‘You don’t have to go to the Caribbean to see sea turtles, because they are right here in our backyard!’

Maxine Montello, Melville

“I am from Portland, Maine, originally, so I grew up by the water and always had a love for marine animals. I went to school for animal behavior for my undergraduate and then went to graduate school for wildlife ecology. During my master’s, I started working on a project in Barbuda, which is the sister island of Antigua, and studied the nesting ecology of sea turtles. I fell in love with field work and studying animals in the wild.

“I’m the rescue program director at the New York Marine Rescue Center, where we rescue and rehabilitate marine mammals and sea turtles. We are located at the Long Island Aquarium in Riverhead. We have a public-facing tank where patrons can see sea turtles through the glass, ask questions and may be encouraged to come to a future release.

Every day is different, and we can’t predict what’s going to happen.

“While working at an aquarium, I worked with marine mammals and sea turtles in a human care aspect. I worked closely with the vets and really enjoyed the clinical aspect of husbandry. This led me to pursue a position with marine mammal and sea turtle rehabilitation.

“At my current role, every day is different, and we can’t predict what’s going to happen. We depend on the public to call in strandings via our 24-hour hotline. We often deal with juvenile animals — young, smaller and more vulnerable. One of the most memorable rescues was of a female adult loggerhead turtle who got stranded on Fire Island. She was over 300 pounds and had evidence of boat strikes and entanglement. With diet and medicine, we were able to successfully rehab her and released her with a tracking device.

“I am currently focusing on gaining more information regarding New York sea turtle populations through satellite tags and cameras. I look forward to continuing to build a really strong team. I think it’s amazing to educate people about how cool New York and Long Island is with these animals that surround us. We live in a really special area. You don’t have to go to the Caribbean to see sea turtles, because they are right here in our backyard!”

Interviewed by Meagan Meehan

‘Having a passion for something is half the battle with anything in life.’

Matthew and Kim Pestour, Melville

“We really didn’t know my son was deaf until he was 3 years old, when he started talking with deaf speech. He got tested and they told us he was profoundly deaf. One day we’re in a toy store going down the aisle, and there was a whole board of little plastic horses, and he just saw them and pointed. We got one. And every week we’d go back and get a different breed. Then he started watching ‘The Lone Ranger.’ He didn’t watch cartoons. That’s what he was watching when he was a little kid. So, he’s always been a cowboy at heart. I said he was born on the wrong side of the country. It should have been out West. When he was 3 years old, he started getting therapy on horses. So, what a great opportunity!

“As he got a little older, he started taking English riding lessons. There was a girl learning sign language, so she was his instructor. What really was the catalyst to all of this was in high school, BOCES has a horse care and stable management program. So he started taking that in his junior and senior year. And he was the first deaf kid to ever be in the program. He was in the running for a Vanguard Award from the New York State Nontraditional Employment & Training program. The program got him an internship at an equestrian facility, and then he volunteered there for a few years after he graduated high school in 2007. And then he landed a job there doing what he loves! He wakes up every morning at 4, gets ready and takes care of all the animals.

Through him, I’ve learned so much about horses, and I’ve just seen him grow.

“I’m proud that he has the initiative to do what he wants to do. And his work ethic. Through him, I’ve learned so much about horses, and I’ve just seen him grow. He’s created a Facebook group about Sulphur mustangs with 1,500 members — just about this one breed of mustangs. He also has been a volunteer with the Bureau of Land Management, which has wild Mustang auctions. So he’s been in love with wild mustangs for a very long time.

“In 2021, he finally adopted a horse. The horse is in Utah right now being trained, a wild horse, and his name is Jack. He’s being gentled so that when we go back this year, he’ll be able to ride him and then maybe one day bring him here. That’s his passion, Jack. I think having a passion for something is half the battle with anything in life.”

Interviewed by Jay Max

‘When my brother passed, I just kept making art to cope.’

Melville

“My oldest brother, Marc, was 41. He was a surfer. He’d surf all the time, through the winter and the storms. He was really healthy. He was surfing one day. Two days, later, he thought he had a cold. It was right at the beginning of COVID. He went to a walk-in, and it turned out to be stage four cancer. It was really aggressive. Within a week, he was paralyzed and then hospitalized. Less than two months later, he passed.

“My husband was working as a Critical Care RN at that time, treating COVID patients. It was wild. I think my brain went into survival mode and I just started drawing. I would FaceTime Marc when he was in the hospital, we listened to music and I drew a portrait of my husband in full PPE. That portrait led me back to creating art, really as a coping skill. I didn’t realize it would become something so great from there to now.

“When my brother passed, I just kept making art to cope. We were at the beach a lot. We were doing paddle-outs and memorials. I’ve always been a beach girl. I’ve never walked past a good shell. I was making memory jars for everyone with sand and shells.

“A few months later, it was my friend’s birthday, and I got her a necklace. I was opening the package, and it landed in a shell on my counter. I thought, ‘Oh, wow, I can make her a dish to put her necklace in.’

