Featured letter to the editor

Sustaining the beauty
To the Editor:

Many thanks to those hardy souls who braved the cold and damp to attend the ribbon cutting Friday for the officially opened Mildred Flower Hird Nature Preserve on Manhanset Road.

An extra special “Thank you” is due to Gordon Gooding, chairman of the Community Preservation Fund Advisory Board. He has devoted countless hours to ensure that Shelter Island’s beauty is sustained.

Tim Hogue, formerly the mayor of the Village of Dering Harbor, should be credited with arranging the bargain sale of the west preserve which got the whole process started.

This is a good opportunity to tell walkers and hikers to be mindful always of the dangers of tick bites in the preserve. The illnesses that are transmitted are really nasty and lifelong, so it is imperative to guard against them. Wear suitable clothing that is well tucked in. Inspect thoroughly after exposure.

What I wish I had had enough energy to shout after the ribbon cutting was, “Happy Hiking!”
Esther Hunt
Shelter Island