Town seeks volunteers to scatter food at waterfront locations to help waterfowl affected by harsh winter, frozen bays
Huntington Supervisor Frank P. Petrone and the Town Council announce that the Town today began enlisting volunteers and distributing food to be scattered at waterfront locations to assist waterfowl who have been starving and in some cases perishing because of the effects of the severe winter.
"Local baymen and residents have reported seeing malnourished ducks and other waterfowl in some cases too weak to fly as a result of their inability to find food because of frozen bays and harbors," Supervisor Petrone said. "The prolonged ice has removed the sole food source for many migratory birds, prompting the Town to take action to stem this heartbreaking situation."
The Town has ordered 2,000 pounds of feed and begun identifying volunteers to distribute the feed at six locations throughout the town: Billy Joel Park in Cold Spring Harbor; Gold Star Battalion Beach in Huntington; Heron Park in Centerport; Scudder Beach and Crab Meadow Beach in Northport; and the Town parking lot adjacent to Price's Bend in Eaton's Neck. Anyone wishing to volunteer can pick up a bag of feed a the Harbormaster's Office, 53 N. New York Ave., Huntington, along with an instruction sheet detailing how and where to place the food for maximum effect.
"Care must be taken to place the food properly since ducks require nearby open water to help consume the feed. Also, it is important that volunteers scatter the food, and not clump or pile it,” Supervisor Petrone said.
Huntington is not alone in witnessing this phenomenon. Communities across Long Island and the northern part of North America have been reporting similar observations. From Southampton Town on Long Island's East End -- which also began a program of distributing feed -- to communities along the Great Lakes, ice has disrupted the migration pattern. An expert quoted in a Canadian publication noted recently that waterfowl need open water to land, but because where they land is now ice, they fly around not knowing what to do. Eventually, they get so exhausted they have to land, and because they cannot take off in flight from dry land, they are effectively stranded. Others have noted that without intervention the ducks will be unable to fly north once the weather warms, affecting their mating patterns.
As the Town seeks volunteers, one group of local baymen have already indicated a willingness to help. “The North Shore Baymen’s Association is proud to assist in this effort,” according to Charles Murphy, president of the organization. “Our members have been iced-in, and unable to operate our boats for several weeks. We’ve seen first-hand what this ice has done to waterfowl around the harbor.” Murphy noted that this is the longest duration of sea ice covering the local harbors and bays in decades.
Supervisor Petrone and the Town Council Members Mark Cuthbertson and Susan Berland joined the volunteers on Friday, March 13 on Centershore Road near Westfield Drive in Centerport to help spread some feed and to thank the volunteers. Anyone interested in volunteering should contact the Harbormaster's Office at 351-3327.