The birds and the bees need our help!

Let’s start with the birds. The bird population has many threats and we can do

something to mitigate them! The threats to the bird population here on Long Island include:

• Habitat Loss
• Climate Change
• Bird Collisions
• Pesticides
• Cats
• Hunting

Hermit Thrush

Habitat Loss 

The destruction and fragmentation of habitats is the most critical threat that the birds are

facing today. Bird habitats on Long Island consist of forests, grasslands, wetlands, and

beaches. These habitats are especially crucial for threatened and at-risk bird species.

These habitats are being destroyed by infrastructure development. Migratory birds are

especially affected because they rely on many different geographic locations throughout

their annual cycle for food, rest, and breeding.

Climate Change

As we influence our climate, we also influence the ecosystems that birds rely on for

survival. With increased air temperatures and major temperature shifts in the oceans,

the airflow that birds rely on to navigate has changed and therefore has made it difficult

for migratory birds especially, to navigate to their destinations. The rise in sea level has

also displaced many species of coastal birds. Climate change also has indirect effects.

Due to climate change, the prey that many birds rely on has changed due to the change in

waterbody temperatures. These changes may be minor for us, but they are devastating

for migratory birds because the delicate ecosystems have been thrown off balance.

Climate change throws off the natural cues within the environment that drive the timing

behind bird migration and reproduction. 

Bird Collisions

Millions of birds die each year due to collisions that are caused by man-made

structures. Man-made structures include:

• Wind turbines
• Communication towers
• Homes
• Glass Windows
• Power lines
• Airplanes

Pesticides

Chemicals kill! The chemicals that the agricultural industry uses kill birds. DDT may have

been banned by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) back in 1972, but

chemicals that are considered close relatives to DDT are still used today. The chemicals

Organochlorine insecticides are still being used and are killing birds and thinning their

eggshells. Birds do not have to come into direct contact with pesticides to be harmed by

them. Toxins are carried up the food chain in an ecosystem, which means that the bird’s

prey can contain pesticides and when eaten, it can harm the bird. Over time, the

pesticides will accumulate, which is called bioaccumulation. The bird’s prey can also die

from the pesticides, which can result in bird starvation.

Cats

This may sound cliche, but the common house cat is actually one of the greatest

predators to birds. The increase in population density, which has resulted in more

development, has led to the increase in stray cats, therefore resulting in an increase in

predators.

Hunting

Hunting for birds is common on Long Island and considered a sport as well as a source

of food for some, but with poor regulation, overhunting can lead to a decline in bird

populations.

Bird House

What You Can Do To Help The Birds!

• Support Longs Island’s state parks and preserves that are used to help rebound these bird populations.

• Get involved with habitat restoration and conservation projects.
• Support organizations, such as the Long Island Pine Barrens Society, to help stop development.

• Apply window film to your homes windows to reduce bird collisions.
• Keep your cat indoors or put a bell on your cat’s collar.
• If you see something, say something! If you think that a hunter is not abiding by the rules, then give the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) a call.

• Delay tree trimming or removal until November – February to avoid nesting season.
• Hang bird feeders with fresh seed in your yard.
• Build or buy a bird house and attach it to a sturdy post in your yard.
• Plant bird-friendly native plants. Use the following link to find bird-friendly native plants for your area: https://www.audubon.org/native-plants

By: Claire J Moran, Long Island Pine Barrens Society

What do you think of when you hear and see the word “environment”? The environment encompasses many things, the living and the non-living things. Both interact with one another and depend on each other. The non-living things are the abiotic elements, while the living things are the biotic elements. When we refer to abiotic elements we are referring to the air, water, soil, sunlight and so on. When we refer to the biotic elements we are referring to the animals, insects, plants and so on. All of these “things” that make up the environment have intrinsic value. 

Biotic & abiotic elements working together at the Edward J. & Dorothy C. Kempf Preserve at Wading River Marsh

The environment depends on us just as we depend on it!

We depend on the environment for our health and the environment depends on us for its health. As the years go on and we move further into the future, the effect we have on the environment becomes more apparent. As a highly-developed country, it becomes difficult to separate ourselves from contributing to the negative impact that we have on the environment. The act of just living in the world today has a negative impact, whether it be driving our cars or as simple as washing our clothes, which is essential for most to live. We undermine what we can do on an individual level to help the environment. The idea is not to think that your individual act won’t mean anything if another’s individual act will have negative impacts. Positive deeds are not cancelled out by a negative act. Just one individual’s positive impact can influence so many others to follow suit. 

