The owners of a former sand mine in Calverton must pay $5,000 in fines and $15,000 to the Long Island Groundwater Study under the terms of a consent order issued recently by the state Department of Environmental Conservation. READ
Environment
In the early morning of April 16, Mike Bottini received a call about a dead animal in the turning lane on Route 58 in Riverhead, between Pulaski Street and Osborn Avenue.
That animal turned out to be a river otter, a species once thought not to inhabit Long Island at all but which has been seen in the area increasingly in recent years. The dead animal in the road was as good an indication as any that the otters have indeed moved out to the North Fork. READ
The southern pine beetle has ripped across Long Island and is now a major threat to the Pine Barrens.
The Suffolk County Parks Department received three grants totaling $225,000 to tackle the problem in January 2017, but the threat continues to spread, officials said during a press conference at Hubbard County Park in Flanders. More than 20,000 trees have died as a result of the beetle across the county, officials said. READ
Group for the East End unveiled a website last Thursday that’s designed to get the public more engaged in conservation efforts. READ
Suffolk County offered a tour Wednesday of local homes where advanced onsite wastewater have been installed.
It’s part of the county’s effort to encourage homeowners to update their septic systems to significantly reduce nitrogen output, which puts the health of ecosystems and humans at risk. READ
The Peconic Estuary Program is seeking the public’s input on its Comprehensive Conservation Management Plan, which hasn’t seen updates since it was approved in 2001.
The CCMP is the blueprint for how the program focuses its resources to protect and restore the estuary, which stretches east from the headwaters of the Peconic River and includes several bays, ending at Block Island Sound. — READ
Saying that PSEG-Long Island subcontractors threw an active osprey nest in Riverside onto the ground after telling the state Department of Environmental Conservation that the nest was inactive, some residents are prepared to march in protest Saturday unless PSEG puts up a replacement pole for the birds. READ
For residents in Southampton Town, there’s still time to sign up for the Great East End Clean-Up, a volunteer-based program to remove litter and debris from town roads, parks, trails and beaches.
The 2018 Great East End Clean-Up, organized by Councilwoman Christine Scalera, will take place on Saturday, April 21 and Sunday, April 22. READ
