The money will help markets improve infrastructure, boost marketing and add delivery options. The program, funded in Gov. Kathy Hochul’s budget, is intended to strengthen the state’s local food supply chain.

This round adds a requirement that recipients set aside part of their awards for sub-grants to farmers markets or vendors in their region through an open application process. Organizations can apply for between $100,000 and $200,000, explaining how they will distribute the funds to market locations.

A second track — offering $200,000 in direct grants to farmers markets without the sub-grant requirement — will be announced in the coming months. State officials say the two-tiered structure is meant to reach smaller markets.

“We learned during the pandemic that we needed to have a reliable food system right here at home,” Mr. Ball said in the Dec. 4 announcement. “Through three rounds of this program, we’ve seen progress on projects that are helping our farmers and producers reach more consumers.”

The Department of Agriculture and Markets supports more than 400 farmers markets, 250 farm stands and 10 mobile market operators statewide. Round 3 awards, totaling more than $1.12 million, were announced earlier this year.

Applications are due by Feb. 4, 2026, at 3 p.m. A webinar about the program is scheduled for Thursday, Dec. 11, at 12:30 p.m. More information is available on the department’s website.

The grant program is part of broader state investments in agriculture, including Nourish New York, the 30% New York State Initiative for school meals and the Regional School Food Infrastructure Grant Program, which will provide $50 million over five years for regional cooking facilities.

To find out eligibility criteria and how to apply, click here.

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In a 67-page Final Scope released Monday, Dec. 1, SCWA outlined the environmental review for the two-phase, 12-mile project — which is estimated to cost $35 million for the first phase alone. The document sets the stage for a Draft Environmental Impact Statement expected by late January, SCWA communications director Daniel Dubois told Riverhead News Review.

“Following its release, we will hold public hearings to take comments,” Mr. Dubois said. “Once that process is complete, the SCWA Board will make a final determination on the project’s environmental impact.”

The move comes two months after Riverhead’s five-member Town Board voted unanimously that SCWA must comply with local land-use regulations for the 8.15-mile pipeline that would run through town but provide no water service to Riverhead residents.

SCWA conducted its own legal review, known as a Monroe Balancing Test, and reached the opposite conclusion, claiming immunity as a state-created authority.

Now Southold wants its own review of whether the pipeline project should be exempt from local regulations. During discussion at the Town Board’s Tuesday, Dec. 2, work session, officials said they would conduct a Monroe Balancing Test — a legal standard that weighs whether regional projects can override local control.

“I think it’s very important that we have that here,” Southold Councilwoman Jill Doherty said.

The town is determining when it will hold the Monroe Balancing Test, which would allow local experts and residents to voice their concerns about the project.

The pipeline is intended to bolster drinking water supplies for Southold, which the Final Scope says faces a “limited supply of potable drinking water” and local water sources “subject to saltwater intrusion.”

If approved following environmental review, construction could take four years, with the pipeline expected to be operational by 2030.

In October, the feud over the pipeline escalated when SCWA attorney Richard Finkel argued the not-for-profit agency should be immune from local regulation because “if the authority was bound by local land-use regulations in each [municipality it serves], it would be subject to the regulations of all 43 municipalities in which it operates.” 

Riverhead officials countered that the town would shoulder construction impacts — particularly along Sound Avenue, a major agricultural and tourism corridor. The pipeline would carry water from Flanders wells through Riverhead to Southold customers. 

“You design it, you approve it, and you do it and step all over Riverhead while doing it, with no benefit to us whatsoever,” Supervisor Tim Hubbard said at an October hearing. 

Riverhead Town Attorney Erik Howard said he was reviewing the pipeline Final Scope and would respond after completing his analysis when contacted by Riverhead News Review.

In October, Mr. Howard argued that Riverhead should have the authority to conduct the Monroe Balancing Test, saying the host community — not the entity seeking immunity — should determine whether local regulations apply.

Environmental planning firm Nelson Pope Voorhis prepared the Final Scope based on comments from three public scoping sessions held in June and on written comments submitted through August. The firm will now conduct the environmental analysis.

Pipeline construction plans

Phase one would run 8.15 miles from Riverside and Flanders in Southampton to the Riverhead-Southold town line in Jamesport and Laurel, supplying up to 6,000 gallons per minute to approximately 9,500 Southold customers, according to SCWA documents.

