Health & Environment

News
07/17/14 3:00pm

‘Focus on Nature’ archive lives on after its author

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07/17/2014 3:00 PM
Outdoors
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Paul Stoutenburgh once wrote in his 'Focus on Nature' column that standing beneath the Great Arches of Utah made him feel 'humble and proud of this great country of ours.'

Paul Stoutenburgh once wrote in his ‘Focus on Nature’ column that standing beneath the Great Arches of Utah made him feel ‘humble and proud of this great country of ours.’

For those who never visited the East End of Long Island half a century ago, imagine two arms of verdant rolling hills jutting into the Atlantic, embracing islands, inlets and marshes teeming with crabs, clams, fish and birds. At least that’s the East End local wildlife expert Paul Stoutenburgh described when he began writing his weekly newspaper column, “Focus on Nature,” for The Suffolk Times and Riverhead News-Review.  (more…)

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Health
07/16/14 7:00am

Help your neighbor recover from surgery with a letter

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07/16/2014 7:00 AM
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Michael Petroski

Michael Petroski

When asked what her son Michael would like most to help him recover from bladder and colon surgery Wednesday, Kathy Petroski made a simple request. 

She said Michael, a 2014 graduate of Riverhead High School who suffers from spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, wants nothing more than to receive a few letters.  (more…)

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Environment
07/14/14 2:31pm

Longtime North Fork environmentalist Paul Stoutenburgh, 92, dies

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07/14/2014 2:31 PM
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Paul and Barbara Stoutenburgh being interviewed in their Cutchogue home in 2011. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch, file)

Paul and Barbara Stoutenburgh being interviewed in their Cutchogue home in 2011. (Credit: Barbaraellen Koch, file)

When Paul Stoutenburgh was a boy roaming the fields of Cutchogue and fishing in its creeks, it would have been impossible to imagine the impact he’d one day have on the region’s precious natural resources.

But given the gift of hindsight last year, at a ceremony renaming Arshamomaque Pond Preserve in Mr. Stoutenburgh’s honor, county Legislator Al Krupski did his part to put it in perspective.

“He helped change the culture of the town,” Mr. Krupski said of the longtime environmentalist. “He really had a vision of the town going into the future.”

Mr. Stoutenburgh, a longtime Cutchogue resident, died at his home Sunday surrounded by family members. He was 92.

(more…)

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Health
07/12/14 4:00pm

Health Column: A foolish common cure for a jellyfish sting

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07/12/2014 4:00 PM
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If you get stung by a jellyfish, choose your remedy wisely. (Credit: NVTOfficeClips)

If you get stung by a jellyfish, choose your remedy wisely. (Credit: NVTOfficeClips)

The next time a friend makes his way up from the bay, writhing in pain from a jellyfish sting, do him a favor and keep your bottoms buttoned. The widely known fix of peeing on a jellyfish sting to stop the pain is nothing but a myth, and could actually intensify the pain, medical professionals say.

(more…)

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Health
07/11/14 9:00pm

Health Beat: PBMC hosting epilepsy support group July 14

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07/11/2014 9:00 PM
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• Peconic Bay Medical Center in Riverhead will host an epilepsy support group Monday, July 14, from 7 to 8 p.m. in conference room A on the second floor. The group provides encouragement, acceptance, comfort and empowerment. Patients, friends and family are all welcome. For information, or to recommend a speaker, contact Charlie Petersen at CharliePete711@aol.com or 728-2804.

• Jim Fogarty of resident services has been named July’s employee of the month at Peconic Landing in Greenport. In a release, director of resident services Diane Radigan cited Mr. Fogarty’s “skill and patience” and said he responds intuitively to residents’ needs, from helping to carry groceries to offering a welcoming smile.

“Jim deftly manages all issues related to transportation and hospitality and, when challenges arise, he steps up to be part of the solution,” she said.

• Cutchogue New Suffolk Library will host a free lecture, ‘Tick-Borne Disease: What You Need to Know,’ sponsored by Southampton Hospital, on Tuesday, July 15, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Dr. George Dempsey of the hospital’s Tick-Borne Disease Resource Center will review the variety of illnesses and ticks common on the East End and discuss symptoms, diagnostic tests and available treatment options. To register, call the library at 734-6360.

• Licensed practical nurse Patty Witzke has been named employee of the month for July at San Simeon by the Sound Center for Nursing, Rehabilitation and Adult Day Health Care, where she has worked for 37 years. In a release, assistant director of nursing Betsy Dzenkowski described her as “reliable and dedicated.”

Added a co-worker, “Patty is someone you can always count on. She is a professional who loves her job.”

“Patience, caring and compassion,” Ms. Witzke said, are the key to life and “help you appreciate people even more.”

• Radiation oncologist Isamettin Aral, M.D., will present a free lecture about ‘The Importance of Radiation Oncology for Breast Cancer Survivors’ on Saturday, July 19, from 10 a.m. to noon at Riverhead Free Library. A light breakfast will be served.

• Weekly Al-Anon meetings take place on the North Fork on the following schedule: Monday at 7 p.m. and Tuesday at noon at Cutchogue Presbyterian Church; Wednesday at 7 p.m. at First Universalist Church, Southold; and Thursday at 7 p.m. (open adult child meeting) At Church of the Redeemer, Mattituck.

To send Health Beat news, email dfates@timesreview.com, fax to 298-3287, or mail to Times/Review Newspapers, P.O. Box 1500, Mattituck, NY 11952. Copy deadline: Friday at 5 p.m. to appear the following week.

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Agriculture
07/11/14 8:00am

Kelp, a slippery seaweed, could be major moneymaker

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Aquaculturist Bren Smith of Thimble Island Oyster Company in Connecticut is the first sugar kelp grower to cultivate the sea vegetable from Long Island Sound waters. He is working with food industry insiders, including expert chefs from New York City, and international supermarket chains to help drive market demand for domestically grown kelp products. (Credit: Bren Smith)

Aquaculturist Bren Smith of Thimble Island Oyster Company in Connecticut is the first sugar kelp grower to cultivate the sea vegetable from Long Island Sound waters. He is working with food industry insiders, including expert chefs from New York City, and international supermarket chains to help drive market demand for domestically grown kelp products. (Credit: Bren Smith)

It’s a delicacy Asian cultures have enjoyed for centuries but is more commonly thought of as the slippery — and sometimes slimy — brown stuff that grows naturally in area waters and then washes up on beaches.

And one day, it could be a major moneymaker for the North Fork.  (more…)

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Health
07/10/14 4:44pm

PBMC honors Jesse, beloved therapy dog

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07/10/2014 4:44 PM
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Sue Condreras of Northville (in navy) with PBMC officials during a memorial ceremony Thursday afternoon. (Credit: Carrie Miller)

Sue Condreras of Northville (kneeling) with PBMC officials during a memorial ceremony Thursday afternoon. (Credit: Carrie Miller)

Peconic Bay Medical Center caregivers spent time Thursday afternoon memorializing a caregiver of its own — a six-year-old German shepherd named Jesse — who had dedicated her life to helping others.  (more…)

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