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Building Environmental Awareness through the Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly
Building Environmental Awareness through the Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly Butterflies are some of the most beautiful insects in the world. These enchanting creatures seem to float effortlessly through the air. They undertake a remarkable multi-generational migration, with some traveling up to 3,000 miles from breeding grounds in the northern United States and southern Canada to overwintering sites in central Mexico. They come in all sizes and colors and show up in the mythology and folklore of many cultures around the world. Butterflies were believed to move between worlds, bringing messages and guidance, representing transformation, rebirth and hope. Today, over 60 butterfly species are endangered. In 2024, the US Fish and Wildlife Service announced a proposed rule to list the Monarch butterfly as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, accompanied by a critical habitat designation. Further, a recent publication indicates substantial probability for “quasi-extinction” of the Eastern Monarch butterfly migratory population within 20 years if ambitious habitat restoration and conservation goals are not achieved. To bring awareness of the plight of this flagship species, we are declaring this the summer of the Monarch butterfly. We will mark the occasion with a series of programs and initiatives chock-full of lessons to be learned from the Monarch. First, Monarchs are pollinators and need the same habitats (native milkweed and other nectar flowers) as many other pollinators and other wildlife. Monarch butterflies fill the role of the canary in the coal mine, if Monarchs are threatened because of habitat loss many other pollinators and wildlife that share their habitat are in jeopardy as well. Second, the declining Monarch population parallels other declining pollinator populations. This in turn impacts human food systems, illustrating that Monarchs and other pollinators are part of a food web and ecosystem. Providing enough habitat, like milkweed for Monarchs, is essential in maintaining a balanced food web within the ecosystems that are critical in sustaining us. Third, Monarchs carry out a unique migration, which inspires interest in the natural world across the entire continent. The fact that these insects, weighing no more than a paperclip, travel for thousands of miles to a destination unknown to them, is a phenomenon that deserves protection for its own sake. Their dramatic migration also serves as an amazing way to teach the next generation about science and caring for the environment. If you’ve ever seen a monarch caterpillar pupate, or an adult emerge from its chrysalis, you too know how amazing their metamorphosis is, and the excitement it generates in kids and adults alike. Fourth, the threats to Monarchs presented by habitat loss, global warming, pesticides and predators are real. The availability of safe and quality feeding and breeding habitat is essential for populations but that is becoming increasingly hard to find. Every year approximately 1 billion pounds of pesticide is used across the country. An estimated 70 million pounds of that are used for purely cosmetic purposes on people’s lawns. Humans are making it difficult for pollinators to survive. Yet, thanks to increasing awareness about the plight of this charismatic species, there is hope that by working together we can take the actions necessary to protect the Monarch and, in turn, the future of our planet.
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North Shore Land Alliance Re-accredited by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission
We are proud to announce that the Land Alliance has been awarded renewed accreditation by the Land Trust Accreditation Commission! Board Chair Hoyle Jones explained that “the multi-year process was rigorous and thorough in reviewing all project transactions, policies and financials since the first accreditation approval in 2015.” Accreditation is awarded to land trusts meeting the highest national standards for excellence and conservation permanence. The accreditation seal is a mark of distinction in land conservation. Each accredited land trust completes a rigorous review process and joins a network of organizations united by strong ethical practices. Each member of this trusted network of land trusts has demonstrated fiscal accountability, strong organizational leadership, sound transactions and lasting stewardship of the lands they conserve. Nonprofit organizations, including land trusts, are increasingly called on to demonstrate their accountability to the public. Accredited land trusts have voluntarily submitted their organizations to an external, independent review of their practices. As a result, accreditation provides the public with the assurance that the land trust displaying the accreditation seal meets established standards for organizational quality and permanent land conservation. Land trusts help conserve land that is essential to our health and well-being. When land trusts agree to protect land for the benefit of the public, in most cases they do so by promising that the protection is forever. The accreditation program verifies that the land trust has the policies and programs in place to keep this promise, either by caring for the land itself or transferring the land to an entity that can. As of April 2025, there are 479 accredited land trusts in 46 U.S. states and territories. Accredited land trusts protect 84% of land and easements held by all land trusts which total over 51 million acres of land. When asked about the process, Lisa Ott, President and CEO, said “Accreditation is about assuring our work can live up to the important goals of conservation in perpetuity. We find it easier to grasp the meaning of perpetuity when we see the excitement of a child visiting our preserves or the pride exhibited by our stewardship team and volunteers when native habitats have been restored. Thinking about the impacts these places will have on their lives, that these places will be protected for generations to come, we can’t help but be inspired to strive to do more and do it well.” It is estimated that the Land Alliance team spent more than 700 hours completing the process. With many thanks to them and our pro-bono legal counsel (Lisa’s husband, Gil Ott).
