North Fork News

Connecticut and New York Long Island Sound stakeholder groups traveled down to Washington D.C. on November 28 to meet with U.S. Senate and Congressional leaders to advocate for policy changes. The first change is to increase the funding for the Long Island Sound Program to $20 million. The next policy change is to give Plum Island preservation status. The final policy change is to increase federal funding for both drinking and waste water infrastructure.

According to the advocates, the Long Island Sound is an Estuary of National Significance that generates between $17 and $37 billion each year in its regional economy. In 2018, Congress based a budget that included record funding of $12 million for the Long Island Sound Program. These funds are then combined with local, county, and state resources to fund preservation and water quality
management projects.

In Plum Island’s case, the island was previously overseen by the Directorate for Science and Technology and housed the Animal Disease Center of New York. After the research facility was shutdown, the federal government is mandated to sell the property and a long list of environmental advocacy groups are pushing to preserve Plum Island.

The environmentalists met with Senators Chris Murphy, Richard Blumenthal, and Chuck Schumer, as well as Congressmen Lee Zeldin, Tom Suozzi, Eliot Engel, and Joe Courtney, and Congresswoman Nita Lowey.

The participating environmental groups included Citizens Campaign for the Environment, Supervisor of Town of Mamaroneck, Save the Sound, Coalition to Save Hempstead Harbor, Hempstead Harbor Protection Committee, Long Island SoundKeeper, Cold Spring Harbor Whaling Museum and Education Center, Friends of the Bay, Construction Industry Council of Westchester & Hudson Valley, Long Island Sound Funders Collaborative, Preserve Plum Island Coalition, The Nature Conversancy, Audubon NY, REI, Sierra Club, Nassau Soil and Water Conservation, and Sound School Regional Vocational Aquaculture Center.

Transitions Saxophone Quartet Performs At Custer

Head on down to the Custer Observatory on December 15 at 6:30 PM for a jazz-infused concert of holiday favorites. Expect everything from Leroy Anderson’s “Sleigh Ride,” to Vince Guaraldi’s music from “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” and even selections from The Nutcracker. These are just a few of the holiday tunes the quartet will play. Weather permitting, there will be a stargazing event
following the jazz arrangements.

The suggested donation is $5 for adults and $3 for children under 12. Tickets can be purchased in advance at http://www.CusterObservatory.org or at the door. The observatory is located at 1115 Main Bayview Road in Southold. 631-765-2626 for more information.

Compiled by Justin Meinken
justin@indyeastend.com