Peconic Land Trust, state DEC partnership preserves 30 acres in Southold

Nearly 30 acres of woodlands in Southold will be protected from development under an agreement between the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Peconic Land Trust, adding to the thousands of acres across Long Island protected by the nonprofit over the years. 

The state agency paid the land trust $2.3 million for a conservation easement that prohibits development at the Harold A. Reese Preserve, a property on the Great Hog Neck Peninsula once eyed for a 14-lot residential subdivision.

Peconic Land Trust will retain ownership of the property and jointly manage it with the DEC, officials said.

Preserving the property will protect drinking water, native plants and species, and expand access for hiking, birding, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, officials said in a press release.

“Conservation easements are a valuable tool to ensure the protection of New York’s open space for future generations,” interim DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar said in a statement, adding the Reese property is worthy of preservation because of its “unique and environmentally significant” ecosystems.

In a statement, Peconic Land Trust president John v.H. Halsey said the Reese property is “a beautiful addition to the Trust’s Wolf Preserve and extends public access to 50 acres” of woodland.

A growing profile of protected acreage

The property joins more than 14,000 acres the Peconic Land Trust has preserved across Long Island since its establishment in 1983. Of that, 6,000 acres is farmland. The organization also prioritizes woodlands and wetlands to protect water quality and native species, according to Matt Swain, a vice president at the land trust.

Partnering with the DEC has aided land preservation efforts in the face of a competitive real estate market and heightened development pressures, Swain said in an interview Tuesday.

“Something goes on the market, and New York State may not be able to act fast enough, so we step in if we can secure funding,” he said. Then, the state essentially reimburses the land trust for the development rights.

The property in Southold includes 1 acre of freshwater wetlands and a coastal oak-hickory forest, which the New York Natural Heritage Program considers a “vulnerable” habitat. It is also within a groundwater protection area, a crucial location where development is limited to protect the area’s sole-source drinking water aquifer.

Southold Town Supervisor Al Krupski praised the move in an interview Friday and said he appreciates the efforts of both organizations. Land preservation is a key town goal, he said.

“This limits the draw and the demand on the aquifer, plus it’s all recharge,” Krupski said, adding that preservation would mitigate noise and traffic in the area. “And it gives people a little-over-50-acre trail system there.”

A network of trails

The parcel is located between North Bayview and Main Bayview roads. A network of trails connects it to the adjoining 23-acre Wolf Preserve.

The DEC used money from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund to pay for the easement, officials said in a press release. The fund is used for a variety of environmental projects, including the state’s ambitious 30x30 initiative, which aims to conserve 30% of land and water resources by 2030.

County real estate records show the Peconic Land Trust bought the property for $1.7 million in 2020 from the Reese family, which had owned it since the mid-1960s.

Under the agreement, the land trust held onto the property until enough state funding was available to complete the easement. 

Since acquiring the site, the trust built a small parking area on North Bayview Road and a half-mile trail that links to the Wolf Preserve. The trails are all 6 feet wide to accommodate strollers and wheelchairs and improve accessibility, according to the land trust website. There are also scenic lookout points and informational signs in both English and Spanish.  

  Improving accessibility to the outdoors is another mission for the Peconic Land Trust.

“We take a different approach. We used to slap stuff up for somebody who's going out hiking that’s fully capable, English speaking, and now we’ve taken a step back and try to focus on the entire population,” Swain said. “We want everybody to enjoy the outside.”

The preserve is open to the public year-round from dawn to dusk.