SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - By 2050 Oceans Will Have More Plastic Than Fish

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

Suffolk Legislator Kara Hahn last month joined with environmentalists and the county’s Single Use Plastic Reduction Task Force in calling for Suffolk to “declare independence” from plastic straws. Given the name “Strawless Suffolk,” it is an important campaign considering, as Ms. Hahn noted, “Every day, Americans discard a half a billion plastic straws, many of which find their way into oceans and inland waterways, which to put in perspective could wrap around the Earth 2.5 times per day.” 

And, as she emphasized, in “Suffolk County, which boasts some of America’s most beautiful beaches, a thousand miles of shoreline, and waterways teaming with marine life, the innocuous plastic straw has become a tangible threat to the county’s tourist-driven economy, littering our beaches with debris and threatening turtles, birds and other marine life.”

Plastic straws are the tip of a plastic iceberg.

A study by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and the World Economic Forum concludes, “If plastic continues to be dumped at its current rate, the oceans will carry more plastic than fish by 2050,” notes the website EcoWatch. And, EcoWatch cites a report of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) that determined “as much as 51 trillion microplastic particles—500 times more than stars in our galaxy—litter our seas.”

Those findings call out to be repeated—“the oceans will carry more plastic than fish by 2050,” and, “as much as 51 trillion microplastic particles—500 times more than stars in our galaxy—litter our seas.” 

Outrageous and totally unacceptable! 

The destruction of marine life from plastic is happening everywhere. Last month, on a beach in Spain, “yet another terrifying reminder of the ocean’s plastic pollution problem, a dead sperm whale has been discovered with 29 kilograms of plastic waste inside its stomach,” reported the website ibelieveinmothernature.com. There was a ghastly photo accompanying the article of the whale, its mouth open revealing loads of plastic. In Thailand in June, a whale was found having died after swallowing 80 plastic bags. Here in Suffolk in June, on the beach at Shinnecock East County Park in Southampton, a leatherback sea turtle was discovered dead last month, believed to have drowned from plastic found in its intestines.

“The planet is on the edge of a global plastic calamity,” was the headline of a June article by Erik Solheim, executive director of UNEP, in The Guardian. It stated, “Now, after a century of unchecked production and consumption, convenience has turned to crisis. Beyond a mere material amenity, today you’ll find plastic where you least expect it, including the foods we eat, the water we drink and the environment in which we live. Once in the environment, it enters our food chain where, increasingly, microplastic particles are turning up in our stomachs, blood and lungs. Scientists are only beginning to study the potential health impacts.”

“Since we began our love affair with this now ubiquitous material, we’ve produced roughly nine billion tonnes of plastic,” said the piece in The Guardian, published in the U.K.  and distributed internationally. “About one-third of this has been single-use, providing a momentary convenience before being discarded. The straw in your average drink will be used for just a few minutes, but in the environment, it will last beyond our lifetimes. In your shopping trolley, a plastic bag will be used for less than an hour, but when they find their way to the ocean they kill more than 100,000 marine animals a year.”

“Current projections show that global plastic production will skyrocket in the next 10-15 years. This year alone, manufacturers will produce an estimated 360 million tonnes. With a booming population driving demand, production is expected to reach 500 million by 2025 and a staggering 619 million tonnes by 2030.”

“Avoiding the worst of these outcomes requires more than awareness,” declared the article. Necessary is a “wholesale rethinking of the way we produce, use and manage plastic.”

Suffolk County has taken some pioneering action on plastic. 

In 2010, a year after the Suffolk Legislature passed a first-in-the-nation law barring the sale here of baby bottles, sippy cups, pacifiers and other products used by children that contain the plasticizing agent Bisophenol-A, acronymed BPA, New York enacted a statewide ban based on the Suffolk model. Other states followed and in 2012 came a federal ban. Research has found BPA to be a cause of cancer and other maladies. It’s especially toxic to youngsters. Grassroots action was key. The Suffolk law stemmed from Legislator Steven Stern being made aware of the dangers of BPA by Karen Joy Miller, founder of Prevention is the Cure, an initiative of the Huntington Breast Cancer Action Coalition.