No new wells would be drilled. SCWA would draw from excess capacity in its South Shore Low Zone, according to the Final Scope. A booster station would be built on SCWA property on Pier Avenue in the Jamesport area.

The pipeline would be installed using two methods: approximately 0.63 miles by directional drilling beneath the Peconic River, the Long Island Rail Road and Main Road, with the remaining 7.52 miles installed by open-cut trenching.

The daily installation rate for trenched sections is estimated to be 300 to 400 feet per day, and up to 600 feet per day or more on long stretches within grassed shoulder areas such as along sections of Cross River Drive.

An alternate route could run north from the Flanders Road and Cross Island Drive intersection, then north to the Cross River Drive and Main Road intersection, and east along Main Road to the Franklinville Road intersection in Laurel, connecting to an existing SCWA main.

Phase two would extend existing water infrastructure 3.79 miles from East Marion to Orient. SCWA says it is not currently planning the extension and included it only to avoid “segmentation” violations under state law. No cost estimate for the second phase was available.

Southold Councilman Brian Mealy said at the Dec. 2 meeting that data from an ongoing U.S. Geological Survey study on the aquifer should be included in the pipeline environmental review.

In October, Southold Councilman Greg Doroski questioned whether SCWA was overstating the water crisis. Mr. Doroski — who won election to the county Legislature last month and will leave the Town Board in January — asked whether “the urgency created by the SCWA in moving this proposal forward is artificially created.”

Environmental review process

Throughout the environmental review, consultants will evaluate potential impacts, including land disturbance from construction, coastal habitat and wildlife effects, surface water quality, groundwater supply capacity, traffic safety, and proximity to schools and hospitals.

The Final Scope notes that “the Towns of Riverhead and Southold have raised concerns that the proposed action may induce secondary development or will be growth inducing.”

Impacts such as potential property value increases near public water are considered “out of scope for an environmental review,” according to the State Environmental Quality Review (SEQR) handbook.

An analysis of how the project would affect future development at EPCAL in Calverton was also determined to be outside the review scope and is “not expected to be significantly or adversely impacted.”

SCWA and other agencies with permitting authority will be consulted on mitigation options, the Final Scope states.

The draft impact statement, beyond the review of the proposed project, potential impacts and alternative routes, will assist in SCWA’s “final determination of impact and the appropriateness of moving forward with the project.”

The Final Scope determined that water conservation programs alone, like Southold’s irrigation legislation passed in July modeled after an SCWA program, would not achieve the project’s goals of bringing potable water to the North Fork.

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Volunteers are needed to walk north-facing beaches after high tides and strong northwest winds, when endangered loggerhead, Kemp’s ridley and green sea turtles wash ashore, unable to navigate out of rapidly cooling waters.

“So, as they’re here and waters continue to drop, they become lethargic and unable to navigate out of the waters. Eventually, they become so listless that they float to the surface and kind of are just floating, waiting for prevailing wind, strong northwest winds that will push them to shore,” said Maxine Montello, executive director of the rescue center.

These animals are not actively swimming to the beach to strand. Instead, it is the wind that is pushing them to the shore. The three species that are found here are federally protected under the Endangered Species Act.

“We tend to find them with those prevailing winds right after a high tide. That combo of a high tide of strong winds will actually indicate that these turtles will most likely be up on the beach,” said Ms. Montello.

There are two tiers of volunteer rescuers. The first tier is trained via a lecture that is presented over Zoom. Once trained, these volunteers know when to patrol to be most effective, how to identify each species and how to reach out for help.

Tier two volunteers receive the tier one training plus field training. This allows the volunteer to assist the rescue team when they arrive.

“We show them how to — once they find a turtle — take GPS coordinates, take photos, be able to identify that species, and then we teach them how to handle that turtle in the field so that we have more hands to help us get these animals back to our facilities,” Ms. Montello said.

One volunteer has been a cold-stun patroller for the last five years and found his 29^th turtle on Nov. 17.

“I would encourage anybody that lives by a north-facing beach on Long Island to get out and walk. These turtles typically wash up between November and January. So any help that the public can give us is greatly appreciated,” said Rob, who didn’t want his last name used. “All of these turtles are endangered species; Kemp’s ridley are the most critically endangered, and we typically find a lot of juvenile Kemp’s during the wintertime, during the cold stun season.”

