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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