Long Island

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Now an inveterate birder, Dianne Taggart was, admittedly, slow to migrate to world of ornithology. 
"To be honest, I came late to the outside world at all," Taggart said. "I was in my 40s before I got interested in anything in nature." 
As a child, Taggart liked staying indoors to read. Later, she was kept busy raising her daughter, working two jobs and going to college at night. 
Despite her late start, Taggart, who retired from the Suffolk County Department of Public Works, is making up for lost time, sharing her knowledge and passion for the avian world through presentations at libraries and Audubon chapters and her "<a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/194372344644242">LI Birds.Com</a>" Facebook group, where bird lovers flock to share photos, sightings and conversation. 
"There’s these tiny little creatures that survive in all kinds of habitats and travel so many distances when they migrate. That’s just fascinating," said Taggart, 74, of Holbrook. 
<h3>An abiding passion</h3> 
When her daughter was young, Taggart put up a bird feeder in the backyard to entertain her. Over time, she found herself getting more and more curious about the winged creatures that stopped by. Her interest and admiration were piqued, she says, by a one-legged European starling that managed to return to the feeder for consecutive winters from the late ’70s into early 1980. 
"That this tiny little ball of fluff managed to survive with only one leg was a testament to adaptability in nature," Taggart said. 
Another pivotal moment for the budding bird lover occurred while she worked as a volunteer coordinator for Okeanos Ocean Research Foundation’s stranding program, which treated distressed marine mammals and turtles, and is now part of the Long Island Aquarium. After an oil spill near the northeastern coast of Long Island in the 1990s, Taggart helped clean and care for such seabirds as common murres, razorbills, common loons and dovekies. Once cleaned, the birds are kept in tanks with wide ledges on which they can perch from time to time to get out of the water. 
"When you clean a bird, it doesn’t have any buoyancy anymore. So, until those oils grow back on its feathers, it can’t swim," she explained, adding that one of the murres died as she tended to it. 
Noting the beauty and wonder of her feathered friends, Taggart says she has always been content to observe them. 
"A lot of birders are listers and chasers," she said. "I’m not so much interested in keeping a list of the birds I see as I am in watching the birds. I think their behavior and their general survival is fascinating." 
A chickadee, for example, is a remarkable little creature, she says. "They’re so light, and all feathers and hollow bones, and yet they manage to survive in weather that we couldn’t survive in without layers and layers of clothes." 
<h3>Birding on LI</h3> 
For years, armed with camera and binoculars, Taggart would spend each day birding, either during brief ambles after work or unhurried sojourns into the woods on weekends. 
"I could go out on a Saturday morning and it would be five hours before I realized what time it was and my stomach was telling me I was hungry," she said. 
These days, Taggart goes birding a couple of times a week to such favorite spots as <a href="https://www.fws.gov/refuge/wertheim/">Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge</a> in Shirley or to Connetquot River, Heckscher or Sunken Meadow state parks. She also whiles away hours watching the flurry of activity at two feeders that she keeps far from windows at home to avoid strikes; she fills them with shelled sunflower seeds to attract a variety of birds.
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For Taggart, birding is akin to meditation — a time where her mind is focused solely on birds and "all my worries or problems or thoughts just disappear for that period of time." 
Beyond Long Island, Taggart has taken birding trips throughout the country and abroad, photographing brilliantly hued Brazilian birds, "amazing" hawks of Africa and an elusive cave-dwelling oilbird in Trinidad. In Tanzania, the secretary bird, with its halolike plume of black feathers, was particularly memorable. 
"It’s a big, gawky storklike bird that walks around on the grasslands. It’s just so different," she said. 
On her Trinidad trip, Taggart traveled with Eileen Schwinn, a fellow Eastern Long Island Audubon member. A highlight of that trip, Schwinn recalled, was pointing out to the guide a black-and-white warbler. 
"Here in New York, that’s a pretty common bird in the springtime and summer," said Schwinn 72, a retired office manager who lives in East Quoque. "But our guide was just absolutely delighted that we found one for him, and he had never seen that before." 
