As you may recall, we entered into contract in December of 2014 to purchase the 28-acre Humes Property in Mill Neck and have spent the past few months completing our necessary due diligence.We are pleased to report that all testing has been successfully completed and we will move forward with closing on July 10th. Once the property has been acquired, we will work with our neighbors at the North Shore Wildlife Sanctuary and other local experts to formulate a plan for its use.
The property consists of open space (meadow, woodland and freshwater wetlands) along with nine residential structures. It immediately adjoins preserved land owned by Nassau County, which the Land Alliance helped conserve and the larger Shu Swamp Preserve and Francis Pond conservation areas that consist of over 120 acres of preserved land. These conserved areas and surrounding lands are the headwaters to a series of rivers, lakes and waterways (both freshwater and tidal) that eventually reach the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge and the Long Island Sound. Conservation of this property will help complete one of the most important wetlands and open space corridors on the North Shore of Long Island and is the Land Alliance’s number one conservation priority in our 2014-2020 Draft Open Space Plan. In acquiring the Humes property, the Land Alliance will conserve the property’s and scenic viewsheds.
In order to close on this acquisition in July, we reached out to conservation lenders and donors alike. Approximately $3M in pledges and contributions has been raised to date. We will borrow the remaining $2.5M+ in funds from The Conservation Fund, a national conservation organization that specializes in bridge loans for land trusts, and an anonymous donor over a three-year term.
Once the property is acquired we will continue our fundraising efforts in earnest and begin the stewardship and property management planning process. We look forward to working with all involved parties to develop a plan that protects the conservation values of the property. If you would like to be involved please contact us at 516-92-1028. And, we very much hope that in the not too distant future the Humes Japanese Stroll Garden will be added to the mix!
