5/08 - THE 2008 CAPTAIN WILLIAM RYSAM SCHOLARSHIP WINNER IS DANIELLE MARSHALL- Captain William Rysam moved to Sag Harbor after the Revolutionary War as a successful entrepeneur and a widower.  He remarried, to Phebe Mulford, and was known as a pillar of East Hampton's Puritan gentry.  His five daughters attended the Clinton Academy, one of the first co-educational educational institutions in New York State.  Upon his death, his will commissioned the East Hampton Town Trustees to be stewards of a bequest that would make schooling available to students with financial need.  The Trustees award The Rysam Scholarship to a High School student with plans for higher education, demonstrates a financial need, and who can clearly express the value of the Trustees to them.  Danielle Marshall has been chosen in 2008.

4/08 - EELGRASS SANCTUARY -  The East Hampton Town Trustees have designated an area on the eastern shore of Napeague Harbor as an Eelgrass Sanctuary.  The underwater acreage of this vital species, Zostera marina, has been severely threatened throughout the waters of Long Island.  Eelgrass provides habitats for many fish, shellfish and crustaceans.  The area will be marked by buoys and information will be posted on the harbor's eastern shore.  For further information contact the Trustee Office or the Department of Natural Resources.



4/08 - PIPING PLOVER SEASON HAS ARRIVED.  Piping plovers, Roseate terns, and Least terns are all species that are federally protected by The Endangered Species Act.  Nesting areas are marked and fenced according to the guidelines established by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Services.  Harassment of these animals, in any way, is unlawful.  Please contact the East Hampton Town's Department of Natural Resources at 631-324-0496 if you have any questions or observations.

                          
          Piping Plover                                         Roseate Tern                                         Least Tern



1/08-  DECEMBER NOR'EASTER HASTENS THE NEED TO RE-DREDGE THE NORTHEAST CHANNEL OF NAPEAGUE HARBOR.  In February of 2007, the Northeast channel of Napeague Harbor was excavated to increase tidal flushing of the Harbor (see summary text below).  After the 2007 winter season's first Nor'easter in December, the channel had all but closed.  By the mid-January, 2008, excavation has been completed and the channel flow has resumed.
 
                     December 2007                                         January 2008
  

 
In February of 2007, the Northeast Channel of Napeague Harbor was excavated for the purposes of increasing water flow and biodiversity.  Since the area is composed of shifting sands that will fill in the Channel over time, the Trustees expect to revisit the project this fall and keep the waters flowing through additional excavations.  East Hampton will monitor water quality and underwater native species, such eelgrass over a three year period.  Eelgrass provides habitat for many species, including shellfish and flounder.

              
 
 
 
2006-2008- PROJECT TO REMOVE PHRAGMITES, AN INVASIVE SPECIES, FROM HOOK POND
In December of 2006 and in collaboration with the East Hampton Village Trustees, the East Hampton Town Natural Resources Department, and the Nature Conservancy, a stretch of phragmites was removed from the western edge of Hook Pond using a hydrorake.  Substantial permitting is required to remove the invasive species and the effort represented a first trial to see if the species could be controlled.  Current photos show an increase in biodiversity along the shoreline, although the growth of phragmities along the southern border did not appear to be affected.

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The western edge of Hook Pond in August, 2007. 
  
 
The western edge of Hook Pond in December 2006.          Root debris ready for proper disposal