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Community Conservation
Land conservation can take several forms. They range from an outright gift of land to the purchase of land to the donation of a permanent, voluntary deed restriction on land called a conservation easement. The parties can include individual landowners, estates (in the case of a post-mortem conservation easement), corporations and partnerships. Some transactions are motivated by a donor’s love for their land and a desire to never see it developed. Others hinge upon tax deductions or are requirements of municipal approvals. Each conservation transaction is unique, and all good ones must be based on the conservation value of the land. Conservation values may differ. They can range from lands that host native species or are located within critical watersheds and from sacred sites to community parks and preserves. In the more densely populated areas of Long Island, almost all natural habitats possess conservation values. Furthermore, land uses can change. For example, a golf course today could become a forest or a grassland tomorrow. And, on Long Island’s south shore, where the impacts of climate change (like sunny day flooding) are occurring, grasslands and wetlands can serve as important buffers to protect residents from the harm caused by increasingly severe storms. In 2017, the 114-acre Woodmere Country Club (located in the hamlets of Woodmere and Woodsburgh in the Town of Hempstead) was sold for development. The original agreement required that the property be maintained as a golf course until 2022. After that time, the developers planned to transform the club into a residential community featuring 284 single-family homes. However, the proposed project faced opposition from community members. Some were concerned about the impact increased residential development would have on the local infrastructure, such as schools, roads and public services. Others mourned the loss of a beautiful open space that had brought them joy for many years. Residents from adjoining, though sometimes disparate, communities came together to organize a formal opposition effort. They valiantly attended public meetings to voice their concerns and invested time and resources in what turned out to be a multi-year process. Early on, the community invited the Land Alliance to act as an advisor and a potential partner in the conservation of a portion of the land. Ultimately, after building moratoria and lawsuits, the community and the developers worked together to formulate a plan that met the needs of most parties. This involved the establishment of a Coastal Conservation District which the villages of Lawrence and Woodsburgh approved last year. The new plan would significantly reduce the number of houses that could be built. The nature of the development would change from single-family homes to an age restricted 55+ community. And at least 50 acres would be protected as a community preserve! If the plan is successful, the Land Alliance would oversee the conversion of the golf course into a maritime grassland and potentially own and manage the land. Restoration efforts and ongoing maintenance would be funded by the developer. It is important to note that the fate of the Woodmere Country Club ultimately rests on the decision-making process of the local authorities. The proposed development would require zoning changes, environmental assessments and additional public hearings before it can proceed. The next public hearing is scheduled for this December. While the outcome at Woodmere is yet to be determined, we at the Land Alliance are inspired by communities such as this. No one knows a community better than those who live there. Community conservation projects are often the most successful because they tap into the knowledge, perspectives and experiences of those who live in and depend on the area’s natural resources. Studies have shown that when communities are included in decision-making, conservation efforts become more effective and sustainable. Moreover, engaging communities fosters a sense of ownership and responsibility, motivating individuals to actively participate in protecting their environment. Woodmere is just one example of ongoing community conservation efforts. Here are some other notable efforts: Municipal Conservation – Over the past year, Garden City elected officials have designated 26 village-owned properties as parkland under New York State law. The designation adds a layer of protection to the properties, increasing the probability that these parcels will remain parks for future generations. Any effort to overturn this designation would be considered parkland alienation. Overturning the designation would require that a bill be passed by the New York State legislature and signed by the governor to change the use. Grassroots Efforts – Residents of the Village of Halesite have united around an effort to protect a heavily wooded and sloped eight-acre property in their community, with the intention of creating the Nathan Hale Nature Preserve. The property contains an extensive collection of noteworthy Rhododendron and Azalea shrubs. It also is home to an abundance of wildlife. It was purchased for development in 2020, and a development plan has been submitted to the Town of Huntington. Residents are working tirelessly to protect this property. Their valiant efforts include applying for acquisition by the Town of Huntington Environment, Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee, attending Town meetings and engaging the advice of counsel. At this time, the property owners are not willing to sell. We have also heard about some churches and schools contemplating placing conservation easements on their lands and a different community looking to raise funds to purchase a golf course for conservation purposes. We applaud all these efforts and are inspired by the sense of community that drives them. While the Land Alliance’s scope does not include opposing development projects, we stand ready to help with conservation solutions.
