Scenes from the Working Group Tour, June 4, 2002, and Other Activities

	At Area A, working group members Tom Talbot and Anthony Graves, observe the finished work of the vacuum guzzler.  River flow has been restored following completion of vacuum guzzling. Although the vacuum guzzler is a labor-intensive process, wetland vegetation is undisturbed during its operation.
	On April 29, Suffolk County Legislator, Michael Caracciolo, toured the same pilot-study areas that have been a primary focus of the working group.
	At Area A, Project Manager Kevin Shaw shows working-group members some pictures of the area prior to the vacuum guzzling. Except for the wooden survey markers, the "before and after observations" are nearly identical.
	At the boundary between Areas "C" and "D," Skip Medeiros shows the working group a section of the river, similar to Area A, that has characteristics well-suited for cleanup by vacuum guzzling. This area has high-quality wetland plants (tussock sedges) that could be left undisturbed by using vacuum guzzling.
	At Area D, working group members talk with Skip about the healthy growth of the new wetland plants. The application of the topsoil/compost mixture was largely credited for the growth success. However, the rich mixture also claimed one-third of the total cost for the pilot study. One recommendation coming from the pilot study is to evaluate whether plants can grow as well in the native Long Island sandy soil.
	At Area D, small frogs signal to working group members a quick recovery of the wetland environment.
	At Area D, working-group member Anthony Graves (Town of Brookhaven) and Project Manager Kevin Shaw note that tussock sedges planted in March have already begun to flower.

Scenes from Weed Removal at Area D, June 18, 2002

Summer students Gail Ricciotti and Laurie Appel monitor the growth of wetland plants at Area D. The removal of invasive weeds by hand during monitoring evolved from recommendations of the working group. Although the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation allows the use of the herbicide, Glyphosate, the project team assured the concerned working-group members that it would not be used in this wetland.

Laurie (left) is a recent graduate of Suffolk County Community College where she completed her degree in the Science, Laboratory, and Technology Program. Gail, also from Suffolk County Community College, is working on her biology degree.