New Kelp Farm for Violet’s Cove
The benefits of kelp were extolled by local officials announcing an agreement for an aquaculture farm at Violet’s Cove in Mastic Beach with Sue Wicks, a former professional basketball star with roots to the local waters going back generations.
“When l came back to the area in my fifties it was heartbreaking to see the condition of our beloved waters, Wicks said. “The clams were gone, the oysters were gone. We are servants to the bay; we must protect it.”
Wicks followed in the footsteps of her ancestors, Suffolk’s earliest settlers who worked the local waters, and set up an oyster farm in Moriches Bay off the Havens Estate in her hometown of Center Moriches. With an assist from the officials gathered at the announcement—County Executive Ed Romaine, Legislator Jim Mazzarella, Brookhaven Supervisor Dan Panico, and Councilwoman Karen Dunne Kesnig—Wicks has expanded into kelp.
“The natural benefits of kelp are amazing,” Romaine said, noting that one plant can absorb as much nitrogen as can be processed by 28 Innovative Alternative septic systems. “Sugar kelp can be eaten, it can be used as fertilizer. It’s an excellent crop because it grows in the off season.” Brown tides caused by nitrogen from residential septic systems and fertilizer are one of the greatest threats to Long Island waters, the county executive stressed.
Legislator Mazzarella spoke of a quick approval process for the operation as the state, county, and town came together in record time to greenlight the project. Volunteers from community organizations, Building Trades Local 138, and even the family of Suffolk Planning Commissioner Sarah Lansdale turned out to put together drying racks and help prepare the site. Brookhaven Superintendent of Highways Dan Losquadro made space available at a nearby highway yard for processing.
“This is what the Mastic Peninsula should be known for,” Supervisor Panico told the crowd of environmentalists and other supporters at the new aqua farming site. “Our environment is our economy,” he said. “They are tied together.”
Representing the National Surfrider Foundation was Jennifer Latham of East Moriches who pointed out the power of elected officials working with environmentalists to protect the region’s natural resources. “Moriches Bay is an integral part of our ecosystem as it connects the local waters to the Atlantic Ocean,” Latham explained. “We must protect it, and this kelp farm and the many more that are sure to follow will go a long way toward restoring our natural heritage.”
Welcoming Wicks and her new endeavor were Mastic Beach Property Owners Association officials Mike and Catherine Kobasiuk and Kevin Collins. Also on hand were Maura Spery from the Mastic Beach Conservancy, Creek Defender Walt Meshenberg, Frank Fugarino with the Pattersquash Civic Association, Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Vanessa Lockel, and Robert Carpenter of the Long Island Farm Bureau, who said he looks forward to kelp on the menus of local restaurants.
The famed Violet’s Cove Restaurant stood at the site until it was destroyed by Superstorm Sandy. The county has taken over the panoramic waterfront property with plans to build a park pavilion and other amenities to increase public access to the bay, according to Legislator Mazzarella. The new park is part of a grand revitalization planned for the area which includes a new Smith Point Bridge, rebuilding of the Neighborhood Road Business District, the Forge River Watershed Sewer Project, and the town’s new Patriot’s Preserve Park. The county is also looking to redevelop the Shirley Marina and expand Smith Point Park.
“This is our home,” Wicks said. “We belong to this bay; we are servants to this bay.” A graduate of Center Moriches High School, Wicks was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013 after a five year career with the New York Liberty.