Take Action!

How you can contribute to a healthier environment and a healthier you!

Big changes no matter what they may be are difficult, but changing for the environment doesn’t have to be. When you make changes to help the environment you are also making healthier changes for yourself too. The reward may not be immediate, and it may not even be visible, but it does make a difference.

• One thing that you can do that is free and empowering is to speak up. Be the voice that the environment does not have. If you have a social media account, speak up. Start a conversation at the dinner table with friends and family and discuss the positive changes that you can all make for the greater good.
• This one is a difficult one, but if you can, ride your bike or walk as a means of transportation, even if it’s just one day a week.

• This next one is something that everyone can definitely do, reduce your waste! The products that we purchase end up back into the environment and are incredibly damaging. Find a store nearby where you can use your own containers to purchase food instead of continuing to buy food that is in plastic containers.

• Support eco-friendly products and shop local. When we purchase products from large companies we might as well be saying that it is okay to hurt our environment.

• Keep yourself informed! Sign-up for our email alerts, for more actions you can take to protect our environment. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

The above are just a few of the ways that you can help and there are so many more! Stay informed by doing your own research, so that you can choose how you want to make a change and help the environment. Every bit counts!

By: Claire J Moran, Long Island Pine Barrens Society

Happy Earth Day! To us at the Long Island Pine Barrens Society, every day is Earth Day. However, we still use today as a day to reflect on all of our environmental successes and the challenges that still lie ahead.

This year, we celebrate the 50^th Earth Day! On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans — 10% of the U.S. population at the time — took to the streets. College campuses and hundreds of cities protested environmental ignorance and demanded a new way forward for our planet.

The Long Island Pine Barrens Society was founded not long after that, in 1977. Our founders saw that the Pine Barrens were increasingly becoming a target for development and knew it had to be stopped in order to save this special ecosystem and protect our water quality.

Continuing into our fourth decade, we’re often asked how people can get involved in our work, so in honor of Earth Day, we will enumerate the many ways people can work together to protect the Long Island Pine Barrens and our precious drinking water supply.

#1 – Become a Member

Join our email list to receive periodic updates on upcoming events, action alerts and Pine Barrens-related news.

#2 – Make Your Voice Heard

Attend local forums, hearings and rallies – help tell our public officials that Pine Barrens land needs to be protected and that clean water must be a top priority across Long Island. After you become a member, we’ll keep you updated on events that you might want to attend and the actions you can take.

#3 – Write a Letter to the Editor

Write a letter to Newsday or your local paper expressing your opinion on environmental issues. Elected officials and community members read the letters, so they’re a great way to spread awareness about important topics.

#4 – Read Our Newsletter

Check out the latest edition of our newsletter online, or with a small donation, you will receive our current newsletter in the mail. Members also get sent monthly e-newsletters directly to their inbox.

#5 – Follow us on Facebook and Instgram

Join in on the conversation! Find us on Facebook at Facebook.com/PineBarrensSociety and on Instagram at @LIPineBarrens. Share one of our posts to help educate your friends and family on important environmental issues.

#6 – Watch Our TV Program

Catch an episode of our monthly TV program on Cable Public Access or by streaming it on our YouTube channel.

#7 – Attend Our Annual Gala

Join us each year, as we celebrate the anniversary of the Society and honor the Island’s top environmental leaders. It’s our biggest fundraiser of the year!

#8 – Get Outside and Enjoy the Pine Barrens

Experience the beauty of the Pine Barrens for yourself by using our handy recreation guides. Share pictures with family and friends, share them on social media (and tag us), to spread the word about this wonderful ecosystem.

#9 – Be a Guardian of the Pine Barrens and Report a Violation

If you observe any illegal activity (clearing, dumping of waste, ATV use, etc.) in the Pine Barrens, please call 1-877-BARRENS (1-877-227-7367).

#10 – Consider Making a Donation

We rely on the support and generosity of people like you to continue our important work to protect drinking water and preserve open space. Any donation, small or large, is greatly appreciated.