There are volunteer opportunities inside the rescue center’s facility as well, for those who are unable to patrol the beaches.

“They can help with us in the field, but we also need help here at the facility. We’re located in Riverhead, New York, and we maintain a sea turtle and seal rehab hospital. We’re one of the largest in the network, which is Virginia all the way to Maine. Last year, I believe we processed over 200 animals throughout the year,” said Ms. Montello. “So it gets pretty busy. It’s definitely for somebody that has some time on their hands and wants to work with how they preserve these really critical species.”

Individuals interested in applying can visit nymarinerescue.org/.

New York Marine Rescue Center set up a stranding hotline for anyone who happens upon a cold-stunned, often dead-looking sea turtle. The first step is to call 631-369-9829. Biologists will be on the line to ask questions and give instructions.

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Quannacut Outpatient Services held a ribbon cutting ceremony Thursday, Nov. 6 — three months after opening its doors on East Main Street. It was attended by around 30 people, including Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital leadership, clinic workers and local elected officials.

So far, 25 people have registered for the clinic, SBELIH chief administrative officer Paul Connor told The Suffolk Times at the ceremony.

The clinic offers telehealth, co-occurring and primary care medical services. It also provides medication for addiction treatment, psychiatric evaluations and acts as a New York State Department of Motor Vehicle treatment site for driver’s license reinstatements.

Quannacut Outpatient provides highly specialized programs that address both immediate and long-term substance use and mental health needs, as well as the impact on families, significant others and support systems. It offers individual and group therapy for mental health and substance use.

The clinic is an arm of SBELIH, and recently received licensure from the New York State Office of Mental Health. The license has expanded the hospital’s ability to provide comprehensive behavioral health care to the region.

Assistant vice president of neurosciences and psychiatry Dr. Kristie Golden Campo, who started working as a case manager at 21, praised the clinic’s efforts. When she started, she said she had a case load of clients from Huntington to Port Jefferson. She drove one of her clients out to Greenport to get services at the time from SBELIH, formerly known as Eastern Long Island Hospital, for treatment of her co-occurring disorder.

“There is no better place for this integrated license to exist,” Ms. Golden Campo said. “This has been something that Eastern Long Island Hospital has done for a long time, and they’ve done it better than any other facility that I can remember.” 

Mr. Connor added: “Here on Long Island, where our communities stretch across rural and suburban landscapes, the lack of access has real consequences.”

The OMH license will allow the clinic to “close the gap” of services and connect people to the help they need closer to home, he said. It can be reached at 631-369-8966.

“I think a lot of us know people who could use these services, and I think that gives us great comfort knowing that they can be offered,” Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski said of the clinic. “And, it gives us even more comfort knowing the people who are here are the ones who offer those services.”

Greenport Village Mayor Kevin Stuessi lauded the hospital’s achievements, calling health care one of Southold’s greatest exports. 

“This is something that affects many of our friends and family,” he said. “I’ve certainly seen it in my family as well.”

The clinic opening comes at a time of need: One in five U.S. adults live with mental illness, according to the National Institute of Mental Health as recently as 2022. 

Nearly 49 million people in the U.S. over the age of 12 struggled with substance abuse in 2023, only 6% of whom received treatment, according to a 2023 survey by the National Survey on Drug Use and Health. That same survey found that nearly 21 million American adults suffered from both a mental health disorder and a substance use disorder, or co-occurring disorders. 

For more information on treatments available at Quannacut Outpatient Services, visit elih.stonybrookmedicine.edu.

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Charlie Manwaring, owner of the popular Southold Fish Market, said he has about 30 to 40 bushels right now and expects a few more later this week, but doesn’t expect a good year.

“The season sucks. Period. There’s not a lot. It is what it is,” Manwaring told the Suffolk Times. “We will have some scallops tomorrow. For a couple days, we’re probably going to have some scallops for sale, but it’s probably going to be hit or miss.”

Bay scallops can be harvested from the first Monday in November to March 31. According to the state regulations, they must be 2-1/4 inch length from mid-hinge to mid-bill and display an annual growth ring.