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Land Alliance to Acquire 4.52 acres From the Pulling Family to Expand Red Cote Preserve
Land Alliance Signed a One-Year Option Agreement to Acquire 4.52 acres from the Pulling Family to Expand the Nassau County Red Cote Preserve in Oyster Bay Cove. Earlier this year, the Land Alliance was given the opportunity to acquire an additional 4.52 acres of land from the Pulling family to increase the size of the Nassau County-owned Red Cote Preserve located on Yellow Cote Road in Oyster Bay Cove. We are pleased to announce that the Land Alliance has now successfully signed a one-year option agreement to purchase this land for approximately $1.5 million. With a window of only one year to raise the funds, the effort to purchase the Pulling property kicked off on September 28th at the Land Alliance’s 2024 Wine Auction & Dinner. Land Alliance Trustee and Oyster Bay Cove resident John Bralower made a poignant appeal to attendees asking for their help in protecting this important place. In response, we were delighted to see dozens of hands raised in support of the Campaign to Expand the Red Cote Preserve. This effort raised more than $50K to jumpstart the effort. To be successful we will need broad community support, and that outreach will soon begin. Red Cote, previously owned by the Pulling, Cutting and Schwab families, was acquired by Nassau County in 2008 with Environmental Bond Program monies. The property is stewarded by the Land Alliance. The environmental characteristics of this new acquisition align perfectly with our preservation priorities. It features a beautiful scenic vista, a picturesque colonial garden and majestic centuries-old trees which will enhance the environmental value of the abutting Red Cote Preserve. Red Cote is a much-loved community treasure where pollinators flourish, birds nest and nature thrives. The lands that comprise the Red Cote Preserve are located within the New York State-designated Oyster Bay Special Groundwater Protection Area (SGPA). Protecting land in the SGPA is critical to replenishing the underground aquifers which are the only source of Long Island’s drinking water. The clock is ticking. The time to raise the funds to purchase this property is limited. We can be successful if we work together. Thank you, in advance, for your consideration and support. Please join our Campaign to Grow the Red Cote Preserve? To learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved, please visit our website at CAMPAIGN TO GROW RED COTE PRESERVE or contact the Land Alliance office at 516-922-1028 or info@northshorelandalliance.org.
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Aquifer Study Released and the News is Not Good
The U.S. is facing a groundwater crisis and Long Island, where our sole source aquifer stores all our water needs in underground reserves, is no exception. In an investigation last year, The New York Times examined data for tens of thousands of wells around the country. In almost half those sites, the amount of groundwater had declined significantly over the past 40 years. Soon after the Land Alliance was founded in 2003, we found that the most important reason to protect land in western Long Island is to protect our water resources. Long Island’s drinking water comes from a sole source aquifer. We need open land for rain and snow to permeate the ground and replenish the aquifer. We need trees to absorb precipitation and increase the effectiveness of groundwater recharge. The deep-water recharge areas of the aquifer system are in the center of Long Island, just north of the Long Island Expressway. In the early 1980’s, as development increased and the natural areas needed for groundwater recharge decreased, New York State designated these areas as special groundwater protection areas (SGPAs) to protect the water supply for all Long Island. The growing stress on groundwater can be caused by population growth, as on Long Island. Since 1950, the number of people living in Nassau County has more than doubled, and resource depletion has increased significantly as a result. According to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), every day around 400 million gallons of water are used on Long Island for household uses, with another 60 million daily gallons of usage coming from agriculture. For context, Long Islanders tend to use 70% more water than the national average. But climate change also plays a role. As temperatures rise, water demand increases. Warmer weather also means more water evaporates before seeping into the ground, reducing the rate at which water drawn from underground aquifers can be replaced. In recent years, the quality of our drinking water has been in question due to various forms of chemical pollution. Today, the quantity of our drinking water, which is much harder to measure, is also questionable. In 2016, the USGS began an eight-year cooperative study with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to evaluate the sustainability of Long Island’s sole-source aquifer system. The results, released in August 2024, found that the drinking