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Shelter Island Reporter Letters to the Editor: Feb. 2, 2023

You are invited

To the Editor:

As we hunker down for winter on Shelter Island we see fewer cars (nice), more deer (sadly), and a quiet air of peace and calm. 

But maybe also isolation where we miss … other people? St. Mary’s Episcopal Church is offering a free community meal on Fridays from 5 to 7 p.m. throughout February.

Come and join us, chat with your fellow winter people, bring kids or come alone. While it is dark outside and those deer lurk in the shadows eyeing your plantings, come to St. Mary’s for warmth, light, good food and company.

Deer not invited.

WENDY TURGEON, Shelter Island

Catching up

To the Editor:

I’m finally on the mend and trying to catch up by reading the last two issues of the Reporter. Wow! The issue at the school seems like someone really crossed the line.

Hopefully, both the children and parents have calmed down. And I’m sure parents are paying full attention to what is happening with the new programs. I want to know what was wrong with the old programs.

It looks like a mass exodus from the Town Board. I guess people are tired of being brow beaten, or maybe they’re leaving for personal and logical reasons. It’s going to be interesting.

Please, no signs until Election Day!

It’s the same-old with Ram Island and the dock at the Ram’s Head Inn. It was there when I played tennis 50 years ago with the neighbor. I just don’t understand the whole issue. The Town actually destroyed it? Seems unreasonable to me.

So here we are in February, the love month, and heart month. And I hope to be on Fantasy Island by my birthday on the 27th.

In the meantime, be kind to one another.

GEORGIANA KETCHAM, Shelter Island

Wellness

To the Editor:

As a long-time subscriber, I look forward to each Thursday and the arrival of my issue of The Suffolk Times and The Shelter Island Reporter.

This past Thursday also included the quarterly magazine, Northforker, a wonderful bonus. As a doctor of chiropractic with nearly 35 years of experience, I was particularly interested in this issue with its dedication to wellness.

The term wellness has evolved as healthcare consumers expect more and more emphasis on prevention rather than treatment. I was so pleased that the issue included specialties like naturopathy and acupuncture along with the anticipated interviews with specialists in pediatrics and orthopedics, etc.

As I read the issue, I couldn’t help but think that something was missing. Where was the information on the profession that has been dedicated to prevention and wellness since its inception?

Chiropractors have been advising patients on nutrition, exercise, ergonomics, the importance of rest and mental and emotional well-being for decades. It’s great to see other disciplines adopting our natural approach to optimal well-being, which starts by improving the function of the nervous system that controls and regulates every cell, tissue, organ and system of the body.

Maybe next year’s issue will include an interview with one of the many fine chiropractors that serve the North Fork or Shelter Island.

JAMES A. HINSCH, DC, Laurel

Deer count flyover

To the Editor:

While I endorse the aerial infrared deer count initiative underway across Shelter Island, I have to comment on the noise and disruption this creates for residents.

The night of Jan. 31-Feb. 1 2023, for at least four hours, the only thing heard was the back and forth drone of Mr. Larry Davis’ Cessna as it made grid flyovers at 1,200 feet over the Island, from about 10 p.m. to at least 2 a.m..

To be sure, this is likely the best time to assess the deer population, as they are hunkered for the night and undisturbed by human traffic. But it does make for a restless night for the community. There must be a quieter way. Higher altitude? Slightly different hours? God forbid, drones?

I’m all for counting deer, but also for counting sheep.

DAVID KORCHIN, Shelter Island