Friends of the Bay is proposing the joint acquisition of the Mill Pond Overlook property as a way to create open space and to protect its freshwater wetlands which will maintain the pristine quality of the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the Oyster Bay-Cold Spring Harbor watershed area. FULL STORY

The New York Department of State is currently waiting for the federal government to approve the process to expand the area of the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge to include Beaver Brook and the Mill Pond in Oyster Bay. Public hearings were held at C.W. Post on Oct. 2 to listen to comments from residents. NYS DOS's spokesperson Larry Sombke said, "The state's portion of the updated designation is complete and the entire process itself is nearly complete. The state is moving forward now to get needed federal approval of the process. That will occur sometime in March or April of 2005." The meeting was duly posted as required by law, he added. FULL STORY

High School, have earned Gold Medals from the New York State Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and Dance for 2004-2005. The award recognizes the students for outstanding achievements in the areas of citizenship, academics and physical education/athletics. An awards ceremony was held at Crest Hollow Country Club on Dec. 15, during which two students from each high school in Nassau County received medals. FULL STORY

Bayville's Polar Bears were favored with unseasonably warm, sunny weather on New Year's Day for their annual dip in the frigid waters of Long Island Sound. The ritual begins with a jogging tour to and from Bayville Bridge, returning to a sound-side beach near Valley Road. The spectators, waiting for the hardy jogger-swimmers to arrive, stretched out on beach chairs, enjoying the warming rays of the sun - most unusual for Jan. 1. FULL STORY