Thank you. Glad we are having a group discussion so we can make sure everyone is on the same page. It's detrimental to the cause if everyone has different talking points.
I suggest, in writing the council persons, to also include a specific memory from one of your visits. Seeing a new species for the first time, watching fawns feeding, or even spending quality time with family members and meeting new friends. Particularly so if you are a Riverhead resident who has voting power. On Tue, Aug 9, 2016 at 5:05 PM Aaron Virgin <eastendbir...@gmail.com> wrote: > Michael, Luke and NYS Birders: > > Thank you for bringing up EPCAL on the NYS List. We at the Group share > your frustration and bewilderment with some of the inconsistent messaging > coming from members of Riverhead Town Council and the Riverhead Town Police > Department. For the past few months we have maintained a positive dialogue > with Sean Walter, Riverhead Town Supervisor, regarding total preservation > of the grasslands, runways and some neighboring areas at EPCAL. The main > issue here is (grasslands) management, which the Town has not taken the > initiative to do to date. If you have visited lately you will notice the > pitch pine encroaching into the grassland habitat due to a lack of mowing > during the past decade. To his credit, Supervisor Walter has publicly > declared for several years that he wanted a "group", such as an NGO, to > manage the grasslands portion, however to his discredit there has never > been a formal announcement, aka request for proposals, seeking such > assistance. He has also been against there NYS DEC having very much > involvement in management ... until very recently. > > In May, leadership from Group for the East End and Eastern Long Island > Audubon Society (ELIAS) had a very productive meeting with senior DEC > Region 1 staff and NYS Senate and Assembly members and staff to develop a > longterm grasslands/wildlife management solution. We are using the > Shawangunk Grasslands NWR as a model since there are many similarities. > Funding is the key and we are working on a few sources to make this a > reality. However, this will not solve the access problem immediately. > > *At this point the best thing anyone on this list can do is contact the > Riverhead Town Council.* Below are the emails for each, except > Supervisor Walter who has a slight aversion to email. He may take your > call if you wish to speak with him and if you do please let him and each > council member know that EPCAL is a vital resource for wildlife year-round > and an important destination for birders, wildlife photographers, and > nature enthusiasts in general. Remind them that we visit their delis, farm > stands, buy gas, etc. From my experience, government officials take a > surge of phone calls and emails very seriously and often base their > decisions on feedback from not only their electorate but those making the > most noise. > > Sean Walter - call: (631) 727-3200 x251 (email is not a viable option) > John Dunleavy - dunle...@townofriverheadny.gov > James Wooten - woo...@townofriverheadny.gov > Jodi Giglio - gig...@townofriverheadny.gov > Tim Hubbard - hubb...@townofriverheadny.gov > > If you would like additional info or ways to get more involved in EPCAL, > kindly email me directly. Thank you. > > Best regards, > Aaron > > > *Aaron Virgin* > Vice President | Group for the East End > Office: 631-765-6450 x218 > Mobile: 631-377-1303 > Email: acvir...@eastendenvironment.org <jhartna...@eastendenvironment.org> | > Web: www.GroupfortheEastEnd.org <http://www.groupfortheeastend.org/> > > *Protecting the nature of the place **you love* > > > On Tue, Aug 9, 2016 at 12:24 PM, <leorm...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Michael, >> >> Thanks for raising the issue again. I had hoped to make progress, but >> sadly Sean Walters won re-election and continues his absurd (and silly) >> stance. >> >> The good news is, from what I understand, Supervisor Walters and >> Councilwoman Giglio are getting along well lately and Councilwoman Giglio >> can be an asset to our "plight". I have spoken to her many times about >> EPCAL and bird watching, she understands that people really enjoy it and >> she drives through there very often. >> >> The last communications I had were essentially "going in the runway is >> trespassing, we have no official policy, it's the only way to prevent drag >> racing etc etc". >> >> Obviously, that is all BS. There are many ideas I raised that received no >> response. They apparently issued a one day access to ELIAS for their CBC >> and would "consider" granting special access on an extremely limited basis. >> >> At this point, I think the best course of action is to get one (or >> several) organizations to go in on a joint letter, electronically signed by >> everyone from this list who is willing, and submit it to the Board at a >> public hearing. We should ask for access, for clarification on the rules, >> for the reasons these rules exist, etc. >> >> I know Group for the East End is supportive of public access, as is ELIAS >> and I bet many more organizations. >> >> It's easy for the Supervisor to ignore a handful of people here and >> there. But a concerted effort would be difficult to brush aside - >> especially if combined with Newsday / News 12 articles and stories. They >> hate any bad press about their beloved EPCAL. >> >> >> >> On Aug 9, 2016, at 12:08 PM, Michael Schrimpf <michael.schri...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >> Has anyone heard anything recently from the Town of Riverhead about >> access to the abandoned runway at EPCAL? >> >> I regularly see drag-races on the runway, while I have been good about >> not going past the end. Birders apparently continue to be stopped when they >> wander out onto the runway - my friend and I were only a hundred meters or >> so past the end when we were approached by an officer this morning. >> >> We were courteous to the officer, obeyed his instructions to leave, and >> didn't ask any questions, though his tone was rather condescending from the >> very start. He also threatened us with jail-time for trespassing, just as >> has happened to others in the past. Based on how briefly we were out there >> before he showed up, we think there must be some sort of automatic >> monitoring system that alerts authorities, so they must see everyone that >> uses it for anything. >> >> I would really like to see some documentation from the Town about is and >> is not allowed. If there is a double-standard when it comes to looking the >> other way on the part of law enforcement, I feel that is something that >> must be addressed. >> >> If, on the other hand, there is a legitimate process for getting permits >> to do some things (like flying model planes and drag-racing), I would like >> to have the ability to apply for access to go birding. At the very least, I >> feel that the "no trespassing" signs should look a bit more modern than big >> concrete blocks that look like they've been there since Northrup-Grumman >> operated the place. It should also be made clear whether birders can cross >> the southwest end of that runway to access the paths that go up towards >> Veterans Memorial Park (at the moment, you need to walk past the barriers >> to get there - and I have never before been stopped for doing that). >> >> I will probably send a letter to the Town, much like Luke Ormand did a >> while back, but I am wondering what others in the community have heard >> before I take any action. I worry that without more regular "feedback" from >> birders, our concerns about use of the area might be easy to ignore. >> >> Michael Schrimpf >> Suffolk County >> -- >> *NYSbirds-L List Info:* >> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> >> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> >> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> >> *Archives:* >> The Mail Archive >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> >> Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> >> BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> >> *Please submit your observations to **eBird* >> <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* >> -- >> >> -- >> *NYSbirds-L List Info:* >> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> >> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> >> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> >> *Archives:* >> The Mail Archive >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html> >> Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> >> BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> >> *Please submit your observations to **eBird* >> <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* >> -- >> > > -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/nysbirds-l@cornell.edu/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