Locally, Taggart has had some exciting, even hair-raising, avian encounters. Once while she was sitting on her balcony, a tufted titmouse landed on her head and started pulling out her hair, apparently for nesting material. Another time, a great blue heron, who was being chased by a territorial osprey, swooped toward her at Wertheim. 
"It didn’t see me, and it was coming right at me," Taggart recalled. "And I was frozen in place, and I thought to myself, ‘I’m going to get speared with that bill.’ " 
At the last moment, the heron spotted her and veered away, sparing her from being impaled. 
Taggart's favorite bird is the male northern harrier, a white-and-gray hawk with black wing tips and an owl-like face known as the "gray ghost." "It hunts like an owl, more like an owl than hawk, because it uses its hearing a lot and it nests close to the ground," she explained. 
She’s never captured a good shot of the gray ghost, since, she says, she’s so busy admiring it. "I’m a birder first and a photographer way second," she said. "Three quarters of good bird photography is pure luck — being in the right place at the right time." 
<h3>Spreading the word</h3> 
For the past few years, Taggart has shared her appreciation of birds during presentations that include esoteric facts, engaging photos and audio recordings. 
Once she became a dedicated bird enthusiast, Taggart always seemed to be throwing in tidbits of information about birds, whether while training Red Cross volunteers (begun after <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/flight-800-anniversary-memorial-1.50308289">the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800</a>) or leading volunteer stranding team sessions. She also shares her avian hobby with the Crochet for Charity group she coordinates. 
"I want them to look around and appreciate what’s right in front of them," she said. 
Among the advice she gives people: Don’t feed ducks (doing so spreads and causes diseases), and don’t chase birds or play bird calls to attract them (both activities stress for the animals). 
Over time, Taggart has learned a thing or two from these feathered creatures. "They taught me to appreciate the outside world," she said. "They taught me the beauty that’s around me in these little, tiny things." 
The most invaluable lesson she’s gleaned from her winged friends? The serenity of just being. "You go out and you take a walk in the woods, and you’re just there," she said. "And the birds are just there. It’s amazing to watch them do their thing and to realize that you can just do your thing, too. You can just be." 
Taggart shares her concerns that climate change is causing birds to lose habitat and change migratory patterns. "Some don’t leave as quickly as they used to because our winters are warmer," she said, explaining that it takes longer for the birds to get cold enough to migrate. 
One solution, she says, is creating other habitats for birds by preserving open space, grassland and forested areas. "All habitats are in trouble, from winter grounds in South America to nesting sites further north and along the migration routes where they need to rest and refuel," Taggart said. 
Individuals can help by becoming citizen scientists who participate in such events as the Great Backyard Bird Count, which helps Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon monitor and aid bird populations. (Visit <a href="https://www.birdcount.org/">birdcount.org</a> to register for this year’s event, Feb. 18-21.) 
Eileen Gerle, who worked with Taggart at Okeanos and led educational programs for Cornell Cooperative Extension, noted that in Florida, the Venice Area Audubon Society’s 2021 Christmas Bird Count found the same number of species but 10,000 fewer birds as in 2020. 
"We’re seeing declines worldwide within the bird population," said Gerle, 68, who now lives in Venice. "We’re seeing the same birds, just a lot less of them." 
Gerle says Taggart’s talks and activism can help others develop an appreciation for birds that leads to conservation efforts. "You need that interest first for them to care enough to maybe donate to the Nature Conservancy which buys up land to help the habitat," she said. 
Indeed, birds can be bellwethers of the quality of the global environment, letting humans know about the deleterious effects of pesticides and climate change, explains John Turner, 66, of Setauket, a naturalist and retired director of Brookhaven Town’s Department of Environmental Protection. 
Armed with information, people can protect the bird population, he said. 
"Dianne does a wonderful job as an avian ambassador to the public to inform them about these issues that relate to birds," said Turner, who runs Alula Birding &amp; Natural History Tours of East Setauket. 
Though she may have come late to the natural world, Taggart’s appreciation for all creatures — great and small — seems boundless. 
"I think if I had to live life over again," she mused, " … I’d just sit and watch animals all day long."
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Things to Do

