“November —The last month of Autumn, but the beginning of a new adventure.
Time to take risks and do the unexpected.”
— Unknown
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Places to Visit / November 2019
Hallockville Museum Farm and Hallock State Park Preserve, Riverhead
Tour Group at Hallockville Museum Farm
Visit the Hallockville Museum Farm and the new Hallock State Park Preserve to explore and experience the local farming and natural heritage of eastern Long Island.
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This extraordinary collection of historic buildings, productive farm fields, and woodland trails leading up to the Long Island Sound in Riverhead also has an interesting conservation story — of which the Peconic Land Trust is proud to have played a role.
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Click here to read more about the conservation story which includes many partners, including the Trust for Public Land, New York State, KeySpan Corporation, Riverhead Town, and the Long Island Farm Bureau.
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The Hallockville Museum Farm and Hallock State Park Preserve are open to the public.
Field at Hallockville Museum Farm
Hoodoo at Hallock State Park Preserve
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For more places to visit, and to learn about their conservation stories, check out the Peconic Land Trust website.
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There are lots of places to explore this winter!
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“To plant a garden is to believe in tomorrow.”
— Audrey Hepburn
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Places to Visit / September 2019
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Elliston Family Conservation, Southampton, New York
For the Elliston Family of Southampton, conservation is a tradition
It began with Emma Rose Elliston. She was born in Honolulu aboard the ship Zenas Coffin of Nantucket in 1859. Emma Rose’s father was a 19th century whaling captain. She spent most of her early life on the sea with her family. Following her last voyage in 1869, she married J. Edward Elliston and lived in Southampton until her death in 1933.
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In 1951, Edward Elliston donated 128 acres of family land to the Town of Southampton. The Emma Rose Elliston Memorial Park is located on the northeast side of Big Fresh Pond.
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Then in 1999, Emma Rose and Edward’s grandnephews — Phil, Dave and Fred — contacted the Peconic Land Trust. They wanted to increase their family’s legacy with an additional 10.8 acres of woodland on Big Fresh Pond Road.
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Their decision to choose a conservation outcome for this land made possible a hiking trail link from Tuckahoe Woods Preserve to our Nature’s Preserve, named in memory of Kurt Billing, a staunch advocate for the protection of Tuckahoe Woods. The Trust was able to purchase the Elliston property at a bargain sale and then, at the same time, sell it to Southampton Town.
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A big Thank You to the Elliston Family for preserving the beauty of nature around Big Fresh Pond!
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Are you interested in exploring the conservation of your family lands — or know of a potential conservation opportunity in your community? Connect with Director of Conservation Planning, Melanie Cirillo at 631.283.3195 to learn more about what’s possible.
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Places to Visit / August 2019
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Sylvester Manor Educational Farm
Shelter Island
Sylvester Manor Educational Farm is a nonprofit, charitable organization located on a 240-acre historic plantation that is represnetative of Shelter Island’s history and a bygone era. It offers a variety of farm based and cultural programs for people of all ages.
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The Manor’s grounds and trails are open from dawn to dusk, April through October. They also offer a Community Supported Agriculture membership and sell produce from their farmstand located at 21 Manwaring Road.
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In the mid-2000s, the Trust began working with the property’s owner, Eben Fiske Ostby and his nephew, Bennett Konesni, to prepare a conservation plan for the historic property, which had been in continuous ownership by members of the Sylvester family since 1652. Mr. Ostby and Mr. Konesni co-founded Sylvester Manor Educational Farm.
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Today, over 105 acres of the Manor’s land has been conserved, including 83 acres of farmland through various Town, County and Federal farmland preservation programs and 22 acres through the donation of a conservation easement to the Trust.
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To learn more about Manor events, visiting hours, tours of the Manor house, and its farmstand dates and hours, check out their website www.sylvestermanor.org
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Interested in exploring Sylvester Manor as well as other places the Trust has helped conserve? Visit our Places to Visit section for more about the Manor as well as other fantastic farms and nature preserves you can visit this summer and fall!