By: Katie Muether Brown, Long Island Pine Barrens Society

We colloquially call the piece of legislation that protected over 100,000 acres of Pine Barrens land, the “Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act.” But, that’s not its formal title! It actually has two formal titles – the “Long Island Pine Barrens Maritime Reserve Act” and the “Peconic Bay Region Watershed Protection Act.” It’s Article 57 of New York State Environmental Conservation Law.

The Act’s legislative declaration is as follows:

“The legislature hereby declares it to be in the public interest to protect and manage the Pine Barrens-Peconic Bay system, in the county of Suffolk, by establishing a Long Island Pine Barrens maritime reserve.”

The Pine Barrens Act Passes in the New York State Legislature

Well then, what does the preservation of acres of trees have to do with water? The Act’s formal name reflects the Pine Barrens’ important role in protecting our ground and surface waters.

All Long Island’s drinking water comes from a series of underground aquifers. This led the federal Environmental Protection Agency to designate our aquifer system as the nation’s first Sole Source Aquifer, requiring special protection. The quality of our drinking water depends, therefore, on how Long Island’s land is used. The more land is used for homes, lawns, agriculture, business and industry, the greater the contamination of our aquifers.

Long Island’s Aquifer System

Long Island’s aquifer system is not static – they slowly flow from high ground to low, are recharged by rainfall, and they supply the majority of fresh water entering our streams, lakes and bays. The Pine Barrens contain portions of the watersheds of two major rivers – the Carmans and the Peconic. The region also interfaces with the Peconic Estuary and the South Shore Estuary Reserve.

Outside the Pine Barrens, water pollution is rampant. Nitrogen pollution from wastewater and fertilizer use on lawns and farms is entering our aquifers and eventually, flows into our bays, rivers, lakes and streams. There, the nitrogen pollution fuels the growth of harmful algae blooms, which are devastating our marine ecosystems and our economy.

As scientists survey the levels of nitrogen across Long Island, one fact is abundantly clear: while groundwater beneath the densest developments on Long Island have the highest nitrogen level, the Pine Barrens Core Preservation Area has the lowest levels of nitrogen on Long Island. Preserving the Pine Barrens protected the largest quantity of the purest drinking water on Long Island.

Saving the Long Island Pine Barrens protected the habitat of thousands of plant and animal species, many of which are rare and endangered. It also gave us humans an untouched natural place to enjoy and explore. However, perhaps the most important feature of all, protecting the Pine Barrens was vital to protecting our water quality. It’s also why we must work to save what open space is left!

By: Katie Muether Brown, Long Island Pine Barrens Society

1,4-dioxane is a byproduct of manufacturing and therefore it’s not listed on product labels, which makes it difficult to look out for when purchasing products. It is vital to human health and the health of the environment to stay far away from 1,4-dioxane and we can all do so by avoiding the known products that contain it. Listed below are products to look out for that could contain 1,4-dioxane:

• Paints
• Primers
• Varnishes
• Degreasers
• Ink
• Laundry Detergents
• Soaps
• Shampoos
• Baby Products

Toxic and Cancer Causing

Sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS) and sodium laureth sulfate (SLES) when combined during the manufacturing process, creates the byproduct 1,4-dioxane. SLS and SLES are bad chemicals on their own and have been linked to irritation of the skin and eyes, neurotoxicity, reproductive toxicity, organ toxicity, endocrine disruption and ecotoxicology. These are the same chemicals found in many of the products we use on a daily basis.

What the Agencies Have to Say

The International Agency for Research on Cancer classified 1,4-dioxane as a Group 2B carcinogen, which means that it is possibly carcinogenic to humans. All in all that just means that there is not enough data yet to support it. The United States Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) recommends that these levels be monitored, and encourages manufacturers to remove 1,4-dioxane, but it is not  required for them to do so by federal law. Governor Cuomo signed a bill banning products in the State of New York with 1,4-dioxane, starting in 2020 as pictured bellow: 

 “As emerging contaminants like 1,4-dioxane continue to show up in water systems around the country, in New York we are taking aggressive action to keep our drinking water clean and safe,” Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, seen May 12, said in a statement Monday. Credit: Charles Eckert

