Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn last month introduced a package of bills aimed at reducing plastic litter countywide. (more…)
Tag: environment
Group for the East End unveiled a website last Thursday that’s designed to get the public more engaged in conservation efforts. READ
Congressman Lee Zeldin (R-Shirley) on Monday called on his colleagues in Congress to ensure continued funding for the Long Island Sound and National Estuary programs in upcoming appropriations votes.
That the Environmental Protection Agency appears ready to allow dumping of materials dug up from dredging in Long Island Sound didn’t come as a surprise to environmentalist Adrienne Esposito. READ
Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced a $6 million plan to comprehensively study Long Island’s water quality problems. READ
Will recent bans on single-use plastic bag in Southampton and East Hampton towns inspire more local municipalities — including those on the North Fork — to follow suit?
Probably not, it seems.
For homeowners interested in a more environmentally friendly septic system, Peconic Green Growth is offering to install eight alternative recharge dispersal fields as part of a pilot program with Suffolk County. READ
A view of Flanders Bay Saturday afternoon. (Credit: Rachel Young)
Update Monday 2:30 p.m.: A state pathology lab investigating the die-off of dozens of turtles in Peconic Bay has found marine biotoxins are likely the cause.
Though findings from a necropsy were “nonspecific” — meaning the turtle’s death could not be directly cited to the presence of the red tide byproduct saxitoxin — testing on the contents of the turtle’s intestines was inconclusive but revealed that saxitoxin may have been present, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said.
“Circumstantial evidence is consistent with the terrapins being poisoned with saxitoxin,” said state spokesperson Lori Severino. “If additional terrapin carcasses are found, [the] DEC will test them as well in an effort to confirm the cause of deaths in this terrapin die-off.”
Turtle Rescue of the Hamptons executive director Karen Testa had told the News-Review the group was hoping the turtles had been killed because of the harsh winter and not the toxin. She said the poisoned turtles may have been just coming out of hibernation when they ate the toxic shellfish.
“What that does is it paralyzes them and they would just drown. It’s a horrible death, “she said. “They get their first meal and its poison. It’s horrible.”
Original story: Flanders Bay and western Shinnecock Bay have been added to the list of local waterbodies where the harvesting of shellfish is temporarily prohibited due to unusually high toxin levels, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation announced Saturday.
Three area creeks were also shut down by the state in the last two weeks. (more…)