Camp Paquatuck Preserved for Future Generations

OCTOBER 10, 2006, FARMINGVILLE, NY- Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley and Councilwoman Carol Bissonette announced the purchase of the development rights for 31 acres of Camp Paquatuck in East Moriches in a press conference Tuesday, October 10 at 11 a.m. at the camp. The agreement saves the land and assures that the Camp can continue its mission of serving special needs children.

The camp is for special needs children and is run by the Moriches Rotary Health Camp Inc. The agreement provides the camp with nearly $4 million that will be used to upgrade and maintain the park facilities on six acres of the property, and preserves forever wild the remaining 31 acres of environmentally valuable land.

“It is difficult to imagine an agreement that could be more of a win-win situation,” said Supervisor Foley. “The purchase of the development rights protects an important piece of environmentally sensitive land along the Terrell’s River for future generations. Even more important, the purchase provides nearly $4 million to the Moriches Rotary Health Camp that will be used to maintain and expand their camp facilities and continue to provide a great camping experience for the children with disabilities who enjoy the camp every summer.”

“The camp was founded in 1946 by members of the Moriches Rotary Club as a summer camp for handicapped children,” said Tom Chieffo, president of the Board of Directors of the Moriches Rotary Health Camp Inc. “The camp is still run by the same Rotary Club and serves 350 special needs children ages 5 to 20. Perhaps it is one of Brookhaven’s best-kept secrets.

“The agreement with the Town of Brookhaven giving the town the development rights of 30 of 37 acres will insure that the camp will operate in perpetuity and also insure that the property remains undeveloped. Camp Paquatuck is a privately funded entity relying strictly on donations and on the community at-large. I would like to thank Supervisor Foley and Councilwoman Bissonette for all of their help and dedication to the camp.”

“This was a great opportunity for Camp Paquatuck to ensure its future and to guarantee that it can continue to serve the disabled children we have helped over the years,” said Newton Homan, secretary of Moriches Rotary Health Camp.

The property is adjacent to the 12-acre Kalers Pond Town Park, and is within the South Shore Estuary Reserve. The northern portion of the parcel is entirely wooded and provides good wildlife habitat and will be preserved under the agreement. The active part of the camp is located in the southern portion of the property, with several buildings, wooded areas, and two open grassy areas.

The camp is for mentally and physically disabled children, and is run by the Moriches Rotary Health Camp, Inc., an organization started by the Moriches Rotary Club.

The purchase price for the development rights was $136,000 per acre for a total of $3.96 million.

Protection of this land will provide another key link in the “Pine to Bay Trail.” The Pine to Bay Trail is a New York State-designated trail corridor envisioned to extend from the Pine Barrens south to Terrell’s River County Park through a linkage of publicly-owned lands.

The camp’s directors sold the development rights/conservation easement to enhance their endowment fund. The proceeds from this sale allows them to continue running the camp and enhance their programs for the disabled, while providing an open space resource to the town in the form of water quality protection, hiking trail, wildlife conservation.

Brookhaven Town Supervisor Brian X. Foley, left, Camp Paquatuck President Tom Chieffo and Councilwoman Carol Bissonette at a press conference Monday where it was announced that the town has purchased the development rights for 31 acres of camp property, insuring the future of both the camp and the environmentally valuable land.

Office of the Supervisor
One Independence Hill • Farmingville • NY 11738 • Phone (631) 451-6955 • Fax (631) 451-6677