Ceremonial Groundbreaking

Wetlands For Bird Sanctuary

Through Nassau County Environmental Bond

 

 

With $55,000 in funding provided through the 2006 Nassau County Environmental Bond, the Garden City Bird Sanctuary will have a wet meadows installed in a portion of the main stormwater storage basin at the 9-acre site. On May 16^th, special guests attending the Twilight Cocktail Party participated in the ceremonial groundbreaking for the project.

New York State Senator Kemp Hannon was also on hand to provide the 2009 Garden City Bird Sanctuary Environmental Stewardship Award to Bobby Horvath, the founder of Wildlife In Need of Rescue and Rehabilitation. Senator Hannon was the initial recipient of this award for his enduring commitment and long term support of the community nature preserve. Joining Senator Hannon were Nassau County Legislator Vincent Muscarella, Town of Hempstead Supervisor Kate Murray, Sharon Castellano, Gaspare Tumminello representing County Executive Tom Suozzi, and “Mark Twain”.

Vincent Muscarella, Rob “Mark Twain” Alvey, Senator Kemp Hannon, Kate Murray, and Sharon Castellano dig in for the Bird Sanctuary’s new wetlands

Sharon is the mother of Boy Scout Michael Castellano with Garden City Troop 55. Michael has proposed a Boy Scout Eagle project to install a memorial garden and seating area at the Bird Sanctuary. Part of the memorial garden area Eagle project will be dedicated to the Parente Family members that recently were tragically killed. Discussions with Rob Alvey lead to a potential area that will overlook the new wetlands, and further discussions with Nassau County’s landscape architect, Richard Arnedos lead to an agreement to regrade the area next to the wetlands to accommodate the overlook. The Castellanos proposed a stone bench so that the seating area won’t be impacted by any water during heavy rain events.

Senator Hannon congratulates the 2009 GCBS Environmental Stewardship Awardee Bobby Horvath.

Rob Alvey, resembling Mark Twain, officiated over the ceremonies. A benefit performance starring Alvey in Mark Twain (visits Garden City) Tonight is scheduled for 8PM on Saturday June 13 at Gardner Hall- 245 Stewart Avenue, Garden City. This humorous performance of America’s acclaimed author and humorist are $25 each with the funds designated for the Bird Sanctuary project. Buy a ticket early by calling Alvey (or Twain) at 326-1720. The tickets include a year membership with the Bird Sanctuary. Proceeds will be used for the Parente family memorial.

BIRD-BANDING AT THE

BIRD SANCTUARY

 

 

Yes, there are birds at the local bird sanctuary on Tanners Pond Road, and “sump-thing” was conducted on Sunday April 19 to verify it. The Garden City Bird Sanctuary conducted its first bird-banding program, thanks to the generosity of Coby Klein, a licensed bird bander. Two 40 foot nets were set up and monitored, and the birds that were temporarily caught were collected and measured for species type, sex, age, weight, length of beak, leg and tail length, then carefully banded with a 9 digit coded leg band and released.

Ruby crowned kinglet

Coby Klein is a Hunter College graduate student with extensive ornithological experience. Rob Alvey, founder of the Garden City Bird Sanctuary, met him last year while Coby was participating in a research program with Ithaca College professor John Confer and Erin Alvey.

The 2008 program in Sterling Forest continues a nearly 20-year research effort on blue-winged and rare yellow-winged warblers. The research group visited the Garden City Bird Sanctuary while on Long Island for a Fire Island bird-watching trip. Coby volunteered to return this Spring to try bird banding at the sanctuary. Developed Long Island suburbia is quite different than pristine forestlands of Sterling forest. The anticipated species at the Bird Sanctuary, surrounded by homes, factories, and the Long Island Railroad, were thought to be merely house sparrows, starlings, grackles, and mourning doves.

Sure enough, the first bird netted was a house sparrow. These birds, formerly called English sparrows, are native to England and were originally released nearly 100 years ago in Central Park in a

Yellow palm warbler in hand

misguided tribute to Shakespeare, when all of the species mentioned in his plays were released in the US, including starlings. They have spread and multiplied extensively and have caused the decline of many native species.

The house sparrow was measured, banded and released. Then things got interesting. The next birds caught were a pair of yellow palm warblers, migrating on their way to breeding grounds upstate. These birds were soon followed by a Hermit thrush, a larger, robin sized bird. An American Robin was caught next, and the final bird caught and banded was a tiny Ruby crowned kinglet. All of the birds were released, and if captured again, the identification tag helps researchers monitor the migration patterns of the birds. The identification database is maintained by the US Geological Survey.

Assisting Coby Klein were Rob Alvey and Tom Rechner from the Garden City Bird Sanctuary, and Rich Puvogel, EPA Remedial Project Manager and his daughter Jillian. Photos of the event are on the website at www.gcbirdsanctuary.org

Jillian Puvogel and an American Robin

 

Garden City Bird Sanctuary Leads to LI Volunteer Hall of Fame

 

 

Rob Alvey, founder of the innovative Garden City Bird Sanctuary, was inducted into the Long Island Volunteer Hall of Fame for his long-term community service work on the environment. Now in its 7th year, the Long Island Volunteer Hall of Fame celebrates the humanitarian spirit by inducting volunteer founders of nonprofit organizations. Their vision, dedication and drive addressed a community need and began a legacy of service to improve the quality of life for Long Islanders. The induction ceremony and reception, sponsored by Bethpage Federal Credit Union and Roslyn Savings Foundation, was held on February 1, 2009 at Carlyle on the Green, Bethpage State Park in Farmingdale. Rob and his wife Suzie were guests for the ceremony and were joined by several Directors and friends.

Diana O'Neill, LI Volunteer Center and Rob Alvey

Alvey was appointed to the Village of Garden City's Environmental Advisory Board in 1992, and began a life-long commitment towards volunteer community service and environmental education. The Village declined to assume responsibility for the proposed neighborhood Bird Sanctuary. Rob then spent two years of planning, and an independent, nonprofit program was started in 1995 with a small group of Middle School students to remove litter at a local 9-acre stormwater basin. This effort grew to become "Sump-thing" – a neighborhood bird sanctuary and community nature preserve created out of a formerly neglected and trash filled Nassau County sump.

Rob received a 'Community Volunteer of the Year' award from the Garden City News in 1996. He was also a recipient of a 2006 Volunteer award from the Town of Hempstead. Since 1998, over 8,000 people have been active in the Bird Sanctuary’s effort to improve the environment and educate residents on the meaning of environmental stewardship in the community. Based on Rob's work, other communities have created nature preserves and recreational fields at sumps, creating a network throughout Nassau County. Rob has donated over 20,000 hours of his personal time not only working at the site, but coordinating projects, leading volunteer projects, conducting tours, overseeing Boy and Girl Scout programs, making presentations, writing and editing a newsletter, seeking and administering grant opportunities, and shepherding research.

Rob’s acceptance speech thanked the LIVC, his family, and the many volunteers who have helped “sump-thing” to flourish. In response to the question of how he was able to get so much done, Rob replied he only works 8 hours a day like everyone else, he just puts in 10 days a week.

Lee Gerardi, John Cronin, Stephanie Bird, June Fay, Suzie and Rob Alvey, and Matt Fay at LI Volunteer Hall of Fame induction