental education programs in eastern Long Island.

On Saturday, May 22nd, all interested wildlife enthusiasts are encouraged to join me in a search for mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies, and dragonflies throughout eastern Long Island. Our task is to count as many different species of wildlife (a.k.a. fauna) as we can find within 24 hours. The highest Fauna-thon total so far is 266 species, which we tallied in 2004. This year, we’re aiming to break the record -- 270 species is our goal.
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I kicked off the Group’s first in a series of three Friday Morning Birding Tours on May 7th.  To the delight of a dozen Group supporters at Quogue Wildlife Refuge, several colorful migrating species were encountered.  Highlights included melodious Orioles, warbling Wrens, and soft trilling Pine Warblers, which were fun to compare to the similar rattling songs of Chipping Sparrows.

Several Birds of Prey were seen soaring overhead.
One person exclaimed, “There’s a Buzzard going by!”  While generically the name holds true, we affectionately call this a Turkey Vulture and it is becoming more common on the East End.  Also seen in the clear blue sky were Ospreys, a great example of how sound conservation efforts can bring back a species from the brink of extinction.  In fact, Ospreys have become so common that a pair now nest overlooking the busy intersection of routes 104 and 24 near Riverhead.  The bird of the morning was an adult female Cooper’s Hawk basking in the morning sun for nearly five minutes at eye level, only 10 yards from the trail!   

Eastern Towhees say, “Drink your TEE-EEEAAA!!!” 
Some members of the group got a kick out of this pneumonic used to recall the song of Eastern Towhees.  Perhaps sillier was the “CHEESE- burger” song of the Black-capped Chickadee heard in the Pine Barrens of the refuge.  Not surprising most of the attendees had worked up quite a thirst and hunger, but not before catching looks at a gorgeous male Ruby-throated Hummingbird perched in a nearby birch tree.      

Additional Birding Tours are planned for May 14th and May 21st.
The next Friday Morning Birding Tour is planned for May 14th, 7:30-9:00 a.m., at Arshamomaque Preserve, Southold, and the third and last Birding Tour is on May 21st, 7:30-9:00 a.m. at Chatfield’s Hole, East Hampton.  For more information and to register, please contact Aaron at 631-765-6450 x218 or acvirgin@eastendenvironment.org. Binoculars and walking shoes are recommended.  

Aaron Virgin, Vice President