Retirement

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Dianne Taggart displays photos she snapped during her excursions as she speaks about her avian friends. Her subjects include an osprey,&nbsp; a great blue heron and a tufted titmouse. | Photos by Dianne Taggart

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Her sights are set on birds

Stuart Cameron, the Suffolk County police chief of department who took on the role of acting commissioner in May, walked out on Friday from police headquarters in Yaphank, capping off a <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/stuart-cameron-suffolk-police-retiring-1.50452650">37-year career.</a> 
Accompanied by family members including his wife, two sons and granddaughter, Cameron, 59, did the traditional retirement "walkout" to applause and gave hugs to former and current officers along with agency brass. 
"I lived my life, my early life just wanting to be a police officer," Cameron said to the crowd. "I truly know that I lived a dream." 
Cameron took over as acting police commissioner<a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/crime/suffolk-police-commissioner-hart-leaves-1.50239804"> following the resignation of Geraldine Hart,</a> who left the police department after three years to become the head of security at Hofstra University. 
Hart, a former FBI official, said seeing Cameron leave the department was "bittersweet" knowing how much he helped her when she first joined the department. 
"I remember my first day, he had all the chiefs from the different precincts come in and meet me one by one, but all of that was just him behind the scenes," she said. "I was always very grateful for that and of course for his friendship." 
Cameron, who will officially retire on Jan. 3, became chief of department on Nov. 12, 2015, after <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/james-burke-complete-coverage-1.5739818">former chief James Burke was forced out</a> and later sent to prison for beating up a prisoner and attempting to cover up the assault. 
Cameron’s retirement comes after <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/suffolk-police-commissioner-rodney-harrison-nypd-1.50450708">Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone nominated outgoing NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison</a> on Monday to lead the nation’s 13th-largest police force with 2,400 officers. Harrison, 52, who spoke before Suffolk <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/politics/harrison-suffolk-police-bellone-1.50454086">County lawmakers on Thursday</a>, would be the first person of color to lead the police department. The county Legislature is expected to vote on Harrison’s nomination on Tuesday. 
A police officer since 1985, Cameron started his career as a cop in the Second Precinct in Huntington. 
A year later, Robert "Bob" Brown joined the department in 1986 and worked in the same precinct with Cameron. Brown of Smithtown, who retired in July as the department’s chief of patrol, called Cameron "the most dedicated person I’ve ever worked with." 
"He set a great example for me and for everybody else that’s on the job now and for a long time to come," Brown, 58, said. "Stu’s a hard bar to reach up to. He’s not just a tall fellow but he sets a high bar as well." 
Cameron has been involved in several high-profile cases, including the TWA Flight 800 crash in 1996, as a sergeant, and later coordinated the crime scene at Ocean Parkway after the remains of several women were found in Gilgo Beach in 2010. 
In his role as chief of the department, Cameron <a href="https://www.newsday.com/long-island/suffolk/suffolk-police-spanish-language-1.39905238">stressed language access and building relationships within the Latino community</a>. In 2013, Suffolk police reached an agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice to overhaul policing of minority communities after a yearslong civil rights investigation that was prompted by the 2008 fatal stabbing of Marcelo Lucero, an Ecuadorian immigrant, by a group of teens in Patchogue. 
Cameron’s relationships stretch outside the confines of Suffolk County. Seeing Cameron off was Nassau County Police Commissioner Patrick Ryder. 
"I’ve known Stu for over 20 years," he said. "Stu’s a gentleman. He’s a professional at knowing to share information, work together, [and] collaborate together." 
Before getting inside a 1985 department museum car, Cameron thanked everyone who came to see him off. 
"It’s been a great ride," he said.

Suffolk

liSTU211218

Suffolk County's top cop walks off into retirement

Suffolk's top cop walks off into retirement

The Suffolk County Police Department honored Acting Commissioner Stuart Cameron with a retirement ceremony in Yaphank on Friday.


