Tick problem reaches new high point

The Long Island Daily

The NYS Department of Education has denied the Massapequa school district’s request for an extension to comply with a ban on Native American mascots, names and imagery, citing a lack of “good cause” effort, state officials said in a letter Friday.

“The District’s extension request reveals that nothing whatsoever has been done to eliminate the use of its 'Chiefs' name, logo or mascot,” state officials wrote in a letter to the district. “Indeed, at times, the Massapequa School District has suggested that it has no intention of complying with these regulations."

Darwin Yanes reports in NEWSDAY that the state cited as an example a recent fundraiser held at Massapequa High School that raised $10,000 for the district’s legal fight against the mascot ban. In an emailed statement Friday, the Massapequa school board said the "ban on Native American names and imagery is blatantly discriminatory and a clear violation of civil rights. We remain confident that we will prevail in federal court and see this unconstitutional regulation struck down.”

The state Board of Regents in 2023 banned the use of Native American mascots, team names and logos in public schools and had set a deadline of June 30, 2025, to comply. The mandate affected 13 districts on Long Island, most of which have taken steps to comply with the regulation.

The Massapequa, Wyandanch, Wantagh and Connetquot districts had challenged the mandate in federal court, seeking to either keep their names or nullify the state regulation. A federal judge ruled against the districts in March.

The Wantagh, Wyandanch and Connetquot districts filed appeals. The Massapequa district, whose mascot is a Native American in a headdress, has filed an amended complaint.

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A Virginia woman was arraigned Saturday in connection with the hit-and-run of a prominent real estate agent who was found lying in the road early Thursday morning in Hampton Bays.

Arielle Dollinger and John Asbury report in NEWSDAY that Amanda Kempton, 32, was arrested by Southampton Town police Friday in the death of Sara Burack, 40, of Southampton. Police said Kempton was charged with leaving the scene of a motor vehicle accident in which a fatality occurred, which is a felony.

Kempton's attorney, William Keahon, of Hauppauge, said outside Southampton Town Justice Court on Saturday that it was "very foggy" early Thursday morning, when Burack was struck on Montauk Highway.

Keahon said surveillance video showed Kempton driving on the highway when Burack appeared in the roadway holding a suitcase at 2:45 a.m. He said his client was in the righthand lane and not speeding or weaving.

He said Kempton told detectives that "she thought she hit a construction cone."

Keahon said he did not know the source of the video, which was shown to him by the assistant district attorney.

Suffolk County District Attorney's Office spokesperson Tania Lopez declined to comment Saturday.

Keahon said there were no illegal substances found in his client's car and that the accident did not involve alcohol.

Kempton was arraigned Saturday morning and released on $200,000 bond, Keahon confirmed.

According to Keahon, Kempton attended George Mason University in Virginia and has a background in marine biology. “She’s going to fight very hard with me on this case,” Keahon said. “I believe she’s innocent.”

Police have said that a 911 caller reported an injured woman seen on Montauk Highway around 2:45 a.m. Thursday near Villa Paul Restaurant, west of Springville Road.

Burack was taken by ambulance to Stony Brook University Hospital, where she died from her injuries Thursday afternoon, police said.

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Southampton Village Mayor Bill Manger defeated challenger Ed Simioni to win reelection on Friday night. Manger received a total of 622 votes, while Simioni, who ran against Manger halfway through his first two-year term as village trustee, collected 510 votes.

As reported on 27east.com, Rob Coburn, who challenged two incumbent trustees, had the most votes of the five candidates, garnering 655 to win a seat on the Village Board for the first time. Roy Stevenson, won reelection as trustee for a third term, collecting 654 votes, just one less than Coburn.

In Westhampton Beach this past Friday, incumbent Trustee Rob Rubio won reelection to a sixth, two-year term, and Chris Rizzo won his first two-year term.

Rubio received 176 votes; Rizzo received 155.

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The Fordham Tick Index, which gauges the risk of encountering ticks outdoors in the New York area, redlined last week.

It put the risk at 10 on its 10-point scale and added this advice: “If you’re thinking of taking a hike, consider going to a movie instead.”

James Barron reports in THE NY TIMES that the tick situation this summer really is that bad, said Thomas Daniels, the director of Louis Calder Center in Armonk, N.Y., a division of Fordham University. And it was predictable, said Joellen Lampman of the Cornell Integrated Pest Management program, because there was a bumper crop of acorns in 2023, more than acorn-eaters like deer, mice and squirrels could gobble up.

The rich diet carried them into 2024, when “they had more litters and larger litters,” she said, citing research by Richard Ostfeld of the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies in Millbrook, N.Y., “so we had more mice running around, more deer and all the things that love to eat the acorns.”

And the year after that? “An explosion of the things that eat the things that eat the acorns — ticks,” Lampman said, adding: “This is that year.”

Only the deer tick carries Lyme disease. But deer ticks can carry four other pathogens, Daniels said. The other types of ticks can also transmit diseases.

The health department suggests using an insect repellent with a product label that says it is effective against ticks, not just mosquitoes. It says that the synthetic insecticide permethrin can be applied to clothes or shoes, but not skin.

The health department says to check for ticks when you come in from outside and to remove them immediately. It also suggests bathing or showering as soon as possible after coming inside, ideally within two hours, and putting the clothing in the dryer for 10 minutes on high heat to kill any ticks you may have picked up.

Ticks can also infect dogs and sometimes cats. The health department says to check with your veterinarian about flea and tick repellents.

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Despite three new Long Island species joining New York’s list of endangered and threatened species, all hope is far from lost.

Here on the East End, there is one comeback story of note: the osprey, according to Bob DeLuca, the president of Group for the East End, which had a major hand in saving the bird from potential extinction.

Michelle Trauring reports on 27east.com that the osprey decline began in the 1950s and accelerated through the 1970s with the increased use of DDT, an insecticide that resulted in eggshell thinning, causing them to be more easily crushed during incubation. In 1976, the apex predators were listed as endangered in New York State, only rebounding in the early 1980s after DDT was banned.

In 1983, the level of concern for ospreys was downgraded to “threatened,” and by 1995, there were 230 breeding pairs on Long Island. Four years later, the white-bellied birds were downgraded once more, this time to species of special concern, which is the osprey’s current status.

This summer, Group for the East End is conducting its triennial osprey monitoring program, visiting approximately 500 osprey nests across the East End, from East Hampton, Riverhead and Shelter Island to Southampton and Southold. Alongside expert birders and volunteers, the organization has documented roughly 200 nesting pairs so far as part of phase one, which ran from Memorial Day weekend through early June.

Phase two will begin in July, when they return to the same nests to look for fledglings. This data will be compiled and shared with New York State, which keeps track of the local population.

“Our last monitoring year was 2022, so it is exciting to see how many nesting pairs are back now three years later and what areas within the East End they congregate in,” explained Jen Skilbred, senior environmental specialist at Group for the East End. “Visiting their nests is always interesting, as well. The same pair will return to a nest every breeding season, adding sticks, grass, and whatever else they can find, so the nests can become quite large. It’s also a good reminder to make sure we don’t litter or our old fishing line and plastic bags may end up as a dangerous addition to an osprey nest.”

For more information and answers to common questions, such as what to do if an osprey nests on a home structure, or if a nest appears to be in danger, visit thegroup.org.