I would not take chances on even possibly carcinogenic, especially when it comes to washing newborn babies with baby detergent that is labeled safe and gentle and free of chemicals, when really it is full of 1,4-dioxane. These are the products we are bathing in everyday, washing our clothes with, cleaning with, and drinking! 1,4-dioxane is ending up in our water, which is extremely difficult to reverse the damaging effects of. Pictured below is a list of products with the highest levels of 1,4-dioxane:

Common products found to have dangerously high levels of 1,4-dioxane – Credit: CCE

What YOU Can Do

Knowing what to look out for and what products are safe is crucial. With so many products on the shelves, it can be very difficult to pick the right one. The graphic below is a great visual and long list of what we know is safe on the shelves. Don’t forget, the products we use on a daily basis get flushed down the drain and go back into our water. With Long Island exceeding the national average and testing showing highest levels in the state of New York, we need to do what we can to keep chemicals out of our water source because it’s the only one we have. So, it is not just what we use that is important to our health, but it is important to the health of the environment. Eliminating the products that are known to contain 1,4-dioxane will put you a step in the right direction of better health, but the environments too.

Products found to have no detectable levels of 1,4-dioxane – Credit: CCE

More information on the above can be found by clicking on the links below:

Websites to use:

• https://www.forceofnatureclean.com/non-toxic-laundry-detergent-guide/
• https://attitudeliving.com/products/little-ones-laundry-detergent-fragrance-free-35-loads
• https://www.cleanhappens.com/products/spin-credible-laundry-detergent?variant=31171619848239#shopify-product-reviews
• https://www.madesafe.org/science/hazard-list/14-dioxane/
• https://www.newsday.com/long-island/environment/1-4-dioxane-household-products-1.28968339

By: Claire J Moran, Long Island Pine Barrens Society

On March 8^th each year, the world celebrates “International Women’s Day.” Today we celebrate the achievements of women and take action for equality.

This year’s theme is, “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights.”

From the mother of the environmental movement, Rachel Carlson, to Jane Goodall, Sylvia Earle, Lois Gibbs, Greta Thunberg and more – we applaud the contributions that women have made towards the preservation of our natural environment.

One Long Island woman who comes to mind in celebration of today is Grace E. Barstow Murphy (1888-1975). Not only was she an advocate for the natural world who believed in preservation, conservation, and clean water for all, but Murphy was also a gardener who believed in letting the “wild things” grow, such as milkweed, which is an important food source for many of Long Island’s pollinators, like the monarch butterfly.

Grace Barstow Murphy, c. 1950. Courtesy of Robert Cushman Murphy Collection, Box 24, Special Collections and University Archives, Stony Brook University Libraries

Grace E. Barstow Murphy was also a conservationist and a political activist. Murphy was amongst several other women who made efforts to acquire preserves and sanctuaries for Long Island’s Nature Conservancy, for the purpose of “the preservation of natural areas on Long Island as living museums for the future.” In light of this year’s theme, it’s important to note that Murphy was a leading woman in organizing the “Women United for Long Island” group in order to “further the cause of conservation and public opinion to conserve the natural resources and beauty of Long Island.”

She was an exceptional woman of her time and a woman that all can learn from even more so today. Murphy was a true advocate for the natural world, but she was not alone in the fight. She was amongst many other Long Island women who fought to preserve nature and the environment.    

Grace and Robert Cushman Murphy (undated). Courtesy Robert Cushman Murphy Collection, Box 24, Special Collections, Stony Brook University Libraries.

Grace Murphy was the beloved wife of Robert Cushman Murphy, whom the Suffolk County Park in Manorville was named after. Grace often joined Robert on his expeditions around the world, studying the natural environment. She helped him catalog and ship many specimens for collections at the American Museum of Natural History.

Directions to Robert Cushman Murphy County Park:
Long Island Expressway (Route 495) to exit 70; CR 111 south to Halsey Manor Road; left turn at Halsey Manor Road; follow north, across the Long Island Expressway and railroad tracks. Halsey Manor Road becomes Conneticut Avenue once railroad tracks have been crossed. Follow Conneticut Avenue north to River Road. Make left turn at River Road and make next left turn at Old River Road. Follow Old River Road to the first entrance on your right (north side of the road).

Grace E. Barstow Murphy deserves recognition in her own right, which is why we are celebrating her today!

