Port Jefferson Rotary (January 12, 2016) (Jan 12, 2016)

Today, we welcomed as our speaker, Nancy Grant, who spoke to us about The Friends of Flax Pond- who they are, what they do, and why. Nancy used to work for the Cornell Cooperative Extension writing grants to help keep their programs going. She now educates the public via this small grassroots, not-for-profit that was formed in 2004 and incorporated in 2006 in response to the severe deterioration of the environment along Flax Pond's shoreline, coastal wetlands, and marsh- as well as in surrounding areas. The 135 acre pond can be accessed (with a DEC permit) near the Childs Mansion and Flax Pond Marine Laboratory on Shore Rd., off Crane Neck Rd., in the Village of Old Field. This pond was originally an enclosed fresh water one. In 1803, when the domestic flax market was no longer lucrative, an inlet was dug to connect it to the LI Sound, creating the conditions needed to form a salt marsh. Oysters and clams soon colonized the marsh, and a profitable shellfishing industry began there. In the 1940's, two stone jetties were built on either side of the inlet to stabilize the opening. The pond is now jointly owned and managed by Stony Brook University and the Department of Environmental Conservation. It had to be closed to shellfish harvesting since 2008 due to high coli form bacteria counts. Over time, Flax Pond has lost 15% of its wetlands, while the amount of clams, muscles & oysters also diminished greatly. Currently, the pond serves as a research center for SUSB. The salt marsh acts as a buffer in storms (slows down wave/tidal action), acts to purify/filter storm water, provides a nursery for fin fish, and is ecologically diverse- as a nursery, shelter, food source, and place of continual renewal. The goals of the Friends of Flax Pond include: to increase public awareness; to encourage and sponsor research; to determine steps needed to ensure preservation of the estuary's rich natural resources; and to educate the community through hands-on research and stewardship activities. Nancy spoke about the organization's help with horseshoe crab research and counting as well as the research and protection programs involving diamondback terrapin turtles in the West Meadow Beach area. We learned a lot about these local turtles, which need brackish water (mixture of salt & fresh) and usually spend their 1st 3 years in the marsh. The females usually show up to nest on the north side of Trustees Rd., while the males remain in the water. The Friends of Flax Pond study and help protect the turtles -weighing, measuring, and notching them- and try to move the babies to greater safety on the southern, marsh side of Trustees Rd. Nancy explained that what's so exciting about turtles is that there's so little we really know about them. Among some of the things things we learned: that turtles reach their sexual maturity at age 8; and that "females are bigger and hotter", while "males are cooler". In 2012, there was a big increase noted in the number of female turtles- a considerable population growth- probably due to the removal of the West Meadow cottages, and the "return to nature" along the beach and marshlands on both sides of Trustees Rd. The Friends of Flax Pond organize many educational research opportunities for the public, especially in summer and winter. Information about them can be accessed via www.flaxpondfriends.org.