Sisters of St. Joseph, DEC protect 43 acres in Brentwood from development

A 43-acre enclave of preserved woodland in Brentwood will remain untouched forever after New York State granted it conservation protection this week, a hard-won status that supporters say will be a boon for environmental preservation and quality of life within the community.

The preserve is on the campus of Sisters of St. Joseph, located between Brentwood High School to the west and Roberto Clemente Park to the east. It’s one of the few remaining green spaces in the otherwise developed hamlet of Brentwood, and environmentalists say its woodlands help protect one of the region’s only groundwater aquifers, which sits just beneath the site. 

The Sisters of St. Joseph has preserved the land since the late 19th century. But dwindling membership within the Catholic congregation put into question how much longer it could protect the woodlands on its own, according to congregation staffer Heather Coste.

The Sisters began seeking help from the state about seven years ago. On Wednesday, those efforts bore fruit — the congregation and state announced the conservation easement, which Coste said ensures the 43 acres will be protected “as long as the state of New York exists.”

“This campus has long been a place of prayer, reflection and healing,” Sister Tesa Fitzgerald said. “By placing this land under a conservation easement, we ensure that it will never be developed, that its forests will continue to breathe life into the air we share and that its aquifers will keep nourishing the water beneath our feet.”

Under the easement, the Sisters and the state Department of Environmental Conservation will jointly manage the property moving forward, according to an announcement from the agency.

The agency acquired the conservation easement from the Sisters, according to a DEC release. "DEC and the Sisters entered into a contract for a $3.44 million conservation easement in late 2024," the release said. 

“The Sisters of St. Joseph have long been known for their focus on environmental stewardship,” DEC Commissioner Amanda Lefton said in the announcement. “DEC looks forward to building upon our existing long-term partnership with the Sisters as we manage this land together to protect habitat and water quality and help connect Long Islanders to the outdoors.”

Environmental impact

The woodlands sit just 30 to 40 feet above the groundwater aquifer that represents "one of the main sources of drinking water for Long Islanders," according to Coste.

Newsday reported in 2024 that Long Island’s aquifer is “under stress” because of overuse that has caused salt water to seep into the groundwater supply, according to a study by the DEC and U.S. Geological Survey.

Pine barrens can help protect the aquifers beneath them, an environmental perk that’s helped motivate multiple groups to establish conservation easements throughout Long Island, Newsday has reported.

The Brentwood preserve contains “one of the westernmost points of an intact pine barrens area” on Long Island, according to Coste, who cited the protection of that “globally imperiled ecosystem” and its impact on the region’s aquifer as key drivers of the new easement.

“We sit above our aquifer here too, only 30 to 40 feet above our sole-source aquifer,” said Coste, who serves as the congregation’s director of ecological sustainability. “So, having a remnant of these pine barrens, which support rare species, as well as water quality here on Long Island is incredibly important.”

Quality of life

Brentwood is largely built out and designated as a "disadvantaged community" under New York’s Climate Act, according to the DEC. 

Coste described the area as “a green desert — there aren’t really very many public parks available to the community here, there aren’t a lot of big green spaces, there aren’t a lot of forests outside of the state park system.”

The conservation easement ensures those 43 acres will remain intact and open to the public, according to Coste, who said the only development allowed will be things like trails and parking spaces to allow public access.

“We need to be able to let people actually utilize the space,” Coste said. “It’s not just protected and now no one can touch it at all. It’s protected and it’s available for community enjoyment.”

Islip Town Councilman Jorge Guadron, whose district includes Brentwood, said access to the preserve boosts the quality of life for residents in the historically underserved community.

“[It will] protect the open space for the general public in Brentwood,” Guadron told Newsday. “This is basically something that raises the standard of living for our Brentwood community, alongside all of those in the Town of Islip.”