More information on Grace E. Barstow Murphy and other notable Long Island women who fought for the preservation of nature and the environment can be found by clicking on the following link: https://lihj.cc.stonybrook.edu/2016/articles/long-island-women-preserving-nature-and-the-environment/

By: Claire J Moran, Long Island Pine Barrens Society

If you’ve been following us for a while, then you know that we’ve been fighting a massive development project proposed for the East Quogue Pine Barrens, for quite some time!

It’s been a long and sometimes confusing process for everyone involved. The project has moved through several layers of government. There have been victories and losses. As we approach one of the most important hearings for this project later this month (more on that later), we thought we would provide proper background coverage on where we are today and how we got here.

The Beginning

In 2013, an application for “The Hills at Southampton” was submitted to the Town of Southampton, requesting a zoning-change under the Town’s Planned Development District (PDD) code. Although this started the process we’re in now, discussions and fights against this project date back to at least 2007.

What’s Proposed

The developer, Arizona-based Discovery Land Company, proposed to build 118 mansions, a 98 acre private golf course, a 155,000 square foot club house, and several other amenities and structures, on 590 acres of pristine Pine Barrens in East Quogue. The development site is also located in a state-designated Special Groundwater Protection Area, as well as a Suffolk County-designated Critical Environmental Area. In addition, the site is also part of a group of lands which The Nature Conservancy has given top priority for permanent preservation.

The development site, located in the East Quogue Pine Barrens.

The PDD Process

From 2013 to 2017, the Pine Barrens Society and many other environmental and civic groups, banded together to participate in the Planned Development District (PDD) and the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) processes. While we worked to pull the community together – holding community forums, bringing in scientific experts, canvassing the neighborhood – the developer took a different approach. They hired people in the town to advocate on their behalf, they promised people jobs, they promised multi-million dollar “community benefit projects,” they set up food trucks outside public hearings, and they donated tens of thousands of dollars to political campaigns.

We reviewed hundreds of pages of documents and participated in countless hearings for these four years. Our coalition even worked to produce an environmentally-safe alternative for the site, if preservation options were truly off the table. We wrote letters to the editor, held rallies and lobbied local elected officials.

Rally Against “The Hills”

In the end, our hard work paid off. In December of 2017, the Southampton Town Board voted down the project. The town also repealed the PDD legislation.  We were thrilled about the result, but knew the developer still owned the land and that our work wasn’t over yet.

The Lawsuit

The developer, who spent years touting what “good neighbors” they are, and how much they cared about the people of the town, immediately filed a $100-million lawsuit against the town and the two town board members who had the courage to vote against the project. This suit is still pending.

The Village

Once the project was voted down by the Town Board, proponents of the project, launched an effort to incorporate the village of East Quogue. Several members of the Village Exploratory Committee, witnesses of the signatures on the petition, the notary of the petition, and many of those who signed the petition for incorporation, had vested interests in Discovery Land Company and had been vocal advocates of the Hills project. One member of the exploratory committee was a paid consultant of Discovery. They had hoped that they would take the decision power out of the hands of the town and be able to re-run their project under a newly-formed village government.  While this effort was a local town issue, we knew we had to get involved, because we knew that this was just another attempt to get “The Hills” approved.

After a few more months of work within the community, and advocacy, the residents of East Quogue voted down the idea of incorporating East Quogue into a village. The project would remain in the hands of the Town of Southampton.

The Lewis Road PRD – Same Project, New Name

Just months after the Town Board voted down the “Hills at Southampton,” the developer filed a nearly identical project under a different piece of zoning code, called a Planned Residential Development (PRD). The new project was named “The Lewis Road PRD.” Ironically enough, the developer filed for the project under the town’s Open Space Law. The project would now be reviewed by the Southampton Town Planning Board.  The developer argued that its professional golf course was simply a recreational amenity to their now 130 home development project. However, the golf course wasn’t the only proposed amenity – they also proposed a baseball field, a practice fairway, a fitness center, pool, basketball court and four pickle ball courts.

The Planning Board, was not sure if a professional golf course could be considered a recreational amenity, as outlined by the Town’s Open Space Law and PRD ordinance. This had never been done before, and a golf course was not listed as an approved amenity in the town code. Therefore, they asked the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) for clarification.

