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Friday, October 17, 2025
Vol. 84, No. 42
SERVING BETHPAGE, OLD BETHPAGE, AND PLAINVIEW
Town releases baby shellfish Hicksville girl earns record in Oyster Bay Harbor number of merit badges BY GARY SIMEONE
Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and Councilman Lou Imbroto help to add a half million oyster and clam seedlings to Shellfish Sanctuaries in Oyster Bay Harbor. Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino and Councilman Lou Imbroto recently took to the waters on the Town’s north shore to seed a half million clam and oyster seedlings. The Town grows out the seedlings at its Shellfish Hatchery, until they mature enough to be transferred to protected locations where they can fully mature. “Oyster Bay Harbor is one of the crown jewels of our Town, and we are proud to be doing more than ever before to improve its water quality,” said Supervisor Saladino. “Programs like these help bolster the local economy while improving water quality, as just
one mollusk can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day.” The latest round of seeding adds to the millions of new clams and oysters the Town has seeded in Shellfish Sanctuaries throughout the harbor. “Over the past several years, we’ve placed millions of baby clam and oyster shells into our local waterways, making great strides to improve water quality and bolster the shellfish population,” added Councilman Imbroto. “These efforts help preserve the natural beauty of our local waterways for generations to come.”
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Aaliyah Corley, a sixteen year old girl from Hicksville, started her journey in the Scouts of America four years ago. Since that time she has earned 139 merit badges and is the first girl from Long Island to earn every single merit badge. Corley said it was her goal from the beginning to earn every merit badge, when she first joined the Scouts of America in 2021. In 2019 Scouting America began to allow girls into the Boy Scouts of America. “My dad was a Boy Scout when he was younger and I learned about scouts from League of Legends, which is a multiplayer online game. One of the characters in the game was a scout,” said Corley. “My goal when I first set out on this journey, was to earn every merit badge possible over a four year span.” Corley, who belongs to Troop 163 (Rockville Centre), has been diligent in earning her badges, engaging in multiple activities including pottery, scuba-diving, kayaking, backpacking and archery. “Each badge requires a certain amount of time and each has their own set of criteria. Each one has their own Scout counselor appointed, who gives you a blue card when the criteria is completed.” Corley said that some of the tougher merit badges she earned included the camping and backpacking in the woods badges. “I had to do twenty nights of camping and to engage in activities like whitewater rafting and climbing to heights of elevations over a thousand feet,” said Corley. “For backpacking I had to take three fifteen mile trips over the course of three days.”
She said that learning about each badge was also part of the criteria. “For instance in backpacking I had to learn how to pack my gear, learn how to read a map and to follow a compass.” The precocious and hardworking Corley said that she plans to remain in Scouts and help younger scouts with activities such as tying knots and building tents. “I want to teach them all that I’ve learned in my journey through attaining each merit badge and answer any questions they may have,” said Corley. She said that she is also in the process of writing a mystery novel, entitled ‘Plum Candy,” which revolves around a murSee page 6
Aaliyah Corley, left, is the first girl from Long Island to earn every single merit badge.
4th graders explore Nature Gardens PAGE 4 POB musicians earn All State honors PAGE 3