Far more action against plastic is necessary—worldwide.

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.  

Kings Park Teens Ready For 3rd Nissequogue River Regatta

3rd Annual Nissequogue River Regatta Committee

by Pat Biancaniello

In a world filled with chaos and nastiness there is something satisfying in knowing that the younger generation will step up to the plate in support of their community. It is even more satisfying when those kids are from your town. Earlier this year a group of Kings Park teens committed to raising funds for the Nissequogue River Regatta to showcase the Nissequogue River State Park. This is the third group of Kings Park teens who have volunteered to run this event which began in 2016. This year’s regatta has three co-presidents Emily Dinan, Caleigh Lynch and Juliana Quigley. John McQuaid, president of the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation, provides guidance to the teens but is hands off when it comes to their decision making.

Competitive participants 2016Early in March the teens came together as part of the Nissequogue River State Park Foundation’s student board and began planning the 3rd Nissequogue River Regatta. A tremendous undertaking which involved selecting a date, checking tides, filing permits, negotiating costs for kayak and canoe rentals, T-Shirts and flyers, soliciting sponsors and donations, marketing and advertising, planning a barbecue, purchasing supplies and of course recruiting participants. 

On Saturday, August 11th (raindate Sunday, August 12th) they will see their efforts become reality. 

Kayaking on the Nissequogue River Aug.6thWeather permitting at 11a.m. the  3rd Nissequogue River Regatta will commence and participants in kayaks, canoes and paddle boards will begin a much anticipated friendly trip around a 5 mile course and for the more experienced 10 mile course. Although registration is required participants may rent a kayak/canoe or bring their own. Participants can be as competitive or leisurely as they like. Upon completion of the race there will be food and music.

With months of planning behind them the student board is focused on making this a successful event that reflects their passion for the park that is in their hometown. 

Nissequogue River State Park is located at 799 Saint Johnland Road in Kings Park. The race is sponsored by the Reichert Family, owners of IGAs in Fort Salonga and E.Northport.

Friday, August 10th is the last day to register for the Regatta. 

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - At Long Last Tesla Will Be Recognized In Suffolk

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

By Karl Grossman

“Nikola Tesla: Who Was He?” was the title of a presentation given last week at the Suffolk County Historical Society by Jane Alcorn, president of the board of the Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, about Tesla, a genius inventor who worked here in Suffolk.

Ms. Alcorn has led the drive to preserve Tesla’s only remaining laboratory, an elegant red brick building in Shoreham designed by Tesla’s friend, famed architect Stanford White. 

Alongside the laboratory was a giant tower, and Tesla’s “plan and dream was to use it to provide wireless electricity—for free—to people around the world,” explained Ms. Alcorn.

Last month, the laboratory was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

And nearly $6 million has been raised so far in the preservation effort—including a $1 million contribution from Elon Musk, the manufacturer of Tesla cars, named for the inventor.

Ms. Alcorn, long a teacher and librarian, herself from Shoreham, on Thursday evening at the Historical Society in Riverhead, spoke of Tesla being of Serbian background, born in what is now Croatia, coming to the United States in 1884 to work under Thomas Edison. 

Tesla’s father was an Eastern Orthodox priest and his mother “very inventive and creative,” said Ms. Alcorn. Tesla “followed in her footsteps” in terms of his “inventive and creative qualities.” Tesla, meanwhile, “poured over” his father’s collection of books. 

The relationship with Edison didn’t work out. In part, that involved a conflict over electric systems—Edison advocating direct current and Tesla the father of alternating current which, in fact, is the system that the world ultimately adopted.

And Tesla was responsible for a great deal more in the way of inventions. 

Guglielmo Marconi is generally credited with originating radio, but the U.S. Supreme Court, after Tesla’s death, determined that much of Marconi’s work was based on 17 Tesla patents. Tesla was involved in the development of fluorescent lighting, robotics and forms of remote control, the bladeless turbine, the AC induction motor, and on and on. In all, Tesla held 299 patents. 

He was a “visionary” with ideas that would revolutionize the world. He came to Shoreham at the turn of the last century to focus on the wireless transmission of power. 

