Friday, June 13, 2014

Tall Ships, Greenport, New York

Annual Visit Of Tall Ships To Greenport Village

May 26 - 28, 2012

Greenport, Long Island, NY was just one of the stops during The Tall Ships Challenge 2012 tour, a race that began in Savannah, Ga., and finished in Halifax, Novia Scotia.

Greenport Village, Long Island, NY

Claudio's

Roseway

Ship's Kitchen

Ship's Bathroom

Picton Castle

Picton Castle's Communication Room

Picton Castle's Wheel

Picton Castle's Compass

Roseway and Pride of Baltimore

Roseway, Pride of Baltimore and Lynx

STV Unicorn and HMS Bounty

Summerwind

Horse's ASS???

Greenport Village, Long Island, NY

New Suffolk Waterfront

Sunrise at the New Suffolk Water Front

Overlooking Cutchogue Harbor
May 20, 2012

More info on the New Suffolk Waterfront!

Sunday, April 15, 2012

Fire Damage in the Pine Barrens of Long Island

The Ecology of the Pine Barrens

Pine Barrens forest fires have been a common occurrence. Fire has played a major ecological role in the Pinelands, and the ecotypes "suggest that short fire intervals may have been typical in the Pine Plains for many centuries." Forest fires play an important role in regulating the growth of plants in the Pine Barrens.

Frequent light fires tend to reduce the amount of undergrowth and promote the growth of mature trees. Forest fire is also a reason why the Pitch Pine is dominant in the Pine Barrens. Pitch Pines are common because of their ability to resist and recover from fire by resprouting directly through their bark (something very unusual for pines) and by serotinous pine cones which open only after having been heated by a fire.

The prevalence of forest fire allows the pitch pines to dominate over oaks, which by comparison are usually killed outright by a moderate or intense fire. High air temperatures and dry plant undergrowth contribute to the intensity of the fire.

While severe fires are uncommon, severe fires at fairly frequent intervals can eliminate species that do not bear seed at an early age. Frequent killing fires keep an area covered with small sprouts.

Efforts to battle forest fire attract debate over how to best preserve the Pine Barrens because of fire's danger to property and inhabitants.

House burned down on Wading River Manor Road, Manorville, during a brush fire in the Pine Barrens.

Preservationists argue that eliminating forest fires would cause the Pine Barrens to become dominated by oak trees. A few areas which had previously consisted of scrub and pitch pine have already become dominated by oak trees due to the lesser frequency of forest fires.

Discarded water bottles from the brave Fire Fighters who battled for days to control the fire!

_________________________________________________________________________

References: From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia "Long Island Central Pine Barrens"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pine_Barrens_%28Long_Island%29

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Cupsogue Beach County Park

Dune Rd, Westhampton Beach, NY

Blue Mussels

Herring Gulls

American Oyster Catcher

Herring Gulls and Oyster Catchers

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Calverton Ponds Preserve

CALVERTON PONDS PRESERVE

Denis and Catherine Krusos Ecological Research Area
Calverton
Suffolk County, NY
350 Acres
Coastal Plain Ponds, Pine Barrens

A 350-acre assemblage of Pine Barrens and Coastal Plain Ponds comprises one of the rarest and most fragile wetland ecosystems in North America. The preserve is cooperatively owned and managed by The Nature Conservancy and Suffolk County Parks. Calverton Ponds and the headwaters of the Peconic River contain one of the highest concentrations of rare and endangered species in New York State, with more than 30 rare plants, including three that are globally threatened. The Ponds are home to several rare amphibians, fish, and insects, including the Tiger Salamander and Banded Sunfish.

The preserve is located within the Long Island Central Pine Barrens Region, which consists of a complex mosaic of Pitch Pine woodlands, pine-oak forests, Coastal Plain Ponds, swamps, marshes, bogs, and streams. Pitch Pine and Oak trees, with a shrub layer of Scrub Oak, Huckleberry, and Blueberry dominate the woodlands. Coastal Plain Ponds are characterized by nutrient poor, acidic water and a gently sloping shore. Most Coastal Plain Ponds are not stream-fed, but are directly connected to groundwater. Pond water levels rise and fall with the water table, reflecting seasonal and annual rainfall patterns.Consequently, a unique community of plants grows along the pond shores. Periods of both low and high water levels are essential for their survival.