"Wilderness…the word suggests the past and
the unknown, the womb or earth from which we
all emerged. It means something lost and
something still present, something remote
and at the same time, intimate, something
buried in our blood and nerves, something
beyond us and without limit."
Edward Abbey |
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The Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society is a chapter
of the National Audubon Society serving Northern
Oyster Bay and Huntington Townships. Our territory
reaches from Fort Salonga in Suffolk County to
Centre Island and Oyster Bay in Nassau County....click
here to see the complete list.
Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon works to protect birds and other wildlife, and the habitats upon which they depend through education, public advocacy and conservation action.
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Message
From the HOBAS President: Winter 2012
Click here |
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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon Society Provides Significant Funding to Assist River Otter Study
 Oyster Bay, New York: The Huntington-Oyster Bay
Audubon Society (“HOBAS”) will be funding two
wildlife surveillance cameras to be placed in areas
where river otters have been killed by motor
vehicles in the Oyster Bay area, the President of
the chapter announced today.
The cameras will help
determine the effectiveness of structures designed
to allow otters to travel over dams and other
obstacles without crossing roads and, along with
data collected from additional wildlife surveillance
cameras placed in other known otter territories,
they are part of a larger study to document the
movements, population size, habitat use and behavior
of the island’s river otters.
 Click
to read the entire press release
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HELP PRESERVE GRASSLANDS IN NASSAU COUNTY STILLWELL WOODS PRESERVE
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 Stillwell
Woods Preserve. Mainly known for its wooded mountain
biking trails, many people are not aware that its
varied habitats play host to over 80 species of
birds as well as butterflies, mammals and other
wildlife. This under-appreciated preserve also
contains 20+ acres of grassland/meadow area which
for years has been mowed into what amounts to a lawn
(see photo).
One of Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon's local
conservation priorities is to restore a significant
majority of these 25 acres into grassland habitat
for the benefit of the many species of wildlife that
depend upon or utilize field environments to feed or
raise their young.
Due to the heavy utilization of this preserve, we
realize that reverting the grassland into native
vegetation is probably not feasible. What we are
aiming for is convince Nassau County officials to
allow a significant majority of the grassland/meadow
area to grow back in, with an invasive species
control program in place, thus providing a l
functional grassland habitat for wildlife. Nassau
County has the opportunity to restore one of the
last remaining parcels of grassland in the county.
We urge you to act now to protect this preserve for
the benefit of both wildlife and the enjoyment of
the community.
For
further information on this issue, please click
here.
Please take a moment to express your support for
this important work by signing and sending
this letter (Word
Doc |
Acrobat PDF) to Nassau County
Parks Commissioner Carnell Foskey. Pass it on to
your friends and neighbors. Your voices are vital in
convincing decision-makers to restore the field to a
wonderful wildlife rich grassland/meadow. Please
take action today! |
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Action Alert:
Help Preserve one of the Last Remaining
Tracts of Open Space in Cold Spring Harbor!
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 The DeForest Williams property on Shore Road is one of the last remaining large tracts of open space in Cold Spring Harbor. This 42 acre property, if developed, would change not only the view, but also the overall feel of Cold Spring Harbor. It could also result in negative impacts on water quality as well as jeopardize vital bird habitat. We believe this property should be permanently protected for the community of Cold Spring Harbor as DeForest-Williams Preserve.
Click here for more information
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| Help Save Plum Island! |
 Located
less than a mile from Orient Point, the tip of Long
Island’s North Fork, lies the 840 acre, pork
chop-shaped Plum Island.
Most famously, the island houses the Plum Island
Animal Disease Center. What is lesser known is that
the approximately 90% of Plum Island that is
undeveloped not only holds significant ecological
and scenic sites -- it also holds
nationally-significant artifacts and historic
buildings, including the 1870 Plum Gut Lighthouse
and the 1897 Fort Terry army barracks and weapons
batteries.
Now, Plum Island's wildlife habitat is in danger of
being sold to developers. In 2008, Congress approved
sale of the island to a private party, with plans to
move the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility to
another state.
Plum Island’s scenic value, ecological
resources and historic sites offer tremendous
potential for recreation and public education, and
make it an ideal candidate for permanent
preservation.
Read More...
Visit the Preserve Plum Island website |
Sign the petition to save Plum Island
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Birds Eye (Re)View: Recommended Reading
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“Where the Wild Things Were” by William Stolzenburg
 When
I heard about this book, I raced out to purchase
it. Predators, or carnivores, are my favorite group
of animals and I have been passionate about them
since I was a little girl. I eagerly dug in and was
utterly absorbed.
As suburbanites, many of you may be thinking, “Why
should I care about predators?” The reasons may
surprise you. Predators are keystone or umbrella
species. Protect them, and the vast habitats needed
to sustain them, and you protect everything else
that lives within that habitat, including the birds
that Long Islanders enjoy during migration.
More..
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Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon thanks its Sponsors in 2011
Huntington-Oyster Bay Audubon thanks its
partners in the Cats Belong Indoors Campaign
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Photo Instruction From an Expert Photographer!
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 Many
of you have commented on the beautiful
photographs that we feature on our website.
Here's your chance to learn how to shoot
professional looking photos from our
favorite photographer, Lloyd Spitalnik.
Lloyd is now available to lead half or full
day photos tours to Jamaica Bay Wildlife
Refuge, Jones Beach, Marine Nature Study
Area in Oceanside, Nickerson Beach to shoot
at a Tern Colony or a place of your choice.
Tours include teaching proper shooting
technique, hints on exposure, composition,
flash photography, etc. He is also available
for private instruction of Adobe
Lightroom and Adobe Photoshop. For rates
and more information, please contact Lloyd
at lloyd@lloydspitalnikphotos.com. |
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Check this website and your newsletters for
information on all our upcoming
programs.
If you haven’t come to our meetings before, please
consider stopping by. You will be glad you did! |
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