This week in Shelter Island history
Four-poster units to fight tick infestations were first suggested 10 years ago, but it took until 2008 for a pilot program to test their effectiveness and they remain controversial today.
50 YEARS AGO IN HISTORY
The riots in the predominantly black Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles were in full swing, spurred by two white police officers who stopped a black man suspected of driving while intoxicated. By the time the five-day rioting ended, 34 people were dead, 1,032 injured and nearly 4,000 had been arrested.The Berkeley Barb, one of the earliest and most influential of counter-culture publications, was launched concentrating on civil rights and anti-war sentiment.
Time carried a story on GOP Representative Gerald Ford, noting his career was constantly being eclipsed by other Republican leaders. But in 1973, Mr. Ford was tapped by President Richard Nixon to succeed Spiro Agnew as vice president and a year later, Mr. Ford became the country’s 38th president when Mr. Nixon resigned.
The Beatles performed the first stadium concert in the history of rock, performing before 55,600 fans at Shea Stadium in New York.
Music lovers in the United States were listening to Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe.”
And on Shelter Island …
40 YEARS AGO
Volunteers canvassed Island to help ELIH
Trying to keep a small community hospital thriving and even expanding its health care offerings has always been a challenge. In 1975, volunteers were calling on Islanders to reach out to friends and neighbors here for contributions in an effort to cover losses.
The previous year, Eastern Long Island Hospital said it had $450,000 in losses and was projecting a similar amount in 1975. It was legacy contributions that enabled the hospital to stay afloat. The goal was to garner $75,000 in contributions from Islanders and another $225,000 from North Fork residents.
POSTSCRIPT: After years of operating in the red and then trying to cut losses through a cooperative venture with Southampton Hospital and Peconic Bay Medical Center, this year, all three reached agreements with larger hospital units. Eastern Long Island Hospital recently announced it was joining forces with Stony Brook University Hospital.
30 YEARS AGO
Firemen’s barbecue warrants support
Thirty years ago, ticket sales for the annual Heights Fire Department Barbecue were reported to be low, prompting the Reporter to editorialize, encouraging people to support the fundraiser.
“This is an important and fun occasion,” the editorial said. It described the event as a “quintessential small town country event” praising those who organized it and talking about the importance of the money it raised. “It’s a splendid cause and it deserves public support,” the editorial concluded.
POSTSCRIPT: This weekend marks the 51st anniversary of the barbecue now run by the combined Shelter Island Fire Department. It has become a significant part of the fabric of the summer season. People come not just for the delicious food, but to visit with friends and neighbors. It’s not only a fun event, but an opportunity to show volunteer firefighters how much you appreciate all they do to keep you safe every day of the year.
20 YEARS AGO
Peconic Land Trust gets Reel Point
Twenty years ago, Peconic Land Trust announced its first open space acquisition on Shelter Island — Reel Point. The three parcels it acquired totaled between eight and 10 acres on Ram Island jutting out into Coecles Harbor.
It was donated to PLT by an anonymous donor and was described at the town as a fragile piece of land. The discrepancy about the acreage, according to speculation at the time, was the unstable nature of the Reel Point shoreline.
POSTSCRIPT: Efforts in recent times to shore up Reel Point have been met with only partial success. Dredging was done two years ago with spoils used to shore up Reel Point.
The Waterways Management Advisory Council is currently exploring ways to open up the mouth of Coecles Harbor from Gardiner’s Bay since currents have moved more sand into the area that was dredged not so long ago.
10 YEARS AGO
4-posters get mixed reviews
Just 10 years ago, hunters and the state Department of Environmental Conservation were fighting a call for 4-posters to combat the increasing presence of ticks on Shelter Island.
But Deer & Tick Committee co-founder Rae Lapides argued the units were needed and sought funding for 100 of the deer-feeding stations at which the tickicide permethrin would coat the animals’ necks, killing ticks.
It wouldn’t be until 2008 that a pilot program led by Cornell University and Cornell Cooperative Extension was launched with 60 units here and after the three-year program ended, the town kept the program, but, to save money, decreased the number deployed.
POSTSCRIPT: This summer, 38 units were deployed, including those put out at Mashomack Preserve, but the battle continues between those who see 4-posters as part of the solution to the problem and those who think they’re too expensive and ineffective to merit the money — about $100,000 a year in the last two years — could be better used culling the herd.
