FLPG Celebrates Dragonfly Day with Cleanup Projects at Vineyard Field and Slade Pond
On Saturday, June 12, FLPG volunteers did double duty in honor of Dragonfly Day: in Vineyard Field, they continued the ‘Adopt a Patch’ project by cutting back invasive autumn olive shrubs; at Slade Pond, they spent time removing Japanese knotweed, another invasive species that crowds and shades out native vegetation, reducing species diversity, altering natural ecosystems, and negatively impacting wildlife habitat. In New York State, Dragonfly Day is an opportunity to hold educational events to increase awareness of the value of wetlands and encourage communities to adopt climate change adaptation strategies. Would you like to adopt a patch in Vineyard Field? Contact Dai Dayton:631-745-0689.
Motorists Should be on the Alert for Turtles Crossing the Road
Our native turtles have been on the move in May and June, seeking sandy areas or loose soil to lay their eggs. In New York, thousands of turtles are killed each year when they are struck by vehicles as they migrate to their nesting areas.
What you can do to help if you see a turtle in the road:
Slow down to avoid hitting it with your car.
If you can safely stop, consider moving the turtle to the shoulder of the road in the direction it was facing.
Picking up the turtle by its tail may frighten or injure it. Most turtles can be picked up by the sides of the shell.
Use caution when moving snapping turtles; either pick her up at the rear of the shell near the tail using two hands or slide a car mat under the turtle to drag her across the road.
Please do not take turtles home. All native turtles are protected by law and cannot be kept without a permit. All 11 species of land turtles native to New York are declining – even the loss of one mature female can negatively impact the local population.
This snapping turtle was seen crossing Toppings Path on June 3. The snapping turtle, Chelydra Serpentina, is one of the largest turtles in North America and is the official reptile of New York State. Omnivores that also eat carrion, snapping turtles live from 30-40 years and can be found throughout the Long Pond Greenbelt. They spend most of their lives in the water and avoid confrontation but will snap at anything they find threatening.
Memories
by Jim Ash
Co-Founder and Past Director
South Fork Natural History Museum
Recently, I was reminiscing about Poxabogue Pond and how it used to be back in the 1970's. Back then, a springtime walk to the pond was, for a naturalist/birder, truly a transformative experience. In addition to the chorus of singing migrant and local breeding woodland birds, there was a cacophony of sound coming from the pond itself. At that time, the pond was almost completely surrounded by cattail marsh. In that marsh, were breeding Swamp Sparrows, Virginia Rails, Sora Rails, Least Bitterns, Pied Billed Grebes, and an assortment of frogs, all lending their voice to the mix. I would sit by the pond for an hour or so, listening to the dry trill of the Swamp Sparrow, the explosive outbursts of Virginia Rails, the plaintive ker-wee of the Sora, and the rapid coo-coo-coo of a Least Bittern (which is reminiscent of the song of a Black Billed Cuckoo, only faster). My favorite, however, was the Pied Billed Grebe; the first time you unexpectedly hear one your reaction is -- what in the world is that? I can think of no onomatopoeia to describe it. I suggest you Google it and listen for yourself.
All of this was accompanied by booming Bull Frogs, the loose banjo string plunk of Green Frogs, and the exuberant songs of a multitude of Red Winged Blackbirds. If I sat still long enough, I would sometimes get a look at one of the secretive rails or bitterns, but the grebes would swim around out in the open, singing their raucous songs for all the world to see and hear. For me, it was pure heaven.
Sadly, none of this exists today. In the late 70's or early 80's, I don’t quite remember when, there was a chemical spill from a collapsing wooden slatted tank truck in an adjacent farm field. The herbicide drained into Poxabogue Pond and killed all of the cattails. When the vegetation in the pond recovered some years later, unfortunately the cattails were replaced by invasive non-native Phragmites. Phragmites are not suitable for most of what was there before. Currently, it is almost impossible to find the birds that bred at Poxabogue Pond back then breeding on the South Fork. Needless to say, I yearn for the days when one could sit by Poxabogue Pond on a bright sunny morning in the springtime and listen to the sounds of nature in all her glory.
Upcoming Events in July
Important: Maximum 25 attendees - to register, please email or call (as noted in event detail). Priority at all events given to 2021 FLPG Members. Dress appropriately for ticks.
Sunday, July 4 – LPG Grassland to Grassland Hike. 8:00AM-9:30AM. Join us on a moderately-paced 2-mile hike to Vineyard Field with pond views. Meet at Poxabogue Park south of railroad trestle on Old Farm Road in Bridgehampton. Leader: Dai Dayton, 631-745-0689.
Monday, July 12 – Monthly Meeting. 6:00PM. All are welcome. If interested, contact Dai Dayton at [email protected]or 631-745-0689 for Zoom link.
Saturday, July 17 –Old Farm Road Cleanup. 8:00AM-9:00AM. Help clean up the roadside along FLPG’s adopted road. Meet at Poxabogue Park, 191 Old Farm Rd, Sagaponack. Bring gloves, bags provided. For more info contact Peter Wilson, 631-553-1393.
Friday, July 23 – Full Buck Moon Hike. 8:30PM-9:30PM. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt (FLPG) and South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo). Join FLPG & SoFoon a leisurely-paced hike through open-field trails. The July full moon is named the “Buck Moon” as it is normally the month when the new antlers of buck deer push out of their foreheads in coatings of velvety fur. Meet at the SoFo Museum parking lot, 377 Bridgehampton Turnpike, 200 yards north of the RR tracks. To register email: [email protected].
Leader: Dai Dayton, 631-745-0689.
Saturday, July 24 – Hike to the Truman Capote Stone, 9:00AM-10:30AM. Meet at the Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center, 1061 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike for a moderately-paced 3-mile hike through oak/hickory forest with views of Crooked Pond and Deers Hole. Leader: Dai Dayton, 631-745-0689.
Our 2021 Membership Drive is Underway
It's Time to Renew!
Suggested annual membership donations. More or less is welcome.
1-year Individual: $ 25.00
1-year Family: $ 40.00
Individual Lifetime: $250.00
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