The Society and our coalition testified at these hearings before the ZBA. We argued two things:

(1) The Open Space Law and the PRD ordinance explicitly do not allow for golf courses as a recreational amenity to a development project.  Several leading planners testified the same, including Assemblyman Fred Thiele, who wrote the town’s Open Space Law many years ago.

And

(2) If the project would have been allowed to pass through under the Planned Residential Development zoning from the beginning, wouldn’t the developer have proceeded with this route in the first place, instead of trying to get their project approved under the more difficult Planned Development District zoning? In fact, the developer had stated years prior in legal documents that the PDD process was that they could proceed with their project. However, here they are now, arguing the opposite.

The Southampton Town Zoning Board of Appeals sided with the developer, and stated that the golf course could be considered a recreational amenity. After this, the Group for the East End filed a lawsuit challenging this decision; we joined them along with Assemblyman Fred Thiele, the East Quogue Civic Association and several neighbors that abut the property.

The project then bounced back to the Town Planning Board. Our coalition showed up again, testifying before the Board. We made all of our original arguments, along with new arguments about how the Town had completely botched the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) process in its review of this new project. Nevertheless, the Town Board approved the preliminary application. Group for the East End sued again, and we joined them again too.

Luckily, our lawsuits have placed a temporary restraining order over the site until they are settled. The developer cannot break ground until the lawsuits are settled.

The New York State Pine Barrens Commission

Since the Southampton Planning Board approved the preliminary application, the project finally heads to the New York State Pine Barrens Commission for review. We have reviewed the 174 page application sent to the Commission, and have determined that the Lewis Road PRD does not comply with at least 28 guidelines of the Comprehensive Land Use Plan. We will be submitting a report on this and participating in the hearing before the Commission, to be held on Wednesday, February 19^th at 2:30 pm at Riverhead Town Hall. More details on the hearing can be found here.

We need your help! This hearing before the Pine Barrens Commission is our last chance to voice our concerns about this project. We need as many people as possible to turn out to this hearing. This project doesn’t comply with the Pine Barrens Act and the Commissioners need to hear that the public wants to see our Pine Barrens protected! We hope to see you there.

By: Katie Muether Brown, Long Island Pine Barrens Society

What is the Long Island Pine Barrens?

Heading east on the Long Island Expressway, just after passing exit 63, you will notice fewer buildings and begin to see beautiful tracts of forested lands. It’s the Long Island Pine Barrens! Most people know it by name. Some people might even remember the fight to protect it. But, what is the Pine Barrens?

As of this year, there are 106,332 acres within the Long Island Pine Barrens, protected from development. 57,676 of those acres are placed in the “Core Preservation Area,” (dark green in the image below) where development is prohibited.  48,656 acres are in the “Compatible Growth Area,” (light green in the image below) where development is carefully monitored and allowed, but only under strict guidelines. The Pine Barrens fall within three townships – the Towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead and Southampton.  We like to refer to it as “Long Island’s Central Park.”

The Central Pine Barrens – Credit: Pine Barrens Commission

But the Pine Barrens is more than just protected land. It’s a natural escape – a place you can visit, with many wonderful things to see!

The pine tree that puts the “Pine” in “Pine Barrens” is the Pitch Pine! The region is mostly dominated by Pitch Pine, but there are also Black, Scarlet and White Oaks that share the canopy in a lot of places.  And in the understory, you have scrub oaks and a variety of health plants (blueberry, huckleberry, bearberry, etc.). Lichens and wildflowers can also be found along the forest floor. Over a dozen species of orchids can be found in the Barrens. There are also three types of insectivorous plants found in the Pine Barrens – pitcher plants, sundews and bladderworts.

Dragon’s Mouth Orchid

The Pine Barrens also contain a range of wetland communities – including marshes, heath bogs, red maple swamps, and rare Atlantic white cedar swamps. It also contains portions of the watershed for two major rivers – The Carmans and Peconic River – and interfaces with three estuaries of national and state importance – Long Island Sound Estuary, South Shore Estuary Reserve and the Peconic Estuary.

