MAY 16, 2006, FARMINGVILLE, NY –Brookhaven Supervisor Brian X. Foley and Councilwoman Connie Kepert announced at a press conference May 16 at 2 p.m. at Brookhaven Town Hall that they will ask the Town Board to dedicate 240 acres of town-owned property around Town Hall into the town’s Nature Preserve System, insuring its preservation as open space in perpetuity.

“This is another example of the environmental leadership I promised the people of the Town of Brookhaven,” said Supervisor Foley. “This is an enormous addition to our open space inventory and it comes at no cost to the taxpayers of Brookhaven Town. Land purchases are not the only way to protect the town’s open space resources; wise stewardship of our existing open space is another important strategy in the ongoing battle to preserve the town’s natural heritage for our children and grandchildren.

“The preservation of these 240 acres will enable us to create a substantial east, west greenbelt,” said Councilwoman Kepert, who shepherded the plan to its completion. “Greenbelts provide us with the opportunity to connect or link hubs of open space. These hubs and links create a pearls-on-a-string concept. The hubs or pearls provide the origins and destinations for wildlife, and people. They are made up of large protected areas, such as our proposed Overton Preserve.”

“The dedication of these properties into the town’s preserve system is the first in a process that the Town is undertaking to review the inventory of Town-owned lands,” Supervisor Foley added. “The bottom line is that it is good government practice to assess and protect land that the town already has in its inventory.”

The links consist of conservation corridors, or greenbelts, which serve to connect the hubs, and create a network of open spaces which end up to be greater than the sum of its parts.

Dubbed the Glacial Ridge Preserve, the preserve includes approximately 240 acres of town-owned land, consisting of 12 parcels adjacent to and north of Brookhaven Town Hall. This dedication is the first part of a town-wide inventory of town-owned lands to insure the permanent protection of properties with environmental value.

The properties have great water recharge value. Situated within Hydrogeologic Zone III, one of three “deep-flow” recharge zones on Long Island, the property is estimated to recharge 414,000 gallons of clean water daily, or approximately 151 million gallons a year, to the underlying drinking water aquifers. The property is located within the Compatible Growth Area of the Central Pine Barrens.

The Glacial Ridge Preserve properties are extensively wooded, consisting of a pitch pine–oak forest with an understory of shrubs and wildflowers, including blueberry, huckleberry, and pink lady’s slipper. The assemblage provides wildlife habitat value to a wide variety of mammal, bird, reptile, and insect species.

The property is situated on the Ronkonkoma Terminal Moraine and the topography is quite rolling with some slopes in excess of 25 degrees. Both the topography and the elevation of the properties provide attractive scenic views within and outside the properties.

The property assemblage forms the western end of the Glacial Ridge Trail Corridor, a trail network included in the 2006 New York State Open Space Plan. This proposed trail network extends from Brookhaven Town Hall east to the Carman’s River valley.

“This is the first of many announcements that will be forthcoming over the next several months that will clearly demonstrate our overall dedication to preserve our natural vistas, open spaces and waterways,” said Councilwoman Carol Bissonette. “With each parcel dedicated, we are one step closer to not just protecting our environment but to restoring it for generations to come.”

Supervisor Foley and Councilwoman Kepert are hopeful that the Town Board will approve the resolution creating the nature preserve at its meeting Tuesday evening in Town Hall.

The town has also proposed having Concerned Long Island Mountain Bicyclists (CLIMB) serve as preserve stewards pursuant to the town’s Adopt a Preserve program. Town Parks Commissioner Brian Pratt, Environmental Protection Commissioner John Turner and Dennis Cole of Brookhaven Town met with Bill Hichborn, Ed Maloney and Wade Hartmann of CLIMB Trail Patrol and Trail Crew to discuss the possibility of creating and maintaining a mountain bike trail on the property, while restoring eroded trails damaged by ATVs.

Rich Shortell of CLIMB Trail Crew has accepted the role of Trail Steward, and will oversee ongoing maintenance of the trail. Bill Hichborn, IMBA certified in trail design for low environmental impact, has been using a handheld GPS and maps to lay out the initial basic loop, which will then also have some additional loops of greater difficulty leaving and returning back to the main loop. Ed Maloney, Director of Trail Patrol, and Wade Hartmann, Assistant Director of Trail Patrol, working closely with enforcement agencies, will inform all trail users of this new venue, and will lend a hand in reducing the ATV traffic and other problem uses of this property.

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