FOC Newsletter, Chairman’s Letter, Fall 2010

On Sunday, October 3, the Friends held their thirteenth annual Gala. Despite the cloudy and cool weather, about one-hundred-and-ten guests and volunteers turned out to enjoy the day. Please see the next page of this newsletter for further information.

The Friends are happy to see increased enthusiasm from the members and the public in their response to our old and new educational programs. As was the case with the first two lectures of the series for 2010, our third lecture was very well received. On September 25th, Linda Kasten provided an excellent presentation on the transition from the South Side Sportsmen's Club, which existed from 1866 until 1963, to the creation of the Connetquot River State Park Preserve that we enjoy today.

On Saturday, September 18, we also sponsored another Birding and Breakfast. Since partnering with the Great South Bay Audubon Society in 2009, this program continues to draw an increasing number of beginning birders that come to learn how to find and identify the birds that migrate through and nest in the Preserve.

In addition, a new photography workshop for amateurs was offered on Saturday, October 16, along with Continental breakfast. We had a good turnout of eighteen shutterbugs. Plans are afoot for another workshop. Look for the date in the near future.

Unfortunately, we were forced to cancel our annual Fall Fly Fishing Outing that was scheduled for Friday, November 5th. We received only a few responses for this event. Apparently, our plan for stocking the stream with 400 trout for the Outing was not enough to lure the anglers back to the Connetquot. It is turning out to be a protracted battle; however, we continue our advocacy for finding a way to reopen the hatchery as soon as possible. A meeting was held on September 9 to discuss proposals for resolving the IPN issue at the hatchery. The subject was the creation of a new state-of-the-art hatchery, which will cost an estimated $3 to $5 million dollars. There is also the possibility that a temporary smaller version could be built, at a much lesser cost, to be used for educational purposes. The details and final designs still have to be approved.

Although we did not make the cut for the Save America's Treasures grant because the competition is extremely difficult, the Friends did receive two grants recently. One for $3000 presented by Astoria Federal Savings Bank to be used toward our plans for an interactive museum exhibit that will allow visitors to access videos and other historical information regarding the Preserve. The other grant is for $35,000, awarded by the Knapp Swezey Foundation, to be used toward the grist mill restoration.

Please visit the park to enjoy the fall colors and crisp cool days.

Sincerely,
Bob Labuski

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