On May 22 we and several local East Enders were invited on an enlightening tour of the Watermill Center, as part of a series of encounters to brainstorm the creation of a new project called The Market, a concept created by artist resident Keil Borrman, which aims to put together a farmers market with art and artists. Borrman wants the creation of The Market to come to fruition based on the collaboration from the local community of designers, farmers, artists, or anyone else who is interested in participating. A few of the guests that I personally knew included Scott Chaskey (farmer and poet), Martine Abitbol (professional baker), Bennet Konesni (farmer and musician), and Dr. Michael Clarjen-Arconada, (practitioner of Natural Biological Medicine).
After the tour we had the opportunity to listen to a brief explanation of Keil’s project, followed by lunch, which consisted of an exquisite leg of lamb brought in from an upstate farm and cooked by Borrman himself. During lunch attendees broke away into groups to explore ideas for The Market in three categories: design, function, and community outreach.
If you are interested in this project, contact Keil atthemarketatwmc@gmail.com.
Discover Watermill takes place on August 14, 3-6 p.m. Admission is free and open to the public. Reservations are not required. More information is available at watermillcenter.org.
Next, we celebrated World Turtle Day at the Quogue Wildlife Refuge. This wonderful setting, overlooking Old Ice Pond, is surrounded by live tortoises and turtles of all sizes and shapes. The director of the center gave the attendees a talk about the anatomy of turtles, their likes and dislikes, and warned the children who were present about the dangers of snapping turtles, among other things.
People love having turtles as pets because they’re so prehistoric, yet they may turn some people off due to the fact that some can outlive their owners, and because they need a lot of care. There are many different types of turtles, from the local box variety, to red sliders, and to the giant green sea turtles. They all share some common characteristics. For instance, did you know that they all have 13 scoops (square-like patterns) on their shell, or that they all like lots of heat, or that some can live longer than others (a tortoise can live up to 100 years while a red-eyed slider can live up to 40 or more)?
Some important tips:
What do you do if you find a turtle crossing the road? Ideally, don’t move or take him/her away. Beware of touching a snapping turtle! However, if a box turtle is in the middle of a busy street, take note of the direction it’s going in and carefully transport it to the side of the road. Turtles are used to living in the same place for many years and they can die from simply being removed from their natural environment. Even more, there is a possibility that they have laid eggs around that area that they will lose.
Can you leave a non-native turtle in the wild? It is better not to because some turtles can get aggressive if they are not in their natural environment.
Can you pet a water turtle? It is best not to as they swim in the water and are likely to have salmonella.
How can I help turtles? Use less plastic because this waste is ending up in the water. Or better yet, stop buying drinks that come in plastic bottles and reduce your use of plastic bags.
Visit quoguewildliferefuge.org if you are interested in sponsoring or adopting a turtle.
You may also get involved locally in other areas. Stay tuned for the next Community Discussion Event (a true exercise in real democracy): Transparency-Accountability in Open Government. The next discussion will be focused on Progressive Water Pollution and Pervasive Groundwater Contamination, preceded by a free screening of Tapped, a documentary about the water bottling industry. The event will be held sometime in late June. Organized and Coordinated by the East End Community Action Team for Open Government and Turtle Shell Health, helping to make the understanding of the natural healing approach much more accessible to everyone. Learn more at turtleshellhealth.com.
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