“After that, someone asked if they could order one as a gift. So I painted the shell and was able to create this process that I’ve perfected over the years.

“I go where my brother surfed in Long Beach and Rockaway and Tobay/Gilgo and I get the shells. I feel really connected to him at the beach. He has 100 percent sent me these shells. I’m not a big sign person, but you can’t deny it. How am I a full-time shell painter? I don’t buy shells; I only get them here on Long Island. My brother did all of this for me.

“About two years ago, I got worried that I would run out of shells because it’s completely out of my control. Sometimes I’ll go, and there will be so many shells the size of my head. I have to leave bags on my path and walk back and grab them. I’ve brought backpacks and wagons. Other times, I just find garbage and clean the beach.”

Interviewed by Tracey Cheek

‘I get my ideas from things that annoy me since that enables me to envision opportunities for improvements.’

Melville

“I have been an inventor for over 20 years and I hold 13 issued patents. I get my ideas from things that annoy me since that enables me to envision opportunities for improvements. I got the idea for my first marketed invention — the Balloon-O-Band — after my daughter, Alana, lost a balloon at Nassau Coliseum.

“My most successful items tend to be those in the home goods realm, such as Pull Ties that keep food fresher for longer; Knot Out, which removes knots from jewelry; and Eggstra Space that serves as a space-saving egg carton.

“My most recent invention is the Paper Towel Topper to keep the top of your paper towel roll clean and dry. Some inventions I manufacture and sell directly — I’ve been on QVC for almost three years — and other inventions I have licensed and earn royalties from.

“Being an inventor is very rewarding, but I want to do more; I want to help other inventors. In 2007 and 2012, respectively, I established both the Suffolk and Nassau County Inventors & Entrepreneurs clubs separately and then merged them to form the Long Island Inventors & Entrepreneurs Club in 2018.

My goal with the organization is to connect with other inventors and resources to help guide them towards success and commercialization of their ideas.

“In 2020, during the COVID lockdown, I realized that I could reach more people if I changed the name to the National Inventor Club and an online platform. The Farmingdale Small Business Development Center was very helpful to me during this evolution.

“My goal with the organization is to connect with other inventors and resources to help guide them towards success and commercialization of their ideas. I give them opportunities to pitch their concepts, meet representatives from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, and network. I have been an inventor coach for 17 years and have assisted tens of thousands of inventors, especially through the monthly meetings we hold, which also helps to establish a community of creators.

“I have authored books about inventing, including ‘How to Make Money With Your Invention Idea.’ I also host a TV show and podcast called ‘Got Invention Show,’ where inventors promote their new ideas or products, and I have interviewed people such as John Tesh, ‘Shark Tank’s’ Lori Greiner, and hosted events with Alibaba.com.

“I see a lot of ideas for kitchen appliances, hardware, housewares, health and wellness, beauty, and toys and games. I know what a wonderful and rewarding feeling it is to see an invention come to realization and end up on store shelves. I am really thankful that I can consult or guide others to attain that same great feeling of accomplishment.”

Interviewed by Meagan Meehan

‘The mental and physical benefits of dancing are almost beyond measure.’

Melville

“After 58 years of marriage, the last 10 of which were consumed by the relentless attack by Parkinson’s disease on my husband, it struck its final blow and the suffering was over, at least his was. I was now faced with reclaiming or restructuring my life. ‘What will you do?’ many asked me. One day I blurted out, ‘I’m going to learn the Argentine tango!’ And then COVID befell the world.

“Early on, I was immersed in grieving, my part-time job on hold for the duration. Time passed, restrictions eased and my emotions were frazzled enough for me to realize it was time for me to take action. The tango idea had lingered in the back of my mind, and after some research, I called the Ballroom of Huntington, a local dance school, to see if they had reopened. And there begins my story of healing to thriving, sorrow to joy, existence to fulfillment. In the year since the first Argentine tango lesson, I’ve learned many other dances and participated in DanceSport competitions. I’ve even won blue ribbons!

I am firmly convinced that this is the best preventative health care.

“The mental and physical benefits of dancing are almost beyond measure. Aside from engaging in a beautiful community of people of all ages with similar purpose, the physical and mental challenges are remarkable, and the satisfaction of meeting them is exhilarating. I’ve lost weight, reshaped my body, sharpened my mind and inspired innumerable folks, so they tell me. The only possible drawback to this remarkable activity might be the cost, though group lessons are reasonable. I’m greedy and blessed to be able to take private lessons as well. Health insurance companies support gym memberships and physical therapy, SilverSneakers as well, but they don’t support dance classes, which is really a shame. In my opinion, the dancing far surpasses the benefits of those alternatives. My doctors are thrilled with me. I am a celebrity, an icon, and they cheer me on. The sport dance associations have been trying for many years to have it admitted as an Olympic sport. I am firmly convinced that this is the best preventative health care. And it’s fun! It’s like I found the fountain of youth!”

Interviewed by Jenna Kern – Rugile