From our files: This week in Shelter Island history

10 Years Ago

Dog warden warns: No more Mr. Nice Guy

Shelter Island’s former dog warden, Darren Chicka warned residents that he would impound dogs that are the subject of frequent complaints and repeated summonses.

“One dog has bitten three people already,” he said at the time. There were a lot of complaints about dogs running free on Shelter Island and bothering people walking and cycling, he said. The roaming dogs have also been chasing cars and deer, he said.

“It’s gotten to the point where I’m giving out summonses and it’s doing no good,” he said. If loose dogs are a nuisance or a hazard, he had the authority to impound them.

Postscript: The Shelter Island Town Board is talking about allowing volunteers to establish a dog park where owners can allow their pets to run off excess energy without causing either a nuisance or a danger to others.

20 Years Ago

Lyme project releases first annual SI report

Shelter Island was assured of second year funding for study of Lyme Disease after filing an initial report with the Centers for Disease Control. The cooperative study with the CDC, the Seatuck Foundation and the town was aimed at investigating potential control strategies for deer ticks that cause Lyme Disease.

The controls being tried were burning, forest clearing, reduction of host availability and integrated pest management that reached town to individual Island houses. At the time, difficulty in developing a test to positively confirm Lyme Disease was lacking and the CDC limited its diagnosis to patients who presented with the tell-tale bull’s eye rash or positive results from a spinal tap.

Postscript: In January, New York State approved the widespread use of the permethrin-based pesticide that is applied to the heads and necks of deer as they feed on corn at “4-poster” deer feeding stations. The device has been shown to kill ticks and reduce the incidence of tick-related illnesses among humans.

40 Years Ago

Harbinger of spring

The first osprey of the season was sighted on Ram Island, a full month before the vernal equinox that usually is the signal for spring that brings the  bird back to the local area. That might not be big news, except that just a week later, the Island was walloped by a major storm with gale winds, heavy rains and rising tides that played havoc with the area.

Most seriously affected was ferry service between Shelter Island and Greenport with a company spokesman saying the winds were so severe and the tide so high that it was too dangerous to attempt having passengers and vehicles board or leave the boats. Ferry service was shut down at 10:30 in the morning, three hours before high tide.

Service couldn’t be resumed until about three hours after the tide had peaked. As Islanders know, it’s rare when either of the ferries to the North or South forks are shut down because of weather concerns.

Postscript: More than half way through February, residents have been cautiously applauding a relatively mild winter and hoping there will be no surprises as they await this year’s vernal equinox.

50 Years Ago

LIRR inaugurates Road ‘n Rail service

The Long Island Railroad inaugurated its long-sought bus route through Suffolk County’s North Shore between Huntington and Greenport designed to bring the railroad to passengers instead of passengers having to drive to the railroad. There were six daily round trips between Huntington and Riverhead and, three of which continued to Greenport.

The service was an outgrowth of an intensive study aimed at providing better service for those on the eastern end of Long Island at “can-be-lived-with costs.”

Postscript: North Fork and Shelter Island residents may be wondering if there has been backward movement as the LIRR has cut its off-season services to Greenport. But there continue to be discussions about various ways to improve transportation services, including a Five Towns Transit system that hasn’t won a lot of friends among Shelter Islanders.