|
|---|
THE LONG POND GREENBELT |
|
 The
Long Pond Greenbelt, spectacular in its wealth of rare plants, animals, and
ecological communities is widely recognized as one of the state's most environmentally
significant areas. It harbors one of the highest concentration of rare plants
and animals in New York State. The Greenbelt's
most splendid feature consists of a collection of thirteen coastal
plain ponds and pond shore communities. The New York Heritage Program
classifies many of the Greenbelt's ponds, fauna, and flora as rare
both in New York State and worldwide. In recognition of the area's
unique and fragile status, Southampton has dedicated 14 of its Greenbelt
parcels into its Nature Preserve program, which extends the highest
degree of protection in town law. The rest of Southampton's
Greenbelt properties are currently in nomination for Nature Preserve
status.
Within the 1,100-acre Greenbelt management boundaries (roughly Sagg Road and Sagg Main Streets to the east and the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike and Ocean Road to the west), more than 600 acres have been preserved outright since 1975 by Suffolk County, Southampton Town, and the Nature Conservancy. New York State has assisted purchases with funds from the 1986 Environmental Quality Bond Act and long-term, low-interest loans. Greenbelt ponds, which are under the aegis of the Board of Trustees of the Freeholders and Commonalty of the Town of Southampton, cover close to 300 acres. Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt is dedicated to the preservation, stewardship, and public appreciation of the unique expanse of coastal plain ponds, freshwater swamps, wetlands, and woodlands in the Town of Southampton known as the Long Pond Greenbelt, which stretches from Ligonee Creek in Sag Harbor to Sagaponack Pond in Sagaponack. JUNE EVENTS • Saturday, June 7, 10:0 - 1:00 FLPG ANNUAL MEETING. Pre-meeting guided tour of nearby trails: 10:15. Elections, special awards, brunch. At Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center, 1061 Bridgehampton/Sag Harbor Turnpike. RSVP to 537-3752. • Sat. June 7, 10 a.m. - noon. Hike through the Anna and Daniel Mulvihill Preserve with STPS. 10 a.m. noon. Meet at Sag Harbor Industries on Bridgehampton Turnpike (opposite Verizon). 4 miles. Leader: Joe Lane, 725-3942. • Sat., June 7, 10:00 a.m. Salamander Seining . . . And Some Frogs Too! Bridgehampton at South Fork Natural History Museum (SoFo). Leader: Andy Sabin. Many salamanders breed in the water, and here’s your chance to see the larval aquatic stage of the endangered Eastern Tiger Salamander before it comes on land to live. You’ll also see some of our local frog tadpoles. SoFo Museum events are free to SoFo members. Non-members are charged $7 for adults, $5 for children. This fee includes a visit to the museum on the day of the event. Call the museum to make reservations: 537-9735. • Sun., June 8- H.O.T. (Horses on Trails) 10:00 a.m. - noon. Greenbelt Ride with STPS. BYO Horse. Slow paced ride with pond views. Must be ready to ride by 10:00 a.m. and be a member of STPS due to insurance. Easy to join day of ride. Call Barbara Bornstein for reservations & directions, 537-6188. • Sat., June 14, 8:00-9:00 a.m. Narrow Lane Clean-up. STPS. Bring gloves. Call Dai Dayton for directions, 745-0689. • Saturday, June 14, 7:00-9:00 p.m. FLPG Moonlight Long Pond Paddle with Mike Bottini. Enjoy dusk and catch the rising full moon over the waters of the Long Pond Greenbelt’s beautiful namesake pond. Contact Mike at mike@peconic.org or 631-267-5228. Rentals available: $30 single kayak; $50 double kayak and canoe. • Sat., June 14, two morning sessions. Butterflies in My Garden. 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. for children ages 3-5, 11:00 a.m.- noon for children ages 6-9 Bridgehampton SoFo. Leader: Heather Abrams, SoFo Nature Educator. What is your favorite animal? Could it be . . . a butterfly? In this indoor-outdoor nature activity program children will have fun building a butterfly mobile while learnng about the process of metamorphosis. • Mon., June 16, 6:00-7:00 p.m. Breeding Birds of the East End. Co-sponsored by the Town of Southampton and Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt. Join guest lecturer Eric Saltzman at the Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center at 1061 Bridgehampton Turnpike 100 yards north of Scuttlehole Road. For reservations call Laura Smith, 287-5720. • Sun., June 29, 10:00 a.m. Orchids of the South Fork. Bridgehampton SoFo. Leader: Dave Taft. Dave is an avid orchid enthusiast and the Conservation Chair for the Greater New York Orchid Society; he has served as the Site Manager of the Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge and is presently an Assistant Superintendent with the National Park Service. Wild Long Island and southeast New York State are home to many orchid rarities. Come to the Museum and meet some of the rare orchids of southern New York and afterwards, if you choose, go out to Napeague with Dave to see some of these orchids live. For more information call |
 Join the FLPG Email List The Vineyard Field Achievement Report is
now available here. |
 |
|---|