The dwindling population in Peconic Bay has been attributed to a number of factors, including warming water due to climate change, low oxygen levels and new parasites. According to Cornell Cooperative Extension, In 2019 and 2020, an average of 97% adult scallops died off after spawning. Similar mortality events have happened each year through 2024.

These mass die-offs have consistently occurred after the first annual scallop spawn, allowing populations to sustain themselves. CCE is working to restore the population by spawning scallops in their hatchery, the Suffolk Times previously reported. 

According to the CCE website, the program established a large spawner sanctuary with scallops stocked at high density in nets to protect them from predators, so that when scallops reproduce they contribute larvae to the Peconic Bays and help rebuild populations and commercial fisheries.

Mr. Manwaring declined to speculate as to why the harvest is poor again this year.

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Dr. Ghayalod grew up in East Quogue and completed her residency at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital, where she served as chief resident.

“She is a dedicated family practitioner who has also completed fellowship training in addiction medicine,” Dr. Jarid Pachter said. “I believe she will be the perfect fit for our practice in Southold and in helping the many patients suffering from substance use disorders in Suffolk County. I could not be more thrilled to welcome her to Southold Family Medicine and Quannacut Outpatient in Riverhead.”

Dr. Ghayalod earned her medical degree from St. George’s University School of Medicine in Grenada, and completed a fellowship in addiction medicine with Tufts University at Cambridge Health Alliance, where she taught medical students and residents. She began practicing at Southold Family Medicine in September.

“I’m incredibly proud to join Stony Brook Community Medicine, the place that has cared for me and my family since I was a child,” Dr. Ghayalod said in the press release. “As someone who grew up on Eastern Long Island, the North Fork has always held a special place in my heart, and I’m excited to provide care to this community.”

She is now accepting new patients, with office hours Monday through Friday. Patients who wish to make an appointment with Southold Family Medicine should call 631-734-8742.

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According to the New York State Department of Health, women 40 and older should get a mammogram screening every other year. It also lists common symptoms to look out for as including a breast that has swelling or dimpling, finding a lump in the breast or armpit, having irritation of the skin on a breast, having discharge from a nipple, or feeling pain in the breast or nipple. The early detection of breast cancer is crucial to saving lives.

At PBMC on Saturday, breast health exams will be provided to anyone who shows up. Mammograms will be available on the day of the event at North Fork Radiology for those who are eligible. No prior registration is necessary, and uninsured patients are welcome.

For more information, email pbmccancersurvivorship@northwell.edu.

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Residents may have seen cars lining farmland along Roanoke Avenue, and golfers may have noticed the parking lot of The Woods at Cherry Creek golf course was fuller than usual this weekend. Super telephoto cameras, spotting scopes and binoculars of all sizes were all searching for the wayward cuckoo, which has never been seen in New York before, and only two other times on the East Coast. Its last official sighting was in 2020 in Rhode Island; the first was in Massachusetts back in 1981.

North Fork bird and bug enthusiast Jay Rand was one of the first “on” the bird Thursday evening. He said the common cuckoo is currently in the wrong hemisphere. “I think that’s where the common name came from. Cuckoo is a widespread European and Asian bird, and then they migrate south to Africa for the winter,” he said. “So this particular, likely first-year bird was probably trying to migrate and maybe got blown over by that nor’easter.”

Listen to the common cuckoo

Strangely enough, Mr. Rand said, the initial sighting was actually made by a non-birder. Roy William Gardner was golfing at the Vineyards Golf and Country Club, happened to see it and snapped a photo to send to his birder nephew, Chris Sayers. From there, word got to Jay McGowan, who works with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology upstate. Once confirmed as the common cuckoo, he sent out the rare bird alert to the New York birding community on Discord at 4:55 p.m.

At 6:04 p.m., Mr. Rand posted, “On it now!” He and five other birders all saw it together. Since then, there have been 213 recorded sightings of the cuckoo on the birding site ebird.org. Mostly it was observed eating caterpillars. Two stakeout spots were set up over the weekend with many birders on the lookout for it, one at The Woods at Cherry Creek and on Roanoke Avenue south of Reeves Avenue.

Due to the extreme rarity of this species to the U.S., birders hopped in cars and on ferries and even airplanes to see it. Mr. Rand said well-known birders David and Tammy McQuade of Florida made the trip north. They often see 600 to 700 species of birds a year. Mr. McQuade reported it to his ebird list Saturday, Oct. 25.

