Government

Official Town of Shelter Island seal to get a makeover

Revving up the official town seal: A new version of the Town of Shelter Island seal is in the works, but this one, created by artist and Committees Clerk Danielle LiCausi, works best on April Fool's Day.

Councilman Peter Reich said at a recent work session that he has wanted to update the Town of Shelter Island seal since he came into office in 2004.

He has searched town records to find historical depictions of the seal, which currently shows a silhouette of a headdress-clad Native American in a birch-bark canoe within a circle of rope. Earlier versions included scallop shells and other decorative elements seen on Shelter Island. Some historians have questioned whether native Shelter Islanders wore a headdress; they were known to use dugout canoes, not bark boats.

A final version of a new official seal has yet to be unveiled. It will likely not include a windblown Town Supervisor Jim Dougherty in a convertible, as depicted in this draft version.