The Marion Lake Project

LEND A HAND

2010-06-12T12:37:00.000-07:00

Work resumes on the lake starting Monday, June 21 and the more volunteers we can get, the more money we will save. Please donate a few hours of your time. Tasks can include, carting the cuttings, cleaning up, and all sorts of other helpful things. Any time you can give is greatly appreciated. Please contact Lori Luscher @ l_luscher@hotmail.com ASAP to let her know when you're available. If you choose to help, please remember to keep a record of your hours, dates and tasks.

Laughs for the Lake

2009-10-01T08:07:00.001-07:00

Come support the Marion Lake Project and join us for a night of comedy at the Brooklyn Lyceum, 224 4th Ave in Brooklyn NY on Thursday November 12th at 8pm (doors open at 7:30). Tickets are $25 and can be purchased online. For tickets and directions go to www.brooklynlyceum.com. We look forward to seeing you there!

Marion Lake Restoration Raffle

2009-09-01T06:55:00.000-07:00

Noted North Fork artist Tony Scarmato has donated a beautiful set of watercolor prints to be raffled off September 20th, 3PM, at "The Maritime Festival '09". Tickets sell for $10 each or 3 for $25. All prints are signed, numbered and ready for framing. A maximum of 50 tickets per print will be sold, raising your chances to win. If you're interested in purchasing tickets please email Lori Luscher at loriluscher@optonline.net or call 631.243.1758. All donations go toward the Marion Lake Restoration Project. VIEW THE ARTWORK HERE >

ACTION ITEM!

2009-05-18T08:45:00.000-07:00

An informative meeting, regarding the Marion Lake Project, will be held at the East Marion Fire House this Saturday 5/23 at 10:00 am. Biologists will be on hand to discuss how we can maintain what we've already accomplished and to discuss re-cutting plans and more. Please come, it's sure to be enlightening and educational.

Phragmites Dirty Secrets

2009-03-18T07:24:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we made a trip out to East Marion to do a pre-spring checkup on our cottage and to survey the land that had been reclaimed from the Phragmites.

We were stunned to see hundreds of bottles and trash strewn across the shoreline that once had been hidden by 8 feet tall reeds.

After more than an hour we had collected as many bottles as our Mini Cooper could hold and headed to the dump. I'm sure there are dozens more hiding out there, but that will have to wait for another weekend.

Sound the Alarm

2009-03-15T07:53:00.000-07:00

The East Marion Fire Dept is holding their Annual Breakfast fund raiser on Sunday, April 5th at the firehouse from 8 am until 1 pm. Every year a 50-50 raffle is held and this year all proceeds will be donated to the Marion Lake Restoration Committee, along with an additional $200 donation, approved at the last planning meeting. We have Joe Vandernoth to thank for the effort. Thanks Joe! A complete breakfast will be served up and we're hoping for a big turnout. Last year more than several hundred people attended.

Contact Walter Gaipa if you would like to purchase breakfast or 50/50 tickets.
$10 for adults and $6 for children. Takeouts are available.

Letter Writing Campaign

2009-02-08T10:22:00.000-08:00

We got some disturbing news this past week. After getting approval for a $60,000 grant to enable us to continue with the wonderful work on the lake we were told that the state had put a freeze on the money. The DEC informed us that they were not clear for how long the freeze would be in effect and suggested a letter writing campaign to our politicians. We need the government to know how important this money is to us for the continued progress on restoring our lake. You can download a list of politicians to write to as well as a sample letter here. Please start sending letters as soon as possible so we hopefully can get someone's attention.

Congratulations Lori Luscher

2009-02-07T10:53:00.000-08:00

Lori Luscher has been named Suffolk Times Person of the Year, recognition well deserved! Thanks to Lori and everyone on the Lake Marion Restoration Committee for all of their hard work and dedication in bringing life back to Lake Marion.

Marion Lake Unveiled: The Work

2009-01-08T13:00:00.000-08:00

Marion Lake Unveiled: The Community

2009-01-05T17:50:00.000-08:00

Pharewell Phragmite

2008-11-23T12:54:00.001-08:00

It's finally happening! Marion Lake is being cut and cleared as you read this. The entire west side has been cut and the east side is looking great. Almost all of Rabbit Lane has been cleared as of Wednesday evening and the bridge area and parts of Lakeview Terrace hope to be completed by Friday. They will be back in the spring for a trim and wicking. We're making great progress and continue to need your help if you can please contribute! See additional photos of the project in the Project Photo Gallery.

Project Photo Gallery

2008-11-23T10:14:00.000-08:00

Images from 11/2

The Big Dig

2008-11-04T10:26:00.001-08:00

The great news is the work on the lake is to begin this coming Monday, November 10, 2008! Finally! The work that the town did on the bridge area last weekend was terrific. They weren't able to reach too far into the lake with the machinery they were using but they were able to make some progress and now we have water flowing under the bridge again.

Now for the bad news. We still are short money. We need to pay the next installment upon completion of this first phase which should be within the next 10 days. We're asking for anyone who hasn't contributed or anyone who can contribute a bit more to do so now. We need money to get us to the next phase. Please see How You Can Help for information on how you can contribute.

The Plan for Eradication

2008-11-04T09:36:00.000-08:00

State Aid for Eradication
The New york State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has strict rules about how to manage what are called "wetlands". The border of Marion Lake is protected by these rules and we can't do much to change the momentum of the invasion without proper permits and approvals.

Guidelines for Eradication
The DEC has specific methods in place to protect wildlife which includes using licensed contrators to cut and "wick" the stems. Dredging, burning, and spraying are all not permitted. What is stipulated by the DEC is the use of an environmentally safe chemical which requires a tremendous amount of manual labor, as this is something that is carefully applied to each cut stalk.

The Process
What has been proposed and approved, is a plan to cut the stalks and apply the chemical. Most likely this will have to be done twice. We will then monitor test areas to guage the progress and then will replant native plants to keep the Phragmite from returning. This includes various Hibiscus and other wetland friendly plant that limit further growth.

Lake Photo Gallery

2008-11-01T13:34:00.000-07:00