If you have been reading my articles, you know that storm-drain runoff is one of many factors that have negatively affected Long Island’s Great South Bay. The declining clam population has also contributed to the poor water quality. Clams are filter-feeding, bottom-dwelling organisms that eat tiny organisms called phytoplankton. A single clam can filter about 1 gallon of water an hour. Clams once filtered the entire Great South Bay once every two-and-a-half days. At current population levels it takes 100 days to filter the Bay, and that is not nearly enough to do any good.
What can you do to help the recovery of our clam population and waterways?
I want to thank the Herald and Richner Communications for their outstanding and generous support of this project. In addition, I would like the thank Aboff’s Paint (West Hempstead), Barney’s Hardware (Elmont), Home Depot (Elmont), Long Island Paneling (New Hyde Park), Lowe’s (Garden City), Metro Fire Safety Guards (Elmont), Pathmark (Franklin Square), Schilling’s True Value Hardware (Franklin Square), South Shore Fire & Safety Equipment (East Meadow), SRG Construction Consulting (Island Park), Staples (Hempstead), Stop & Shop (Hempstead and West Hempstead), West Hempstead Lions Club, Diane Cartolano, the Holder Family and Mr. and Mrs. Ed Miller for their donations to this project.
Special thanks to everyone who volunteered to place the medallions, Troop 240, West Hempstead Board of Education, West Hempstead Community Support & Civic Association, West Hempstead Public Library, Operation SPLASH, the Town of Hempstead, Jim Brown and the Department of Conservation & Waterways for helping to make this project possible.