2 Acres Added to Greenbelt Preserve

The signed off this month on spending $450,000 from the Community Preservation Fund to acquire 2 acres in Bridgehampton adjacent to 200 acres of land previously preserved by the town and county.

The parcel, located at 365 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, is part of the Long Pond Greenbelt target area, a priority site for park, recreation, open space, and preservation. Dai Dayton, the president of the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt, said her group is working to remove invasive species from the area including autumn olive and Japanese knotweed and to restore the grasslands.

“Grasslands are one of the most threatened natural habitats, disappearing at alarming rates here all across the country,” Dayton said. “We’re thrilled that, with this purchase, the Vineyard Field Grassland Restoration area will be enlarged and another piece of the Greenbelt preserved for future generations.”

“Much of the wildlife there is particularly sensitive to water pollution and other disturbances,” Councilwoman Christine Preston Scalera said. “Large, uninterrupted tracts promote sustainable populations, as well as protect the surrounding watershed.”

The Town Board voted unanimously on Jan. 10 to acquire the vacant land.

This purchase comes after a $1.1 million CPF acquisition approved in November of 3.9 acres on Middle Line Highway in Sag Harbor, also in the Long Pond Greenbelt target area.

Also at the Jan. 10 meeting, the Town Board unanimously approved a conservation easement for a hiking trail through a two-lot subdivision in Sagaponack, and held a public hearing on an easement in a three-lot subdivision in Shinnecock Hills. Assistant Town Attorney Elizabeth Vail said that 10 acres of open space would be preserved under the Shinnecock Hills easement.