Cranberry Bog – Credit: Katie Brown

The Pine Barrens is also home to a globally-rare ecosystem called “The Dwarf Pine Plains,” which only exists in three areas in the world.  This ecosystem is dominated by dwarf Pitch Pines that are about 3 to 6 feet in height.  These trees are dwarfed because of the extremely acidic and sandy soil in the area. The sandy soils allow little available nutrients and cause water to leach out very quickly. These trees are stunted, but thrive!

Dwarf Pine Plains

The Long Island Pine Barrens is home to literally thousands of plant and animal species, many of which are endangered or threatened.  Animals in the Pine Barrens include over 100 bird species, many of which are disappearing in the region, outstanding populations of butterflies and moths, including the threatened Buck Moth; and endangered or threatened vertebrates like the Eastern Tiger Salamander and Eastern Mud Turtle. In fact, the Long Island Pine Barrens boast the greatest diversity of plant and animal species in the state of New York!

Eastern Tiger Salamander – Credit: M. Mann

And for the history buffs, there are also plenty of historic sites within the Barrens! This includes the Hawkins House (built in 1850), Mary Louise Booth House (1929), Davis Town Meeting House (1750), the Longwood Estate, East Middle Island Schoolhouse (1835) and the Hard Estate Lodge (1937).

Hawkins House – Credit: Yaphank Historical Society

But perhaps the most important function of the Pine Barrens is that it overlies and protects the greatest amount of the purest drinking water in New York State.  The preserved land serves as an important recharge area for our federally-designated sole source aquifer on Long Island.  All of the drinking water for 2.8 million Long Islanders comes from a series of aquifers right beneath our feet.  Everything we do on land has the potential to impact our water quality.  Unfortunately, science conclusively shows that Long Island’s water is deteriorating in areas outside the Pine Barrens. We know that more homes, lawns, roads and businesses leads to more pollution. Without the Pine Barrens, our water quality would only be even worse off.

Long Island’s Aquifer System

The Pine Barrens is rife with recreational opportunities, including hiking, boating, fishing, biking, camping, swimming and so much more! What are you waiting for? Get out there! Check out the recreation section of our website for more information.

By: Katie Muether Brown, Long Island Pine Barrens Society

As the year comes to close, we are reflecting on all of the news and activities from the past year. We’d love to review our year with you, as many of these successes could not have been possible without the support of our members.

The Fight to Prevent the “Lewis Road PRD” (formerly “The Hills”)

The Lewis Road Planned Residential Development (PRD), proposed by Arizona-based Discovery Land Company, is an 118-unit mansion complex and massive golf resort located in the Pine Barrens, a state-designated Special Groundwater Protection Area and Critical Resource Area. The original proposal for the project was defeated by the Southampton Town Board in 2017, but the developer resubmitted the proposal under a different zoning statute and thus rebranded it as the Lewis Road PRD. The project has been railroaded through the Southampton Zoning Board of Appeals and the Planning Board. The Pine Barrens Society has joined Group for the East End in two lawsuits to block the proposed re-zoning.⁠

While we wait to move through the courts, the project will head to the New York State Pine Barrens Commission for review. The Society does not believe the project complies with the Pine Barrens Act and its Comprehensive Land Use Plan, and that an approval by the Commission will be unlikely. We will be monitoring this review carefully and supplying testimony. We will also keep you updated on how you can join in our advocacy efforts.

Lawsuit Victory to Restore the Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection Program

Suffolk County has asked the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court and/or the Court of Appeals to reverse a previous Appellate Court ruling that orders Suffolk to restore money taken from the Suffolk County Drinking Water Protection Program. The program, approved by a majority of voters in 1987, uses a ¼ percent in sales tax to fund important water quality improvement projects and land preservation across the county. Following a raid of the program by the County in 2011, the Society sued to protect the integrity of the program and the public’s trust.

After a six year legal battle, the Society won the case when the court agreed with environmentalists that any law created by voters at referendum can only be altered or reversed by a subsequent vote by the public. “This common sense provision of law is essential if the public is to continue funding land and water protection referenda,” said PBS Executive Director, Richard Amper. More than three billion dollars have been approved by referenda since 1978 for preservation purposes.

After winning the appeal, the Society had to return to the courts to press for a judgment that required the immediate return of the money. On December 12^th, State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Farneti ordered the immediate return of $29-million to the Drinking Water Protection Program. We won!

