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Long Island Clean Water Symposium: Global Challenges and Local Solutions Conference
Long Island Clean Water Symposium: Global Challenges and Local Solutions Conference Featuring David Sedlak Long Islanders know about the importance of having clean water. Living above a sole source aquifer, we are aware of how essential this resource is for our health, recreational needs and local economy. Understandably, local citizens and researchers have good reason to be concerned about the quality of the water on the island. Thankfully, there are a variety of solutions that will help to meet these challenges. On May 16th, with solutions in mind, Citizens Campaign for the Environment, North Shore Land Alliance and The Nature Conservancy co-hosted the Long Island Clean Water Symposium: Global Challenges and Local Solutions conference at Long Island University in Greenvale. The event was attended by over 100 people. It brought together leaders in the field of water science to discuss water quality and quantity challenges on Long Island. The keynote speaker, David Sedlak, a professor at UC Berkeley, is the author of the books Water 4.0 and Water for All. Dr. Sedlak, an Oyster Bay native, addressed global water issues and the innovative ways cities around the world are using cutting edge solutions to address drought and climate change. Methods include water reuse, net zero design and other sustainable approaches. Other prominent speakers included Adrienne Esposito 22 from Citizens Campaign for the Environment, who discussed drinking water quality. She highlighted the success of efforts to ban 1,4 dioxane in New York State and the need for more work to be done around the elimination of PFAs (also known as “forever chemicals”) in Long Island’s water supply. Dr. Chris Gobler from Stony Brook University made a State of the Bays 2024 presentation focused on his research related to surface water quality and harmful algae blooms. Dr. Gobler demonstrated that excessive nitrogen loading from wastewater is an ongoing threat to coastal ecosystems and human health across Long Island. It is a problem made worse by climate change. He highlighted the importance of upgrading septic systems and cultivating shellfish and kelp to improve water quality. A robust panel discussion ensued focusing on additional solutions that both municipalities and homeowners can use in their roles as decision makers and stewards. The panel included the following members and topics: Brian Schneider, a Program Development Specialist at the U.S. Geological Survey, provided a snapshot of recent aquifer studies conducted by the USGS which will be released Saving Land – Spring/Summer Newsletter 2024later this month. Preliminary findings suggest that our Lloyd Aquifer may be more vulnerable than previously thought. Stay tuned for more information on the health of our sole source aquifer. Lisa Ott, President and CEO at North Shore Land Alliance, explained the important relationship between conserving land and protecting the quality and quantity of local waters. She reviewed basic information about local watersheds and State-designated Special Groundwater Protection Areas. She also encouraged greater advocacy efforts to protect land and water. Rusty Schmidt, a landscape architect from Nelson Pope and Voorhis, provided examples of how rain gardens can capture, treat and infiltrate stormwater runoff to reduce pollution and flooding. They can also be beautiful and add to the attractiveness of a neighborhood. Nancy Seligson, the former Town Supervisor for the Town of Mamaroneck, spoke about steps that local governments can take to address the protection of this essential natural resource. She also shared examples of projects undertaken in Mamaroneck to increase sustainability. Thomas Murphy, the Building Inspector for East Hills, talked about actions his Village has taken to mandate Innovative/Alternative (I/A) septic systems for new construction and major renovations. They have also simplified the permitting process to encourage community members to take part in the program. Derek Betts, District Manager for the Nassau County Soil & Water Conservation District, talked about managing the Septic Environmental Program to Improve Cleanliness (S.E.P.T.I.C.) that provides up to $20,000 to homeowners who are interested in replacing their septic systems. Justin Jobin, Environmental Scientist at Coastal Wastewater Solutions, discussed the success of the S.E.P.T.I.C. that has upgraded over 120 systems throughout Nassau County, along with lessons learned from designing the Suffolk County program. Jennifer Juengst, the Deputy County Executive for Suffolk County, provided an update on the Water Quality Restoration Act bill that will help fund future clean water projects in Suffolk County. If passed by the Governor and approved in the upcoming elections, this bill will provide billions for clean water programs in Long Island. Patti Wood from Grassroots outlined other solutions for homeowners to help conserve water, through measures such as using fertilizers containing less nitrogen, and discussed the success of a recent measure banning artificial turf grass. The Long Island Clean Water Symposium was a successful event that was both educational and action-oriented, providing tools for local citizens and officials to keep Long Island’s water safe for the future.