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“Everything good, everything magical happens between the months of June and August.”
— Jenny Han
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Places to Visit / July 2019
Wölffer Estate Vineyards, Sagaponack
2001, legendary entrepreneur Christian Wölffer permanently protected 115 acres of his vineyard and equestrian land. Working with the Peconic Land Trust, Mr. Wolffer sold the development rights on this incredibly productive agricultural land, including 55 acres planted in wine grapes, to the Town of Southampton and Suffolk County, ensuring the future production of his award winning wine.
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Today, his children — Marc and Joey Wölffer — along with winemaker and vineyard partner Roman Roth continue his legacy at Wölffer Estate Vineyards. They are producing some of the most sought after wines from these vines. Christian’s goal was to create a South Fork wine trail, and he encouraged other local growers to plant wine producing grapes. Rather than shying away from competition, he welcomed their participation knowing that it would help gain the public’s attention to the value of South Fork wines.
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Want to learn more? Visit our Places to Visit section for more about the conservation of the farmland and the estate’s efforts toward sustainability, as well as other fantastic farms and nature preserves you can visit this summer!
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Preserve Spotlight / February 2019
Historic Lieutenant Moses Case House on the Move
On a clear and brisk January morning, the historic Lieutenant Moses Case House began its move to Cleo’s Corner at Route 48 and Horton’s Lane.
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Over two days — January 26 and February 2 — the house moved across two frozen fields and Young’s Avenue. The final move, across Horton’s Lane and onto its foundation, is expected to happen by the end of February.
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Our thanks go to Stanley Kazel and the team at Dawn Movers along with the teams from the utility companies PSEG, Verizon and Altice/Cablevision for working with us on this coordinated move.
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It’s been an exciting few weeks. Read more about how the move went this past month >>>
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Once the move is completed, we’ll be shifting to the restoration phase!
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“This is a preservation and conservation effort,” said Holly Sanford, Peconic Land Trust Project Manager. “By saving the Lt. Moses Case house we are protecting local architecture, our history and Long Island’s local farming.”——————
We need your help! It will cost $500,000 to relocate and restore the Case House and make it part of our Farms for the Future program. Contact Alison Delaney, Development Officer, at 631.283.3195 to learn more and to make a gift.
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Photo captions:
Top & Middle: crossing Young’s Avenue.
Bottom: Trust staffers Holly Sanford, Dan Heston, Brendan Minogue
and Bridget Micieli-Martinez. Photo by Cyndi Zaweski for the Suffolk Times.
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Check out the reporting on the move by Cyndi Zaweski in the Suffolk Times. Also, photographer Jeff Heatley has been working with us to document the move. See some of his photographs on his website: Art & Architecture Quarterly/East End.
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Visit these AAQ Portfolios (links):
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Preserve Spotlight / January 2019
Widow’s Hole Preserve, Greenport / Update
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Widow’s Hole Preserve Restoration
to Accelerate in Spring
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It’s been a little while since we’ve provided an update of what’s happening with the restoration efforts at Widow’s Hole Preserve on the waterfront in Greenport. In 2019, expect to see many changes to the landscape as the restoration begins in earnest!
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Over the past several years, our stewardship team has been developing the long-term management plan for the preserve. This work has taken place in conjunction with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Suffolk County’s Marine program – which has provided expertise on marine habitat restoration. The plan was completed last year, a necessary first step before submitting permit requests to the various government agencies that provide oversight for land and wetland restoration: the NY State Department of Environmental Conservation, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Village of Greenport.
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Our thanks go out to the Peconic Estuary Program for their funding support of this project.
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We are pleased to report that most of the paperwork is behind us. Check out our recent blog post on the restoration, including updates on the permitting process, the fencing for the preserve, the removal of non-invasive plants, and an exciting Spartina grass planting we are conducting in partnership with Cornell to help build resiliency in the face of storm surge.
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Read the Update today >>>
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Visit these AAQ Portfolios (links):
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