The Lineup: 12.05.19
In boys hoops, the Ross School hosts Pierson on Friday, while the Bonackers play at home against Half Hollow Hills West. East Hampton wrestlers travel to Sayville for a tournament on Saturday.
Nature Notes: Too Many Oysters?
I hope you all read last week’s letters to The Star. The one that stimulated me the most was the one from Brad Loewen. It brought to mind a recurring question I’ve had: We are spending a lot of money trying to make the estuary more productive, but is it working? Are all of these efforts to “save the bays” by seeding more and more oysters going to improve overall aquatic productivity? The late Stuart Vorpahl frequently reminded us that productivity can be cyclical. He was a keen observer of the ups and downs in population of this and that fishery. When fish or shellfish were wanting, he turned to welding — most of our local fishermen know more ways than one to make a living.
On the Water: That's One Tall Order
I’m a tall guy. When I stand up straight, which sadly is not often due to some rather severe scoliosis of my spine, I normally would measure out at nearly 6 foot 6. Despite my poor posture, I’ve become well accustomed to the many benefits my tallness brings in everyday life and activities.
Taking Aim
Michael Combs was going to be a plumber, or perhaps work on a New York City tugboat, like his dad. He was learning plumbing in high school in the 1980s in Greenport, and a skill in the trades promised job security and income. He’d grown up among baymen, market gunners, and hunting guides — hunters, foragers, and fishermen, many of whom were also, by need and nature, artists: decoy-carvers, lure-makers, self-sufficient men and women who could fix or build most anything. Young Combs watched and learned.