He envisioned that not only radio signals but electricity could be sent far distances—by linking into the resonance of the Earth.

Across from the Long Island Rail Road station in Shoreham he built his laboratory, with a rail spur to it used to bring in construction material. Alongside the laboratory, with its ornate windows and graceful grillwork, he built a 187-foot high tower. Sadly, it was torn down in 1917.

I wrote and presented a TV program on Tesla’s laboratory in 2010 which aired on WVVH-TV and can now be viewed on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_H-UBvdPta 

The foundation for the tower—which is featured in the program—are granite slabs in an octagonal shape. And there are steel posts and a large mound marking its location.  Below is said to be—radiating like spokes on a wheel—copper-lined tunnels, each high enough for a person to walk through, and a shaft connecting 120 feet to the aquifer below. 

When it was put in operation, said Ms. Alcorn last week, there were sparks emanating from the tower “that could be seen as far away as Connecticut.” 

“Tesla believed in raising the masses,” said Ms. Alcorn, and if electricity could be “wirelessly” transmitted, people all over the world “would be able to tap into it.”

The tower project, however, was curtailed when financier J.P. Morgan, an initial supporter, became disinterested in it. As part of the restoration of the Tesla laboratory, Ms. Alcorn said the hope is for construction of a “replica” of the tower.

Tesla died of heart failure in 1943, in the New Yorker Hotel in Manhattan. He was 86. gHe had been living meagerly on assistance from family members and a pension from the Yugoslavian government. He is regarded as a giant in that part of the world. Indeed, double-checking on the URL on YouTube of my TV program, I see that it has been translated for people in that region.

And, at long last, Tesla will be well-recognized here in Suffolk.

The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe will be a memorial to Tesla and his work and, also, as the website of the non-profit center—http://www.teslasciencecenter.org/—states, it will be “a place dedicated to science education and to introducing visitors to the rich scientific opportunities on Long Island. This center and museum would complement the educational efforts of the schools within this region as well as the community outreach activities of other prominent science institutions. It would also look to provide possible space for fledgling companies engaged in scientific research.”

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.  

Boy Scout Troop 343 Holds Court of Honor and 50 Year Anniversary Reunion

Boy Scout Troop 343 Holds Court of Honor and 50 Year Anniversary Reunion

By Phyllis  Stein

A special Court of Honor which recognized 50 continuous years of service to the youth of the Hauppauge area was held by Boy Scout Troop 343 on June 3 in St. Thomas More R.C. Church (Hauppauge)’s Community Room. The gathering recognized not only the current Boy Scouts but was also an opportunity to showcase their skills to those who had preceded in this Boy Scout Troop’s history as the scouts had created a projected slide show of historical troop photos and listing/photos of the 104 Eagle Scout Community service projects.

Said current Scoutmaster Guy DiSilvio, “Over 100 scouting families past and present joined us to celebrate the history and people of our Troop. We recognized several 

Current and past volunteer scouting leaders (with Committee Chairs, Scoutmasters, Assistant Scoutmasters, and Committee Members) at the Boy Scout Troop 343 (Hauppauge)’s 50th Anniversary Reunion (Troop 343 – group 3.jpg) – Pam Linden photoIndividuals who throughout the years have been there for the Troop and more importantly our Scouts. Appreciation Awards were given to Troop 343’s Assistant Scoutmaster Phyllis Stein, Troop 343 Advancement Chair Stan Lamberg, Troop 343 Committee Member and Anniversary Gathering Committee Chair Donna Sparacino, Matinecock District Unit Commissioner/ Assistant Scoutmaster Paul Merget, and Joe Beltrani, our Organizational Representative for more than 40 years.  The event had an Eagle Scout Rededication, food, skits performed by the current patrols of scouts, and tables on tables of Troop memorabilia, a special Troop 343 (BSA) 50^th Anniversary commemorative patch for the scouts and alumni, and most of all a good time was had by all”

A series of “down memory lane” tables had been set up, with photos, photo albums, a patch blanket, the original hand-embroidered Troop 343 neckerchief, along with copies of letters and e-mails from all of that had responded, filling in the gaps of what the past scouts and adult scouting volunteers up to and their fondest memories of being in the troop. The scouts who had been in Troop 343 as youths are now teachers, doctors, accountants and businessmen, police and fire fighters, members of the military (including those on active duty and in the NASA space program).  Also on display were also books with the letters of congratulations from dignitaries, and these will be presented to the troop historian to bring back to the 55^th reunion for all to view once again. In recognition of Troop 343’s anniversary year and the dedication of the youth members, Suffolk County Legislators John Kennedy and Tom Cilmi presented proclamations to the Troop.  

