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Protecting Land on the North Shore with Conservation Easements
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: For more information contact North Shore Land Alliance Email: info@northshorelandalliance.org or call 516-922-1028 Protecting Land on the North Shore with A Conservation Easement Nestled into the village of Oyster Bay Cove, sits Tiffany Creek Preserve. A 450-acre leafy, old growth woodland with grassy fields, and a rippling network of freshwater streams and ponds. On a sunny day hikers can hear chirping gray tree frogs and spot white-throated sparrows fluttering between the cedar and tulip trees. This small patch of preserve is a natural oasis on the North Shore. But before Tiffany Creek was the preserve we know today; it was once a neighborhood of parcels and private residential properties. On one of these parcels off Cove Road, sat Caroline Dubois’s mother’s home. Growing up Caroline spent hours in the woods of Tiffany Creek exploring, turning over stones in search of salamanders, and swimming in ponds filled with sunfish, trout, and turtles. “I grew up loving the property with deep emotional ties to the land and water,” says Caroline. As Caroline’s mother grew older, it began time to think about what to do with the property. To Caroline’s family, preserving the land that they cherished was imperative. That’s why, after careful consideration, the Dubois decided to place a conservation easement on the property with the help of the North Shore Land Alliance – forever safeguarding the legacy of her home. “Knowing that our beloved field and streams would be protected forever gave me great comfort,” says Caroline. One of the most common ways land trusts, like the North Shore Land Alliance, protect land is through conservation easements. A conservation easement is a voluntary legal agreement that protects a property and its unique conservation attributes by permanently restricting development or other uses of the land that have detrimental impacts. Founded in 2003, the North Shore Land Alliance was established to protect and preserve, in perpetuity, the green spaces, farmlands, wetlands, and groundwater on Long Island’s North Shore. In doing so, the Land Alliance acts as both a facilitator and custodian of conservation. Since its creation, the Land Alliance holds easements on 182 acres of private and public land in addition to owning 258 acres of preserves which are open to the public. The Land Alliance recently launched their Community Conservation Plan to align with the Federal “America the Beautiful” initiative to protect 30% of U.S. lands and waters by 2030. Placing a conservation easement has countless benefits to a property owner like Caroline. In addition to protecting the natural beauty of the property, homeowners help preserve history and a way of life while receiving major federal tax benefits. Preserving land from development also helps mitigate and abate the effects of climate change. For property owners interested in placing a conservation easement, Caroline recommends, “Get all the facts about your property, especially its environmental assets and to get in touch with a local tax attorney to know more about the applicable tax which keep improving for conservationists.” For next steps on how to place a conservation easement please visit www.northshorelandalliance.org or contact the North Shore Land Alliance’s Director of Conservation at (516) 922-1028.
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A New Preserve in Lattingtown
Mary and Tim Williams have donated their family’s beautiful 4.5-acre property located at 357 Lattingtown Road to the Land Alliance for use as a public preserve. This lovely place once hosted a grand house called the Dormer House. The house was designed by Theodate Pope Riddle, one of the first female architects in America. It was built in 1906 by Mrs. Charles Otis Gates, of the Royal Baking Powder fortune, and tragically was destroyed by fire in 2014. The landscape, which remains today, was designed by the famous landscape architect Ferruccio Vitale (who was also working on the Humes Estate at the time). The meadow is perched above a pond and overlooks the vicinity of St. John’s Church of Lattingtown. Deer paths can be found across the sloped woodland that separates the pond from the meadow. It is easy to envision a loop path that crosses the meadow, then enters the woodland with its diversity of majestic trees and leads to a bench offering a serene view of the pond. Another approach to the pond may be from the driveway, which feels like an old carriage road, in the lower part of the property. Such a path would make its way over a bridge crossing the stream and leading into the pond. A pondside bench or perhaps a bird blind would be welcome in this spot. A deliberately tiny and rustic but functional parking area will be installed at an open grassy area just west of the driveway as one enters the property. The Williams property is in the Frost Creek watershed, which is classified as a wetland suitable for fish, shellfish and wildlife propagation and survival. It is also part of a corridor of undeveloped land that includes the Oyster Bay National Wildlife Refuge, The Order of St Josaphat, Kate Trubee Davison Preserve and an adjoining 2-acre parcel donated to the Land Alliance by Miani Johnson in 2016. The conservation values of the property include Long Island Sound protection, groundwater protection, habitat for wildlife and pollinators as well as a recreational opportunity. Among the more noteworthy flora and fauna observations are a diversity of mature trees, including white oak, red oak, American sycamore, tulip and white pine. A spring ephemeral trout lily was observed by the stream this spring along with a variety of native plants such as azure bluet and great laurel. A number of warbler species (both breeding locally and spring migrants) were documented, as was a wood duck on the pond. We expect fox, opossum, bats and other mammals will also call this property home. We are grateful to the Williams family for this wonderful gift and look forward to inviting you to visit later this summer.