water supply for parts of Long Island is under threat. The study also found that the level of salt found in groundwater is increasing in some coastal areas of Nassau County. This change has been caused by decades of pumping fresh water out of wells for homes and irrigation. The removal of fresh water creates space for salt water from the ocean to seep into the underground aquifers. One of the potentially dire consequences of over-pumping groundwater is saltwater intrusion. Picture a boundary located in the underground aquifer that has fresh water (from the aquifer) on one side and salt water (from the bay and other waterbodies) on the other. Scientists refer to this separation as the saltwater interface. As fresh water is pumped out of the aquifer, the interface moves farther inland until it eventually reaches a drinking well. Once this saltwater intrusion occurs, the well usually needs to be shut down. Ironically, western Long Island was the first place in America to experience that phenomenon. As Brooklyn and Queens boomed in the late 1800s and early 1900s, there were no major rivers to supply water for households or for factories. So, people drilled wells. Those wells turned salty and had to be abandoned. That abandonment led to establishing a connection from Brooklyn and Queens to the aqueduct that brings water to New York City from upstate. But Nassau County continues to rely on wells for its drinking water. Due to the location of the aquifers deep below the surface, for many years officials had no way of knowing how far the saltwater interface was from their wells or how fast it was moving inland. Now they do! The process for gathering the data was extensive. New monitoring wells equipped with sensors were dug. The sensors mapped the saltwater interface for the first time. Then, decades’ worth of data from existing wells was compiled and analyzed to establish a baseline. The findings revealed that the saltwater interface was much closer than people suspected. And it was moving inward. One of the largest increases in saltwater intrusion was in Oyster Bay. Further research suggests that saltwater intrusion could take generations to reverse, even if we stopped pumping altogether. And it could force coastal areas — including Long Beach, Great Neck and Oyster Bay — to look for new supplies of drinking water. The cost to dig new wells in areas located more upland is very expensive, and not a long-term solution. So, what can we do to help save this vital water supply? In a press release, the NYS DEC, which regulates groundwater and funded the report, said it was “reviewing the results and will review permits in the area of concern, require monitoring and work with the water suppliers to develop a plan for going forward.” While we know and appreciate that our water providers will do their best, we too can help. The report emphasizes a need for preserving land located above the aquifer and conserving water resources through innovative methods. Native Bee pollinating a flowerNative Plants Here is a list of things you can do to help: Harvest rainwater and reuse it in your garden. Use smart sprinklers that turn off when it rains. Implement more sustainable farming practices like use of cover crops and no till that keep nutrients in the soil and allow roots to grow deeper. Plant more native species that require less water once established. Explore opportunities for graywater recycling. Graywater is defined as non-sewage wastewater from showers, washing machines and sinks which can be used for irrigation of lawns. Households can save up to half of their water costs by using this type of recycling and can even reduce nitrogen pollution when nutrients in the water are used by plants. On a larger scale, there is a potential to use recycled water to irrigate golf courses, which are substantial contributors to water usage in the region. Indian Island Golf Course in Riverhead is an example of a pioneering course that uses reclaimed water from a nearby wastewater treatment plant to irrigate their land, saving up to 450,000 gallons of water a day that would otherwise be drawn from the aquifer. Additionally, we can help save our water resources by preserving land on Long Island. Actions that we take on lands located above the aquifer affect both the quantity and quality of the water below. Undeveloped land can absorb stormwater runoff generated by impervious surfaces allowing it to slowly drain into the water table, replenishing the aquifer in a sustainable way. By prioritizing areas that have the greatest impact on water quality, like the SGPAs and wetlands, organizations like the Land Alliance will play a key role in protecting our water source. While there is no current danger of Long Island’s aquifer running dry, it is important to understand that not all water is created equal. Land Alliance Advisory Board Member and Retired NYIT Professor Sarah Meyland puts it simply: “There will always be water in the aquifer system,” she said. “It’s just a question of, is it going to be potable freshwater or is it going to be saltwater?”
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