Friday, 11 May 2012 00:00

Concerned Long Islanders call on state officials to ‘Ban Fracking Now’

On May 3, Long Island environmental groups not only called on Governor Cuomo to ban hydro-fracking (fracking), a drilling technique that allows producers to extract gas from underground shale reserves, in New York State, but they clearly spelled it out. Participants in this demonstration held up signs with different letters to provide the following message: “Governor Cuomo: Ban Fracking Now.”

Sponsored by New Yorkers Against Fracking, a coalition of more than 80 organizations working to ban fracking in New York, this event was a part of a statewide day of action.

Friday, 11 May 2012 00:00

On Saturday, May 19, Port Washington will be celebrating and commemorating the coming out of a local “debutante,” Stannard’s Brook Park. Stannard’s Brook Park has a long, and in some cases sordid, history. After years of disregard and neglect the park fell into a feral state. However, with the loving dedication of the Port Washington Parks Conservancy (PWPC), who procured numerous grants and gracious donations, the park has been transformed into the “Belle” of Port Washington.

The Stannard’s Brook Park was once part of a larger tract of land owned by John Mitchell. Around 1760, he built a large homestead known as “Mitchell Hall.” He later sold the land to Captain Stannard in 1887 and “Mitchell Hall” was renamed “The Anchorage.” Then in 1907, following Captain Stannard’s passing, it was rented to Mrs. R. A. Haskell who ran it as a boarding house for 20 years. After that, it lay fallow for two decades, and after falling into disrepair, it was torn down to make way for a housing development in 1956.

Friday, 11 May 2012 00:00

A great story has been made available from our friends at Scuttlebutt, the daily online sailing newsletter. It is about a wounded veteran of the Iraq war. And while readers may wonder what this has to do with sailing, read on to see what one individual is doing to help other veterans.

American Ronnie Simpson is a wounded veteran of the Iraq war. The 27-year old was wounded in combat in 2004 and eventually medically retired. Now, an aspiring solo ocean racer, he’s completed one Single Handed Transpac, and this summer he’s doing the race again - on his Moore 24. Simpson claims that sailing has pretty much saved his life, a life that at 19 years of age he wasn’t sure he wanted after returning severely injured from Iraq.

Friday, 11 May 2012 00:00

The North Shore Kayak Club has scheduled its first meeting of the year for Tuesday, May 15. It will be held at the Port Washington Public Library at 7:30 p.m. The group will meet in the Hagedorn Room, located on the library’s top floor.

Now in its seventh year, the club (formerly named the Twin Pines Kayak Club) is comprised of adults who are recreational, flat-water paddlers, not white-water paddlers. Kayakers of all skill levels are welcome. The club members share an enthusiastic appreciation of beautiful, local waters, fresh air and the camaraderie of paddling together. Approximately one-half of the club’s trips originate in either Manhasset Bay or Hempstead Harbor, with the other half launching from other points on Long Island and other waterways around the New York metropolitan area.