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Great Things are Happening at Wawapek!
Wawapek is alive with the sights and sounds of summer! The trees are in full leaf, the pollinator gardens are a buzz and the blueberry patch is heavy with fruit. As we enter a new season at this much-loved preserve, we’d like to give you some quick updates about exciting things to come. Mowbray Lane Entrance If you’ve visited Wawapek this season, you may have noticed a much-improved entrance. A new split rail fence was installed along Mowbray Lane (which was dotted with beautiful daffodils earlier this spring). With the help of funding from the New York State Conservation Partnership Program (NYSCPP) and a generous neighbor, we installed pollinator gardens on both sides of the driveway, along with new native red cedars and white pines. Habitat Restoration Area If you’re a regular visitor to the preserve, you’ve witnessed years of rapid invasive species growth along the right side of the driveway. Last fall, with the help of a local contractor, we used a forestry mulcher to remove porcelain berry, multiflora rose and other bad actors in this 10,000 square foot area. That made way for new native plants! This summer, with the help of funding from the NYSCPP, those invasive species will be replaced by beautiful native shrubs and trees such as red maples, dogwoods, rhododendrons, witch hazel and white pines. Vine Removal Along the woodland trail, we have started a periwinkle removal project with our volunteers. Vinca major is a rapidly spreading trailing vine that has spread throughout much of the woodland, outcompeting our native plants. The next time you’re out hiking at Wawapek and you come across a tarp in the woodland understory, you will see our volunteers’ invasive species management at work. Pulled plants are placed inside a black tarp to solarize (cook in the sun). Since our volunteer days over the past weeks, the native Canada Mayflower has begun growing quite abundantly in the areas previously invaded by Vinca, going to show just how crucial pulling weeds can be. We have also removed invasive vines (like porcelain berry and bittersweet) along the hedge row in the formal lawn. Thanks to the tireless work of dedicated volunteers, we have unveiled blooming star magnolia trees, a cluster of which had been invaded by vines over many years. The trees are still recovering, but their branches are no longer burdened by the weight of the heavy invasive vines. We are excited to watch these trees recover in the seasons and years to come. We plan to continue removing as many weeds as we can with the help of our volunteers, Friends Academy students and our summer O’Neil Stewards. Ralf Lange Garden Thanks to a generous donation from Pat Peterson and her friends in honor of her long-time partner Ralf Lange, we have installed a gathering area and native gardens in the once neglected greenhouse complex. The first garden, located within the low brick foundation of the former greenhouse, has been transformed. It now is a gathering area with a teak picnic table and benches surrounded by sweet bay magnolia trees. The adjacent garden area is filled with native shrubs such as witch hazel, sweet pepperbush and mountain laurel. Old cold frames have now been planted as pollinator gardens, with hyssop, sensitive fern, butterfly milkweed, black eyed Susan’s, purple coneflower and mountain mints. We hope you will visit soon and watch these exciting new projects grow. If you are interested in seeing what’s happening at Wawapek, come visit the beautiful property (located off Mowbray Lane) and its woodland trails from 7AM-5PM every day of the week. If you have any questions or wish to get involved, please contact Meghan Leverock at 516-922-1028 or meghan@northshorelandallaince.org.
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