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UPDATE added June 28th, 2025 — see below.
 Broad Cove Preserve, Flanders Bay
The Peconic Land Trust (the Trust) has acquired Broad Cove, a 100-acre waterfront parcel on Flanders Bay in Aquebogue, a hamlet in the Town of Riverhead. The land, a former duck farm, long sought after for conservation, will eventually be available for passive recreation, while also providing climate change resiliency, wildlife habitat, and water quality protection in this part of the Peconic Bay Estuary.
The purchase was on December 31, 2021. The acquisition was made possible by the Trust securing six (6) lines of credit from supporters of conservation to raise the $11.5 million for the purchase and $500,000 for carrying costs. The Trust purchased the property from Walo, LLC at a bargain sale price.
A proposal to build out the site as a mixed-use resort had been submitted to the Town of Riverhead. The owner received an acceptable offer from a developer interested in implementing the plan but agreed to hold off on signing the contract to see if a conservation outcome for the land could be achieved. Broad Cove is adjacent to Indian Island County Park in the hamlet of Aquebogue.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has expressed an interest in partnering with the Peconic Land Trust to protect the property.
DEC Acting Regional Director Cathy Haas said, “We commend our colleagues at the Peconic Land Trust for their work to protect this one-of-a-kind parcel. For decades the Broad Cove property has topped government acquisition lists, including New York State’s Open Space Conservation Plan. This acquisition is a great step toward permanent protection of a landmark property and DEC looks forward to continuing to work with Peconic Land Trust in their ongoing work.”
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“We are thankful to the people of Walo, LLC for working with us to see a conservation outcome for this incredible property,” said John v.H. Halsey, President, Peconic Land Trust. “We also thank our supporters for stepping up at this time to loan the Trust the funding to complete the acquisition quickly. By acting when we did, we were able to secure the conservation future that has alluded this property for so long.”
“We see this as our role – to make conservation happen,” John added.
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“Our family is thrilled with this outcome,” said Andreas Weisz, managing partner of Walo, LLC – whose grandfather, Stanley Weisz, acquired the property over 30 years ago. “My grandfather always wanted to see the land preserved, what we called the duck farm. We see this as his legacy, his pride and joy.
“Over the past six months, as we were working out the details, I’ve spent so much time walking the land and have come to appreciate how special it is – peaceful, and the crystal-clear waters of the canals. Ideally, this is what this land should be – a nature preserve and a place for people to come and enjoy the woods, the water. I look forward to visiting in the future with my family,” added Andreas.
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This nearly 100-acre waterfront parcel on Flanders Bay was purchased by the Trust in 2021. Broad Cove had been sought after by conservationists and developers alike for many years. It had been zoned for a high impact, mixed-use resort, but the Trust was able to conserve the land.
Since the purchase, the Trust has been working on a management plan for the site which includes tidal wetlands, upland woods, and open fields. Ongoing efforts at the preserve include removing invasive species, replacing the vegetation with native plantings, and improving public access to the site.
Please use tick and insect repellent and avoid tall grasses.
We expect ongoing maintenance and trail building to continue over the next few years.
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For decades a top local conservation priority, a key step toward the permanent protection of this environmentally sensitive parcel in the Peconic Bay Estuary has been made.
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The 100-acre property includes 25 acres of tidal wetlands and 8,000 feet of shoreline on Terry Creek and Broad Cove in Flanders Bay. In addition, the property features upland woods and open fields. Before closing, all the existing buildings and structures on the property were removed. This conservation effort was overseen by Trust Project Manager Julie Wesnofske, who worked with Pete Moore of The Corcoran Group and Laurence Oxman of East End Real Estate.
Broad Cove is located on Flanders Bay, an embayment within the Peconic Estuary that is an Estuary of National Significance. The property is situated within the State-designated Peconic Pineland Maritime Reserve and has been included in every New York State Open Space Conservation Plan since the original in 1992 through the most recent in 2016.
Suffolk County has been pursuing conservation for decades. The area is zoned for Tourism/Resort Campus. High impact use and development of the property would have had negative impacts on water quality, fisheries, wetland health and habitat.
Through conservation, the property will contribute to climate change resiliency by providing:
- Continued carbon sequestration based on the property’s significant woodlands.
- Viable and sustainable ecosystems that will support a wide array of plant and animal species.
- Additional acreage to the existing, interconnected network of protected lands and waters to enable flora and fauna to adapt.
- Undisturbed groundwater recharge of benefit to the Peconic Bay Estuary and our sole source aquifer.
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——————— UPDATE: JUNE 28, 2025 ———————
Adventure Awaits at Broad Cove
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| This nearly 100-acre waterfront parcel on Flanders Bay, formerly a duck farm, is now known as Broad Cove Preserve and is one of the Trust’s newest preserves!Having opened to the public in June of last year, this preserve has already undergone several upgrades that benefit both our visitors and the local bird population.
Last winter, our Stewardship team embarked on a project to restore the meadow habitat for birds. We began by removing over 5 acres of invasive grasses and shrubs and replacing them with native grasses. After restoring the area, the team installed houses for the American Bluebirds, complete with predator guards. Thanks to these efforts, we’ve noticed an increase in the Bluebird population. Unrelated to the meadow restoration project, but just as exciting, Ospreys have also taken up the preserve as a home, with two Osprey nests built this spring!
Improving meadow habitat for birds requires a change in management, as well. To help ensure our bird population thrives through nesting and migration seasons, we have adopted a careful mowing schedule that considers the needs of ground-nesting birds and the availability of food sources. Naturalist Mary Laura Lamont has led several bird walks this year, spotting a variety of species, including Osprey, Bluebirds, Pine Warbler, Blue Jay, Eastern Phoebe, and a Purple Martin.
For our visitors, we have expanded our trails to widths of 6-8 feet and resurfaced them with stone dust and crushed stone to make them more accessible for our visitors. Due to the nature of this preserve and wetland setbacks, there are some areas where the surface of the trails change from stone to mulch or sand.
We invite you to visit Broad Cove Preserve on Overlook Drive in Aquebogue. As you enter the preserve from the parking area, make a left to explore the Meeting House Creek Trail, which offers a scenic view of Peconic Bay. If you make a right instead, you can follow Terry’s Creek Trail along the western boundary of the Preserve for equally stunning views.
If you have any questions about the preserve, please reach out to the Director of Stewardship, Jessie McSwane at JMcSwane@PeconicLandTrust.org. |
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Founded in 1983, Peconic Land Trust conserves Long Island’s working farms, natural lands, and heritage. Since its inception, the nonprofit Trust has worked conscientiously with landowners, communities, municipalities, partner organizations, and donors, to conserve over 13,000 acres of land on Long Island. The Trust’s professional staff carries out the necessary research and planning to identify and implement alternatives to outright development. While working to conserve the productive farms, watersheds, woodlands, and beachfront of Long Island, the Trust is also protecting the unique rural heritage and natural resources of the region.
For more information about the Peconic Land Trust, visit peconiclandtrust.org.
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Photos courtesy of Peconic Land Trust.
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