North Hempstead Town Supervisor Jennifer DeSena and members of the North Hempstead Town Board joined Ranger Eric Powers on July 24, at the North Hempstead Aerodrome for the Town’s Ninth Annual Quail Release. The event saw 50 Northern Bobwhite Quail released into Hempstead Harbor Woods to combat ticks.
The town has raised Northern Bobwhite Quail for the past nine years to help several town parks control tick populations without using pesticides. DeSena said North Hempstead is the first municipality on Long Island to deploy quails in stifling ticks, and the release is part of the town’s broader environmental initiative to use natural, non-toxic methods to control invasive species and disease-carrying pests.
“The quail we released today are our superheroes in the fight against ticks and the diseases they carry,” DeSena said. “By finding a natural solution without pesticides, North Hempstead remains a leader in environmental sustainability… fun, unique initiatives like this can help keep us ahead of the curve.”
Town staff, volunteers, and leaders from the Center for Environmental Education & Discovery (CEED) raised the quail this year in the Clark Botanic Garden quail flight pen. The flight pen was built by Eagle Scout Daniel Reilly of Troop 423 from Plainview-Old Bethpage as part of his Eagle Scout project.
The North Hempstead quail program is led by Ranger Eric Powers, CEED, and host of the town’s nature program “Off the Trail.” Powers also collaborates with dozens of Long Island schools to establish incubators in their classrooms and raise quail as part of an animal life cycle studies program that teaches science, environmental studies, and responsible stewardship. People can visit www.CEEDLI.org to learn more about the program.