MONTHLY MEETINGS

NEXT PROGRAM
Let the Nissequogue Run!
Thursday, June 26, 2025 @ 7pm
Our special guest this month is Cathy McConnell, award-winning writer, producer, researcher for Nature on PBS, National Geographic Television, among other projects and initiatives serving the United Nations, Islip Town Environmental Council, and Seatuck Environmental Association.
McConnell’s talk will focus on “Let the Nissequogue Run,” a campaign to free the largest river on LI’s North Shore.
On August 18th, 2024, a powerful thunderstorm rolled over Long Island, bringing some 10 inches of rain. A dam on the Nissequogue River was breached. A wall of water rushed downstream, flooding neighborhoods and damaging homes, as it raced towards the LI Sound. It is the kind of rainstorm we can expect to see more of as our climate turns up the heat – more powerful… and more dangerous.
The dam in Blydenburgh County Park, first built hundreds of years ago to power a long gone lumber mill, had failed. It had drained a lake, the centerpiece of the Park, leaving behind a sea of mud. It was a tragedy… or was it?
The lake was gone… but the River had been reborn.
Find out why dam removals are critical to restoring the power of rivers – to protect our homes, increase biodiversity, and once again become the vital link joining the living communities of Land and Sea.
More about Cathy McConnell:
After graduating with a MS from Yale University’s School of the Environment, Cathy did groundbreaking research on how natural history films impacted viewers’ attitudes and knowledge about wildlife and conservation.
At Thirteen’s NATURE series on PBS, she developed, wrote and oversaw productions as Series Editor, helping the series accumulate several Emmys. She moved to National Geographic Television as Head of Natural History Coproductions, while also producing and writing several National Geographic Specials.
McConnell’s NGS Special THE NEW CHIMPANZEES, won Best Animal Behavior Film at the Jackson Wild International Film Festival, and the Genesis Award from the Ark Trust for Best Television Documentary promoting understanding and empathy for animals. Her NGS Special HEROES OF THE HIGH FRONTIER, about the scientific exploration of the rainforest canopy, won the Emmy for Outstanding Informational or Cultural Program, Best Documentary from the New York Film and Television Festival, Best of Festival at the Explorers Club Documentary Film Festival, as well as several foreign awards.
She also produced and wrote the opening film for Climate Week at the United Nations in 2019. Cathy has continued to mentor new filmmakers, develop films and write scripts for NGS, PBS, Discovery, and The Science Channel, among others.
Over the last decade, Cathy has worked to promote statewide climate legislation, been a member of the Islip Town Environmental Council, and volunteered with Seatuck Environmental Association.
Location:
West Islip Library (Room D)
3 Higbie Lane, West Islip, NY 11795
Light refreshments will be served.
Every month we feature a Guest Speaker on topics of interest to kayakers and outdoor enthusiasts. Past speakers have included authors, photographers & filmmakers, environmentalists, and global adventurers.
Meetings begin with a review of Club News and Upcoming Events. Attendees are welcome to announce kayak-related events or community news. Also, members are welcome to listen in as we hold our Executive Meeting, beginning at 6pm.
PAST PROGRAMS


North American Odyssey
When National Geographic Adventurers of the Year Amy and Dave Freeman marry, they set out on an unusual honeymoon: a three-year, 12,000-mile journey across North America. From Alaska’s Inside Passage to Florida’s Key West, they traverse the continent by kayak, canoe, dogsled, and skis, encountering wildlife, sublime landscapes, and harrowing challenges.
Along the way, the Freemans also bear witness to environmental degradation and climate change—from plastic-covered beaches to forest fires to retreating glaciers. And as they engage with Native and rural communities most impacted by the changes resulting from modern industrial society and meet individuals and organizations dedicated to protecting the natural world, their adventure deepens in ways they never imagined.
From the white-knuckle rush of paddling white water to the wonderment of dogsledding across a frosted landscape where caribou and wolves roam, North American Odyssey is a celebration of our interconnectedness to the natural world and to each other. Beautifully written, engagingly told, and inspiring throughout, Amy and Dave Freeman’s story is a clarion call for change in the way we live.
About the authors:
Amy and Dave Freeman have traveled over 50,000 miles through some of the world’s wildest places, from the Amazon to the Arctic. They were named Adventurers of the Year by National Geographic in 2014, and they are also the authors of A Year in the Wilderness, an award-winning book about the year they spent in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. When they aren’t on expeditions, their sailboat, or speaking tours, they are based in Ely, Minnesota, where they organize and lead canoe trips.

Notable Past Speakers
Folklorist & Author Nancy Solomon
presented “The History of Bay Houses, fishing shacks on the marshlands of the Towns of Islip and Hempstead”
Jake Stachovak
shared his experience kayaking 5740 Miles
Sara Outen
brought us along on her Londen2Londen around-the-world by kayak and bicycle
Filmmaker Thomas Halaczinsky (pictured below)
shared his experience photographing and writing his book, “Archipelago New York,” which is about his exploration of the islands around Manhattan by sail boat
Dr. Russell Burke, Professor of Biology at Hofstra University
discussed his research with diamondback terrapins in Jamaica Bay
Derek C Hutchinson, a “founding father” of modern sea kayaking, gave an entertaining talk about his many long distance journeys and giving advanced classes around the world
Luke Raynor
John Tanacredi
John Cardone
Brandyn Lucca
Mary Laura Lamont
Mike Botini
Anna LaVesque, Kayak and Yoga Instructor
Jerry Foster — Blue Way Marathon
Bob Danielson — Kayak Fishing
Organization/Group Presentations
Friends of Fire Island National Seashore
Save the Sound
Save Plum Island
Sierra Club
South Shore Blueway
Water for Long Island
Friends of William Floyd Estate
Gotham Whales
CRESLI (Coastal Research & Education Society of Long Island, Inc.)
Peconic Baykeepers
Kayak DOV
Dinghy Shop
Long Island Cross Country Ski Club
AND MANY MORE…