Stuart Cameron says goodbye to Suffolk County police

Newsday

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Michael O'Keeffe

Stuart Cameron, the Suffolk police chief of department described by many as a "true gentleman" who served as acting commissioner since May and deftly took over a department rocked by scandal, will retire in January after 37 years. 
Cameron, who became acting commissioner after the resignation of Geraldine Hart, has been chief of department since 2015. He took over the highest uniformed position in the force after his predecessor, former Chief James Burke, was forced out in disgrace and later sent to prison for beating a prisoner and trying to cover it up. 
County officials and union leaders have praised Cameron for bringing stability and integrity to the department at a time it needed a steady hand, both as chief of department under former Commissioner Timothy Sini, and later as the top cop. 
"I will always be grateful that in a moment of crisis for this county when I fired former Chief Jim Burke, (Cameron) stepped up and worked with new Commissioner Tim Sini to quickly restore faith, honor and dignity in the department," Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said. 
Cameron, 59, said in an interview on Wednesday that while misconduct generated headlines, the majority of Suffolk police officers are on the job to serve the public. 
"The work the cops do here is amazing," said Cameron, who also served as acting commissioner in 2018 before Hart was confirmed, "and I’ve had a front-row seat for 37 years." 
The announcement of his retirement comes days after Bellone nominated outgoing NYPD Chief of Department Rodney Harrison to lead the 2,400-officer department, the 13th-largest police agency in the nation. 
"Stuart Cameron has served the residents of this county with integrity and distinction for 37 years," said Bellone, who called Cameron "one of the finest public servants in Suffolk County history." 
Cameron said the department will be in good hands under Harrison. "The new commissioner will be really good and I wish him nothing but success," Cameron said. 
Harrison inherits a department with significant challenges. It has struggled to recruit minorities and has come under fire for past corruption and abuse, as well as a sometimes poor relationship with minority communities. But even Cameron's critics say his efforts to combat those problems were genuine. 
Tracey Edwards, the Long Island NAACP regional director and frequent police critic who served with Cameron on the task force that developed Suffolk’s 1,000-page reform plan, called the outgoing chief "a true gentleman and public servant." 
"He put his all into how best to develop and implement police reforms throughout Suffolk County," Edwards said. "I wish him and his family all the best." 
Suffolk Police Benevolent Association president Noel DiGerolamo said Cameron earned the trust of his union by emphasizing officer safety, especially in late 2019, after COVID-19’s emergence in China. DiGerolamo said Cameron made sure Suffolk officers received the proper training and personal protective equipment before the virus spread across Long Island in March 2020. 
"I do not know of another person who is so universally respected as Acting Commissioner Cameron," DiGerolamo said. "His knowledge of emergency management is unparalleled." 
Cameron said he began dreaming about becoming a police officer when he was 3 years old. As he got older, he devoured cop television shows, hoping to get a taste of what his future might hold. 
First assigned as a rookie cop to the Second Precinct in Huntington, Cameron has been involved in some of the biggest cases in Suffolk police history. He supervised personnel as a sergeant during the TWA Flight 800 crash in 1996 and coordinated the crime scene at Ocean Parkway after the remains of several women were discovered in Gilgo Beach in 2010. That area was later found to be a dumping ground for 10 sets of remains. 
"The one thing I regret is that I won’t be on the job when we solve the Gilgo case and we will solve the Gilgo case," Cameron said, whose tenure as chief of department was marked by a decline in crime and traffic fatalities. 
During his time on the force, Cameron became an expert in nuclear terrorism and counterterrorism and helped enact New York’s Securing the Cities, a Department of Homeland Security funded program that equips Long Island and New York City police with radiation detectors. 
He has received extensive training in how to detect and respond to terrorist threats, including active shooters, biological weapons, chemical threats and suicide bombers. 
Cameron also emphasized expanding language access and building relationships with Suffolk’s Latino community, which said police had ignored its concerns after immigrant Marcelo Lucero was fatally stabbed during a 2008 assault in Patchogue. 
Cameron also began studying Spanish in 2018, and said he hopes to put those lessons to use by traveling to Spain next year. He’s also planning a trip to Florida with his wife, Margaret, who he called "a saint" for putting up with his long absences from home. 
"We’ve been married for 36 years and I love her more than ever," Cameron said. "Now we get to do some things together."

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Stuart Cameron, acting Suffolk police commissioner, retiring in January after 37 years on the force  

Stuart Cameron, acting Suffolk police commissioner, retiring in January

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Michael Gormley

MICHAEL G. SIDERAKIS 
Democratic 
BACKGROUND: 
<ul> 
 <li>Siderakis, 53, of Nesconset, ran in 2020 unsuccessfully for the State Senate in the 2nd District.</li> 
 <li>Siderakis retired in December after 28 years as a state trooper, where he was part of search and recovery at Ground Zero after the 2001 terrorist attacks and for the crash of TWA Flight 800. </li> 
 <li>Siderakis attended Baruch College for three years before attending the police academy.</li> 
</ul> 
ISSUES: 
<ul> 
 <li>He wants to make government more efficient and attract more employers to broaden the tax base and "stop these out-of-control taxes."</li> 
 <li>He said schools must adhere to the property tax cap of about 2% growth each year but can still retain and attract top teachers.</li> 
 <li>He argued that as a Democrat he could get more funding and policy through the Legislature’s Democratic majority.</li> 
</ul>

Politics

VGSIDERAKIS211102

Michael G. Siderakis, County Legislator, 12th Legislative District

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