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The Why’s and How To’s of Land Conservation Featuring Ellen Fred
The Why’s and How To’s of Land Conservation Featuring Ellen Fred On Thursday, April 18, 2024, North Shore Land Alliance hosted two seminars about conservation easements featuring Ellen Fred, a nationally recognized legal expert and Principal with Conservation Partners LLP. She has been a frequent presenter on myriad conservation law topics since 2004, including for the Land Trust Alliance and the California Council of Land Trusts. The morning lecture featured in-depth overviews of conservation easements, drafting and negotiating easement agreements, appraisals/valuations and easement stewardship. Attendees included lawyers, accountants, appraisers, wealth managers, village officials, realtors and landowners. Each component of Ellen’s lecture offered professionals, useful background and insight. CLE credits were offered to lawyers and accountants. The afternoon session, which took place at the Land Alliance office, featured a more intimate roundtable discussion for landowners who were interested in an overview of the easement process and the potential tax advantages available for easement donors. This event showcased the Land Alliance’s commitment to engaging the community in the various elements of land conservation. A cohesive and informed team of professionals, working with interested landowners and a qualified conservation organization, creates a formula for conservation success. Many thanks to all who attended. For more information about conservation easements and the process involved, please contact the Land Alliance at 516-922-1028 or info@northshorelandalliance.org. We will be happy to share Ellen’s presentation with you.
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Tree and Shrub Pruning Workshop with Horticulturist Richard Weir
Tree and Shrub Pruning Workshop with Horticulturist Richard Weir On March 21, 2024, North Shore Land Alliance hosted a workshop for volunteers and homeowners about how to properly prune trees and shrubs. This workshop was led by Richard Weir III, who prior to retirement was the program manager for horticultural and environmental issues for Cornell Cooperative Extension in Nassau County. Richard led the group on a walk around the Humes Preserve, highlighting different tree/shrub species and explaining the whats, whens, wheres, whys and hows associated with pruning. In Richard’s book, Pruning: An Illustrated Guide to Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs, he states that, “Pruning should be viewed as a regular part of a maintenance schedule rather than as a remedial correction of long-neglected problems.” The term pruning refers to the selective removal of plant parts (branches, shoots, etc.) for a reason. Good reasons include maintaining the health of the plant, preventing injury from dead or dying limbs and controlling the size of the plant or maintaining a certain shape. The type of 26 pruning and species you are pruning will determine when it should be done. Here are some basic pruning rules that are helpful for everyone to know. Maintenance Pruning, which is pruning plants in a selective manner to keep shrubs and trees in scale with their surroundings and healthy, should be done in March or April before the plant starts to bud. The plant is still dormant at that time and will heal itself quickly once the spring growth starts. It is important to determine branch configuration/ structure before the leaves come out. You can also prune in late June/July, a time when the major amount of new growth is completed. Rejuvenation pruning, which is harsh and done on overgrown shrubs, must be done in late winter/early spring. Dead or diseased limbs can be removed at any time. Saving Land – Spring/Summer Newsletter 2024When you are cutting back branches, it is important to cut back to a node. A node is the point on the stem or branch where the buds or branching twigs originate. Cutting back a branch to just above the node is important to prevent that section of the branch from dying. The other buds coming from that node will continue to grow into new branches. If a branch is clipped below the node, you leave an internode section that will die and therefore can’t form new buds. Proper pruning requires proper pruning equipment. You will need a sharp pair of bypass hand pruners, a pruning saw and long handled loppers. Richard also recommends a pole pruner for hard-to-reach branches. The choice of tool will be dictated by the part of the plant you are pruning. If it is new growth or thin branches, hand pruners should suffice. If you are working on larger branches, loppers or a pruning saw will be more effective. It is important to remember to clean all of your tool blades with rubbing alcohol after each use to prevent diseases from being transferred from plant to plant. Richard’s advice to homeowners is, “Don’t be hesitant to try pruning your landscape plants, as most of them are very forgiving (even if you make a mistake)”. If you are looking for more information about how to prune your ornamental shrubs, Pruning: An Illustrated Guide to Pruning Ornamental Trees and Shrubs written by Donald A. Rakow and Richard Weir III is available online at www.ccelivingstoncounty.org/ resources/guide-to-pruning-ornamental-trees-shrubs. #gallery-2 { margin: auto; } #gallery-2 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 100%; } #gallery-2 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-2 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */
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A Very Big Deal
The 216-acre Seminary of the Immaculate Conception has been a part of Lloyd Harbor history for centuries. We are very pleased to announce that this incredible natural area filled with mature forest, wetlands and meadows will become a permanent part of our community’s future. Today, thanks to the hard work, determination and generosity of many, a conservation future will be ensured for this local treasure. A partnership among the Seminary, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Village of Lloyd Harbor will permanently protect 200 acres of this extraordinary place for conservation. The transaction closing is expected in early 2024. New York State Parks will purchase 180 acres to be used as a passive preserve, perfect for walkers and birders and all who enjoy the extraordinary benefits of nature. The Village of Lloyd Harbor will purchase 20 acres which contains the Olmsted amphitheater and barn. The Seminary will retain 16 acres for its use as a retreat and conference center. Like most transactions of this size, a deal has been in the making for years. In