WLIW is airing the documentary “A World Within a World: Bay Houses of Long Island” on WLIW21 at 8 pm on October 15, 2020. The film was produced by Barbara Weber and Greg Blank and provides a rare look at the bay houses on the South Shore of Long Island. The film is being shown […]
Publications Videos
Fishermen and baymen, duck hunters and decoy carvers, clamshell artists and lifeguards are just some of the tradition bearers featured here. Through oral histories, Long Island Traditions has documented dozens of those committed to preserving a life on the water. Most are participants in our maritime education programs or festivals and museum programs. If you […]
The South Shore Waterfowlers are a recreational conservation group on Long Island, NY that teaches responsible waterfowl hunting in the region.
Bay house owners face unique challenges in building and preserving their homes, due to their location in a precarious maritime environment. Storms and hurricanes, along with frequent vandalism routinely threaten these fragile structures. Hurricane Sandy in 2012 destroyed many of the bay houses, but some remain. Hard work and labor are necessary to maintain the […]
George Rigby, Jr. — Master Fisherman, Duck Hunter and Decoy Carver George Rigby was born in Bay Shore, Long Island, the descendant of several generations of baymen and duck hunters. His great grandfather and grandfather worked on the bay during the late 1800s and early 1900s in Canarsie near Sheepshead Bay in Brooklyn either harvesting […]
Ducks Unlimited: Waterfowl conservation Wetlands restoration. Environmental education. Wildfowl carving. Hear these words, and then think of Ducks Unlimited. This is their mission. Ducks Unlimited was started in 1937, when the dust bowl threatened to decimate the entire wildfowl population of the country. The mid-continent, where most waterfowl are born, is a long way from […]
Bay Houses Bay houses stand on the fragile marshlands in the Town of Islip and the Town of Hempstead. Built by fishermen and baymen, duck hunters and recreational boaters, they come in all shapes and forms, with as many variations as there are builders. Most of the houses that stand today range in age from […]