Suffolk County Releases Long-Awaited Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan

In September of 2019, Suffolk County and its Department of Health Services released its long-awaited Subwatersheds Wastewater Plan for public comment. The comprehensive study is a blueprint for solving the island’s nitrogen crisis. It is the first science-based study to examine more than 180 watersheds across the county and establish clean water targets for each. The Pine Barrens Society has been advocating for the creation and release of this plan for several years.

Nitrogen pollution from cesspools and septic tanks seeps into groundwater and contaminates local waterways. It causes harmful algae blooms, poisons wildlife, closes beaches, and threatens the source of Long Island’s drinking water. In Suffolk County, approximately 360,000 septic systems and cesspools must be transitioned to nitrogen-reducing septic systems or connected to sewer systems in order to restore and protect drinking water, streams, harbors, and beaches.

The study makes a suite of recommendations that, if followed, will result in measurable improvements in water quality. New York State and Suffolk County have already created a program to pay for the cost of the new technology, but more funding is needed. Environmentalists are calling for a dedicated revenue stream in 2020, to support the Nitrogen removal plan.

You can learn more about the County’s water quality improvement programs here.

The Pine Barrens Society Lost an Environmental Champion

The Pine Barrens Society and Long Island lost a great environmental champion this year – Robin Hopkins Amper.  She was 72 and died after a four-year battle with metastatic breast cancer.  She was a charming and calming alternative to her husband’s strong-willed style and a steadying force in battles to protect Long Island’s environment in general and Pine Barrens in particular.  She was a quiet, behind- the- scenes volunteer and a great people person.  With her husband – they formed a team whose contributions to Long Island are immeasurable.

The Society’s Board of Directors has established an Environmental Scholarship for Long Island students focused on environmental studies and sciences, and who are committed to the environment, much the way Robin was.   The Society is working independently of its other work, to create an endowment that will make grants of $3,000 for worthy and needy students who live on Long Island, regardless of where they go to school.   The Robin Hopkins Amper Memorial Scholarship Fund will be an investment in Long Island’s environmental future and a memorial to an extraordinary human being.

You can read Newsday’s obituary here.

Pine Barrens Preservation Campaign Declared a Victory

The Long Island Pine Barrens Society has declared victory in its 42-year campaign to protect the source of Long Island’s purest water and the greatest diversity of plant and animals in New York State. The environmental organization will now expand its effort to improve water quality Island-wide while sharing the barrens’ treasures with Long Islanders and Long Island visitors.

The initial goal of preserving 52,000 acres of the Pine Barrens Core Preservation Area – the most sensitive part – was established with unanimous passage of the Pine Barrens Protection Act by the New York State Legislature in 1993. As of this date, 57,676 core acres have been secured using federal, state, county, town and village funds – much of it from approval by voters at referendum. Fewer than 1000 remaining acres qualify for purchase in the Pine Barrens Core. In addition, some 52,000 acres of the less-sensitive Compatible Growth Area of the barrens have been protected, surpassing the original 48,000 acre goal. The occasion was celebrated at the Society’s 42nd Anniversary Environmental Awards Gala on October 23rd at Oheka Castle in Huntington. Did you miss our event – check out our television coverage of our Gala!

Where We’re Headed in 2020!

Well, now that we have all this land preserved, it’s time for Long Islanders to get out and enjoy it! We want to make the Pine Barrens a destination, where people across Long Island and beyond seek out, come to and enjoy.

We’re going to be launching a new education, recreation and stewardship initiative. Our goal is to become the leading resource on all things Pine Barrens recreation. This is going to include producing new guides and online resources on how to best enjoy the Pine Barrens – whether that be through hiking, boating, camping, bird watching and more. And we will be leading more guided hikes and other outdoor activities.  We’re also going to be hosting educational talks and forums. And we’ll be leading stewardship activities, like trail maintenance and clean-ups.

Yes, we still have a lot of work ahead of us. We’re still going to be continuing our drinking and surface water preservation campaigns and of course, we’ll still be fighting The Lewis Road project this coming year.  But, it’s time the people of Long Island enjoyed the Pine Barrens that they worked so hard to protect and we’re going to help them do that!

Thanks for staying with us! We hope you have a fun and peaceful Holiday Season!

By: Katie Muether Brown, Long Island Pine Barrens Society

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