late 2018, the Land Alliance was pleased to be invited by the Seminary Board to explore a transaction for conservation purposes. At that time, the objective was to protect the property and raise funds to make improvements to the Seminary building. The Land Alliance began by assisting Seminary leaders with mapping the land area, initiating an appraisal to better understand the value of the property and identifying potential conservation funders. Impressively the Town, County, State and Village and several Land Alliance supporters stepped up to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime deal! Then the pandemic hit, the world slowed down and the potential for a transaction became complicated. This historic investment by New York State is the largest open space acquisition ever made on Long Island. The Seminary is listed as a priority project in the New York State Open Space Plan and the Suffolk County Open Space Plan. It also was ranked #1 in priority by the Town of Huntington’s Environment, Open Space and Park Fund Advisory Committee. Its substantial forest and 40+ acres of open fields are like none other left in our North Shore community. In its former life, the estate was developed by Roland Ray Conklin, a descendant of John Conklin (who settled Huntington c. 1640). In 1913, Conklin and his wife, Mary MacFadden, built their grand William Eyre-designed home at what was then called Rosemary Farm. Mrs. Conklin had been involved in the theater in NYC and wanted to create the perfect place for entertaining their friends, who were leading actors, conductors and singers of the day. The result featured an enchanting Olmsted designed open-air theater. Mary died in 1924 and Bishop Thomas E. Molloy, with the support of parishioners, purchased the then 200–acre Rosemary Farm. To accommodate the growing number of men seeking priesthood, the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception was built and formally opened on September 28, 1930. For several decades the Seminary offered master’s degrees and admitted lay students not preparing for ordination. In September 2012, the Diocese of Rockville Centre, the Archdiocese of New York and the Diocese of Brooklyn joined forces to consolidate their educational efforts into a single program at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Yonkers. Since the relocation of the priestly formation program to Yonkers, the Seminary has taken on the role of a retreat house providing opportunities for spiritual enrichment for thousands of New Yorkers, a service they intend to continue for years to come. We couldn’t be more excited about this deal and are so grateful to all who, along the way, played a part in such an optimal outcome. Special thanks to the Seminary for choosing conservation and to New York State, Suffolk County, the Town of Huntington and the Village of Lloyd Harbor for being willing to do everything they could to protect this iconic property. In the end, thanks to the success of Governor Hochul’s 2022 NYS Environmental Bond Act, the State had the funds to acquire the bulk of the property, leaving monies for the County and Town to invest in other open space projects. We couldn’t have asked for a better conservation solution. And, once again, we are proud to be a part of such a generous community who prioritizes nature and the future health of our world.
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Growing Healthy Communities Through Food and Gardening
Cornell Cooperative Extension of Nassau County (CCE-Nassau) and the Land Alliance have teamed up to provide health and wellness programs in partnership with the Land Alliance Roosevelt Community Garden. “We are really excited about this partnership. There is a mountain of research supporting the positive impact that community gardens can have on health and well-being,” says Gregory Sandor, Executive Director of CCE-Nassau. In fact, several studies have shown that engaging with community gardens increases the availability and overall consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables among participants. CCE-Nassau’s Master Gardener, Audrey Thomas, of Roosevelt elaborates, “If you want to eat healthy, you should know the benefits of having fresh vegetables and know how to grow them.” When paired with nutrition education and programming, the impact increases dramatically. Beth Labelson, Registered Dietitian and Nutrition Educator with CCE-Nassau explains, “We see real behavior change among participants in our health and wellness programs. Not only does fruit and vegetable consumption increase among participants, but we also see improved healthy food choices, a willingness to try new foods and an improved awareness about the connections between good health and food.” Teen wellness program in Roosevelt Community Garden called Fuel for Success led by medical students from Hofstra University To this end, CCE-Nassau and the Land Alliance launched a teen wellness program in Roosevelt Community Garden called Fuel for Success. CCE-Nassau’s summer interns, pre-med students from Hofstra University, designed and developed a curriculum geared towards nutrition and fitness as a foundation for health. The students not only engaged participants in fun activities but also incorporated the garden in a recipe demonstration and tasting. “We cannot overstate the impact that community garden-based programs can have on obesity prevention among kids,” continues Labelson. “As we move into the winter months, we hope the partnership will shift to indoor spaces so we don’t lose the momentum we have created.” In fact, the partnership will move indoors to Roosevelt Public Library in October with the launch of Dining With Diabetes. This program pairs education about diabetes self-management with hands-on cooking demonstrations and recipe tasting. The incorporation of culinary skills and recipe tasting into the series has shown an impact beyond that of traditional diabetes education programs. Furthermore, information about participating in community and/or home gardening is woven into the fabric of the curriculum. Conserving our land and connecting people to it is fundamental in supporting the health and well-being of our communities. The interconnection among creating sustainable food systems, promoting land conservation, being stewards of the environment and using nature as an intervention strategy is increasingly being recognized as vital to improving social, emotional, and physical health and well-being. Dining with Diabetes Program in Partnership with CCE-Nassau, Roosevelt Public Library, Roosevelt PTSARecipe Tastings and Vegetable giveawayCooking Demonstrations
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