1 | 3

Birders had their 600mm camera lenses pointed at the common cuckoo Saturday evening. (Credit: Angela Colangelo) About 20 birders were documenting the “lifer” common cuckoo at the Woods at Cherry Creek Saturday evening. (Credit: Angela Colangelo) A woman snaps photos of a common cuckoo in Riverhead; it should be in Europe or Africa. (Credit: Angela Colangelo)

Both the farm and the golf course have been relatively open to the birders using their properties to spot the cuckoo, similar to last year when the rare lazuli bunting was spotted on a home bird feeder. There were some reports of the golf course sending birders away once the golfers teed off. Mr. Rand said that as long as birders are respectful of the property and neighbors, problems are unlikely. He said trespassing is only one of the concerns, however, especially with a rare bird outside its element, often called a “vagrant” in the birding community.

“Sometimes people with their cameras and cellphones, trying to take pictures, get a little close to the bird,” Mr. Rand said. “There’s two things and a really bad one is you’re stressing the bird out. The bird was just feeding in a great spot and now it has to find another good spot, but in addition, if the bird just flew away, you ruined it for other people that were coming to go see it.”

He said that was the case for the common cuckoo as well, but that after a few hours, it was relocated and the location reshared.

Mr. Rand said the birding community in general is growing ever more inclusive with information on sightings shared on ebird.org, Discord and social media. He said the hobby is also growing thanks to the ease of getting involved with apps like Merlin, which will help identify birds through questions, but will also “listen” to your surroundings and tell you which birds it hears.

He said there’s all kinds of ways to bird, from traveling and building life lists on ebird and competing with other area birders to just watching a backyard feeder. “Bird how you want to bird,” he encouraged. Mr. Rand is currently among the top 10 birders in Suffolk County with 349 species seen, and this common cuckoo was a “lifer” for him, meaning he’d never seen it before.

He said this vagrant in particular is special because even non-birders know what a cuckoo clock is and therefore can relate to it in some way, possibly piquing interest in birding. He also said that seeing the common cuckoo in New York is iconic and will be tough to beat moving forward.

The last confirmed common cuckoo sighting on ebird was at 9 a.m. on Sunday at The Woods at Cherry Creek.

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Thanks to the Center for Advocacy, Support and Transformation, Stony Brook Eastern Long Island Hospital and Southold Town all residents of the North Fork, Shelter Island and beyond are invited to find resources to build a healthy foundation at the annual health fair. 

The three organizations are continuing their collaboration that started in 2019 to bring all kinds of personal health and wellness support to the Peconic Recreation Center on Oct. 16.

From 2 to 6 p.m. connect with over 20 providers, including Fidelis Health Insurance, The Retreat, Family Service League of Riverhead, THRIVE Recovery Long Island, and Southold Fire Department.

Read more about the Fall Health Fair on northforker.com

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Suffolk County and Riverhead Town are following the issued burn ban, as an increase in potential wildfires is “a great concern that could unexpectedly and rapidly increase, endangering the health, safety and property of residents.”

During this period, outdoor fires for brush and debris disposal, as well as any uncontained campfires and open fires used for cooking and recreation, are prohibited in Riverhead.

The ban does not apply to barbecue grills, maple sugar arches and similar outdoor cooking devices. Contained campfires less than 3 feet in height and 4 feet in length, width or diameter in a fireplace, hibachi or fire ring with flames is also allowed.

Long Island is currently at a moderate risk level for fire danger, according to the DEC. This means fires can start from most accidental causes, though this number is generally low. The island is also on drought watch, but no statewide mandatory water use restrictions are in place.

Fires in open cured grasslands will burn briskly and spread rapidly on windy days, the DEC said. Timber fires spread slowly, but can pick up to a moderate speed. An average fire burns at a moderate intensity, but heavy concentrations of fuel may burn hot.

For a moderate risk region, short-distance spotting may occur but is not persistent. Fires are not likely to become serious and can be controlled relatively easy.

The state will reexamine the burn ban before its expiration to determine if it needs to be extended.

For more information, visit the NYSDEC’s Wildland Fire Safety and Prevention page or the National Weather Service for updates.

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