One of the highlights of the evening during the Boy Scout Troop 343 (Hauppauge)’s 50th Anniversary Reunion included presentation by George Smith, District Commissioner of the Matinecock District (BSA) with the Matinecock District’s Spark Plug Awards to Assistant Scoutmaster Sal Sr. Sparacino and Committee Member Donna Sparacino for their dedication and devoted volunteer work on behalf of the scouts in Troop 343 over a decade of service. Highlights of the evening included presentation by George Smith, District Commissioner of the Matinecock District (BSA) with the Matinecock District’s Spark Plug Awards to Assistant Scoutmaster Sal Sr. Sparacino and Committee Member Donna Sparacino for their dedication and devoted volunteer work on behalf of the scouts in Troop 343 over a decade of service.  There was also a slideshow of 50 years of photos of Troop 343 events and Boy Scouts on camping trips, working on community service and Eagle Scout projects, and at troop meetings as well as funds that were raised for a Boy Scout College Scholarship for a graduating member of Troop 343. 

At the 45^th reunion (held in 2013), there were 17 of the then-86 Eagle Scouts in the troop At the 2018’s 50^th anniversary reunion of Troop 343’s continuous service the Hauppauge community, 38 of the 104 Eagle Scouts who were able to join us (including Eagle Scout #1), took the time to speak to the audience of scouts and their family members about their memories and experiences in scouting with this Hauppauge Boy Scout Troop during the afternoon and dinner time.  Eagle Scout Robert Borowski, the troop’s first to reach the rank of Eagle Scout in 1972, spoke for all the Eagles to the current troop members, charging them to enjoy and learn in the scouting program, to make the most of their time in the troop and in all their scouting experiences, “where you will find that this is where the best friendships and memories of your youth are made.” Flanked by the Troop 343 Eagle Scout Plaques, with all their names engraved on brass plates with the date they had earned their Eagle Scout Rank, Troop 343’s Eagle Scouts lined up and participated in the special Eagle Scout Rededication Ceremony — which is a part of every Eagle Court of Honor. Eagle Scout #104 will have his Eagle Court of Honor in October, 2018 and the 37 previous Eagles hope to attend this celebration.

A Gathering of Eagles — 38 of the troop’s 104 Eagle Scouts were able to join Troop 343 at the 50th reunion celebration. Flanked by the Troop 343 Eagle Scout Plaques (with all their names engraved on brass plates with the date they had earned their Eagle Scout Rank), and coming from as close as Hauppauge to as far away as California, Troop 343’s Eagle Scouts lined up and participated in the special Eagle Scout Rededication Ceremony — which is a part of every Eagle Court of Honor. (jpg 0955)During the evening’s celebrations and reunions, one of the previous troop members observed how “some things never change” as the current crop of scouts cleaned up the church’s community room, following the dinner.  Said previous Scoutmaster Norman Andina, “The best part of this reunion weekend’s gathering has been the interactions and discussions and sharing of ideas between the all of the  scouts — the current youths and the “older members” who had been active in the 1970’s and 1980’s and 1990’s — and all of the comments on how scouting with Boy Scout Troop 343 of Hauppauge has made (and is still making) a difference in their lives today, that they are still  being involved in Troop 343’s history and in continuing this fine heritage as we head into the future with the “current crop” of Boy Scouts.”

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP - The Last Straw

SUFFOLK CLOSEUP

Karl Grossman

On Independence Day week last month, Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn joined  with environmentalists and the county’s Single Use Plastic Reduction Task Force in calling for Suffolk to “declare independence” from plastic straws.

