The November 5-6 weekend was a busy one at Seatuck, with big projects underway on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday morning, local student Nick Fagone installed a new information kiosk in the parking lot. The project was undertaken as part of Nick’s work towards becoming an Eagle Scout. The beautiful new kiosk – built expertly to Parks Department specs by Nick and his team over the past few months – will make a wonderful addition to our facility. In addition to a property trail map, we plan to use it to post program updates and other notices to help engage and inform visitors. Thanks,
Nick, for a job well done!
On Sunday we hosted volunteers from Recreational Equipment Inc. (REI) and the Islip High School’s Keep Islip Clean (KIC) club for several hours of clearing tiger grass. The invasive, exotic plant – which grows up to 12-feet tall in a dense monoculture – covers more than a half an acre near the parking lot at Scully. Armed with loppers and weed whackers, we tackled a portion of the grass that is covering a former tennis court on the property. The area is eventually going to be home to a children’s “outdoor exploratorium”, a place where youngsters (and their parents) can get comfortable playing (and learning) in the outdoors and with natural elements. The site, which will eventually have to be excavated to fully remove the tiger grass roots, will include a messy materials area, a water works area, a climbing area, areas for music and art and a host of other separate areas designed to engage children in the great outdoors. But the first task was to remove the grass! We still have a long way to go, but thanks to our friends at REI and KIC we’re off to a great start!
- Enrico
