The "Brockovich" of Marion Lake
Lori Luscher: self-appointed pillager of phragmites
7 comments below
East Marion's own 'Erin Brockovitch' poses last November with a freshly-cut stalk of phragmites, an invasive weed that can suffocate wetland ecosystems if not controlled. The part-time East Marion resident spent countless hours writing grants and organizing fund raisers to have the plants removed from Marion Lake.
To her neighbors around Marion Lake, these are the words that define Lori Luscher -- and conjure up memories of the feisty self-made environmentalist portrayed by Julia Roberts in the 2000 box office smash.
Ms. Luscher, a part-time East Marion resident of 30 years, led the charge to clear domineering phragmites stalks from the small lake near Orient Harbor.
The project took nearly five years and hundreds of hours of grant-writing and negotiating with the Department of Environmental Conservation. By last November, Ms. Luscher had the proper permits, political and financial support from Southold Town Trustees and a $100,000 matching grant from the DEC to move the project forward.
That month, the town highway department finally began cutting the invasive weeds, which can suffocate wetland ecosystems if uncontrolled, around the Bay Avenue bridge.
For her tireless work in releasing Marion Lake from this decades-long ecological stranglehold, the Suffolk Times names Lori Luscher Civic Person of the Year.
But Ms. Moyse said she helped her friend early on in the research phase.
"We didn't even know what [these plants] were called," Ms. Moyse said. "We contacted wildlife associations, we took pictures of birds on the lake, we talked to the DEC and found grants."
She said that even with no experience in grant writing, Ms. Luscher wasted no time putting pen to paper. She also formed the Marion Lake Restoration Committee and organized fund-raisers, such as yard sales and an "awareness" booth at last year's Maritime Festival in Greenport.
Walter Gaipa, another neighbor of Ms. Luscher's, said he wasn't sure at first if Marion Lake residents could raise the $100,000 to match the DEC grant. But with Ms. Luscher at the helm, he now believes anything is possible.
"People that could donate did donate," he said. "Whatever we could get."
Mr. Gaipa recalls other Marion Lake property owners trying to get the ball rolling on phragmites eradication in the past, but Ms. Luscher was the only one able to get the job done.
"I remember the meetings years ago" he said. "All the heads of the DEC, all the promises, and nothing ever happened. But Lori, when she puts her mind to something, it happens."
The need for eradication had become more urgent in recent years, according to Mr. Gaipa. If the proliferation of the plants around the bridge stopped the flow of water from one side of lake to the other, the water, with no natural connection to Orient Harbor, would become stagnant and polluted.
But with the bridge area clear again, Mr. Gaipa said, it was very emotional to see both sides of Marion Lake.
"It hasn't been that way for 25, 30 years." he said. "Lori really was the brains behind it. She has an amazing ability to follow through on things."
Ms. Luscher's own property in East Marion isn't directly on Marion Lake -- it's on the bay, another aspect of her dedication that amazes those who know her. During the week she's a purchasing manager for a picture-framing company up the island. But on weekends, Ms. Luscher, her husband, Jack, and their dog Maple -- a beagle she rescued from an animal shelter in New Jersey -- commute to the North Fork to enjoy the serene little lake, soon to be phragmites-free. And though the lake association is still short on grant funds, if anyone can make the match, it's East Marion's Erin Brockovich.
"She's got a lot of charisma." Mr. Gaipa said. "I doubted a lot of things, but she will get to her goal."
Erin Schultz
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7 comments found
Congratulations Lori! : 1/13/2009
Congratulations on your honor, and thanks for spearheading an almost impossible job. Good luck raising more funds to complete the job. A very worthy project. My family & I lived by Lake Marion from 1970 to 2006 and know the deterioration of the lake by the Phragmites.
Lori Luscher : 1/12/2009
I am so happy that Lori has been chosen as Civic Leader of the Year. She certainly deserves this title and more. I have been lucky enough to work with Lori on this project and have yet to meet someone who is so determined to see this project completed. She must be admired for her dedication to this project. If anyone can come up with any ideas in order to help raise additional funds for this project, please post them here or you can email us at loriluscher@optonline.net or moyse@thshlaw.com
Insightful and Inspiring! : 1/10/2009
Thank you for inspiring us with the story of Ms Luchser! We hope to read more profiles like this in the future!
Old Friends share things in common : 1/9/2009
Life is strange, paths separate and rejoin. You can never tell when; 25 years ago Lori and Jack Luscher were my sailing buddies and we spent many a joyful day gliding over the waves of Gardiners Bay. Over the years, we had lost track of each other, but I still treasured those memories of our carefree days under sail. It was pure joy to see that my old friends still share the same love of the water and the land and the hard work it takes to help preserve them both. Although, we have lost track of each other, still our lives have sailed a paralel course. Congratulations Lori on being named Civic Person of the Year. Your old friend MaryAnn Johnston President, The Affiliated Brookhaven Civic Organizations
Learn to read : 1/9/2009
To the last person who posted. How about you actually read the article you're posting about. Erin Schultz specifically states, "Marion Lake residents could raise the $100,000 to match the DEC grant." She also states that they've BEGUN to do the work, not finished it. Why can't you let Mrs. Lusher have her moment and let it be about her and her good work, with the project in the background. Or better yet, instead of whining and complaining on this board about the writer, GO HELP.
re: lori lusher/erin b : 1/8/2009
Thanks to Lori's hard work the wildlife around Marion lake will have a second chance to flourish. It was an awesome feeling for me to have played a small role in making such a big difference in the future of Marion Lake.
Marion Lake : 1/8/2009
I am so pleased to see that the Suffolk Times has named Lori Luscher Civic Person of the Year. She full deserves this honor and the thanks of the residents of East Marion. However, Erin Schultz'sstory makes it appear that the job of saving Marion Lake from the phragmites is complete. In fact, there is a great deal of work still to be done. Only the first phase of the lake restoration has been finished -- cutting and clearing. In the spring, an environmental consulting firm will have to return to drip a special herbicide down each cut phragmites stalk to prevent the reeds from growing back stronger than ever. The cutting and herbicide application will have to be repeated for three consecutive years. Also, the story make it seem that Ms. Luscher and the Marion Lake Restoration Committee have received the $100,000 in grant money. To receive any funds from the DEC, the Committee must first raise an equal amount. Enough has been raised to complete the first phase, but fundraising efforts must continue so that the additional phases can be completed.