Given the name “Strawless Suffolk,” the initiative aims to “convince” restaurants in waterfront Suffolk communities “to take a pledge this summer to stop using plastic straws.”

A statement by Ms. Hahn, the environmentalists and the task force—established by the Suffolk Legislature in March by a resolution authored by Ms. Hahn—said: “Restaurants that agree to take this pledge will be provided with a decal to identify the establishments as a ‘Strawless Suffolk’ participating restaurant.”

“To be eligible for recognition, restaurants can elect to pursue one or all of three scenarios: stop using straws completely; provide biodegradable straws made from paper or bamboo upon request; and/or provide reusable straws made of stainless steel or glass.”

It went on: “In Suffolk County, which boasts some of America’s most beautiful beaches, a thousand miles of shoreline, and waterways teaming with marine life, the innocuous plastic straw has become a tangible threat to the county’s tourist-driven economy, littering our beaches with debris and threatening turtles, birds and other marine life.”

“Every day, Americans discard a half a billion plastic straws, many of which find their way into oceans and inland waterways, which to put in perspective could wrap around the Earth 2.5 times per day. What’s more, nearly 90% of all marine debris is made of plastic, including plastic straws,” it stated.

The situation calls for, indeed, the last straw.

As Ms. Hahn and the environmentalists were announcing the initiative here, Seattle became the first major U.S. city to ban plastic straws. Also prohibited in Seattle now are plastic food utensils.

There needs to be a broad attack on single-use plastic. Other than profiting the plastics industry, single-use plastics are unnecessary. 

When used in connection with food, a human health issue is involved. Beth Fiteni, a member of the county’s Single Use Plastic Reduction Task Force and executive director of the organization Green Inside and Out, points out that “plastic is made from petroleum and may potentially leach hormone-disrupting chemicals…Since there are paper alternatives and even reusable glass or metal alternatives, there really is no need for these useless bits of plastic.”

As to what is preferable—an effort to “convince” restaurants on straws or, as Seattle has done, outlaw plastic straws, I would go with the latter—considering the huge problem plastic straws have become in Suffolk along with the rest of the nation and world. 

“A video that went viral in 2015 of a sea turtle getting a bloody straw removed from its nostril helped spur some of the growing momentum to ban or limit plastic straws in many cities, states, countries, or businesses,” reported the Christian Science Monitor in an article in June. It was headlined: “Ditching straws to save sea life.”

It quoted Dianna Cohen, chief executive officer of the Plastic Pollution Coalition, as saying: “Plastic straws [can be] the gateway, the beginning to raise awareness or open your eyes about single-use plastic…We’re really hoping that we create a system shift.” 

The piece went on relating the argument that “the rate at which straws are currently ending up on beaches and in the ocean demands action.”

“During the International Coastal Cleanup, a day in September when communities around the world head out to clean up beaches, 3 million straws have been collected over the past five years,” according to Nicholas Mallos, director of the Ocean Conservancy’s Trash Free Seas program, said the piece.

Legislator Hahn, a Setauket Democrat, says: “The beauty of our beaches and natural landscape is what drives Suffolk County’s estimated $5.6 billion tourist economy. And yet, all over the county, our beaches and parks are littered with plastic straws and other plastic debris. 

What’s even more distressing is the suffering these useless bits of plastic inflict on vulnerable wildlife. Suffolk is joining the worldwide movement to save our oceans and beaches, starting right here at home.”

Working with Ms. Hahn is the Surfrider Foundation’s Eastern Long Island Chapter  which in May launched a “Strawless Summer” campaign. Colleen Henn, its clean water coordinator and also a member of the Single Use Plastic Reduction Task Force, comments that “we have been overwhelmed by the acceptance and success of our initiative. We are heartened to be working alongside Suffolk Legislator Hahn and a coalition of organizations to implement a county-wide ‘Strawless Suffolk.’ Surfrider hopes that this movement will encourage a deeper dialogue about reducing the prevalence of single-use plastics in our daily lives.”

Karl Grossman is a veteran investigative reporter and columnist, the winner of numerous awards for his work and a member of the L.I. Journalism Hall of Fame. He is a professor of journalism at SUNY/College at Old Westbury and the author of six books.