Land Alliance Identifies Priority Conservation Areas on Long Island

What if the fate of nature wasn’t tucked away in state and national parks, but rather in the very neighborhoods and backyards you drive past every day?

Private landowners in the United States own about 60 percent of all land, yet only 3 percent of that land is permanently protected. Of the unprotected land, roughly 1.5 million acres are developed each year, a number that continues to rise. To put that in perspective, it is equivalent to developing an area twice the size of Suffolk and Nassau Counties, the entire State of Delaware or the entirety of the Everglades National Park every single year.

Locally, the imbalance is even more pronounced. About 90 percent of Long Island land is privately owned, but only 2 percent of it is protected. As our region continues to grow, development pressure intensifies, putting increased stress on native ecosystems. Private land conservation offers a critical tool for organizations like the Land Alliance to help relieve that pressure and protect what remains.

For much of American history, the focus was to conserve huge swaths of land, filled with sweeping vistas of mountains, clear lakes, lush forests and rugged wilderness. And rightfully so these areas are biodiversity hotspots and deserve our attention. But this focus on “wilderness” can overshadow the value of nature in our own backyards. Author William Cronon writes, “The tree in the garden is no less worthy of our wonder and respect than the tree in an ancient forest. The tree in the garden could easily have sprung from the same seed as the tree in the forest. Both trees stand apart from us; both share our common world.” By boxing up “wilderness” and confining it to parks, we risk overlooking the biodiversity right in front of us.

On Long Island, where most land is in private hands, this challenge is even more pronounced.

This is where the Land Alliance steps in. To identify private parcels of high ecological value, we developed a matrix that synthesizes characteristics. They include proximity to wetlands and other protected lands, canopy cover, acreage, steep slopes and potential habitat for rare and endangered species. The resulting priority map below highlights areas of significant conservation value. Using this tool, the Land Alliance has identified more than 8,000 Long Island acres worthy of protection.

Once these conservation aeas are identified, the real work begins. The Land Alliance uses a tool known as a conservation easement to protect private land permanently. A conservation easement is a voluntary agreement between a landowner and a land trust that preserves the property’s natural features. Landowners enter into easements for many reasons, but the most common is simple: they love their land. Without protection, future owners could subdivide or develop it, changing its natural character. With an easement, the land’s open space, history, wildlife habitat, scenic views, water resources and family legacy are safeguarded forever. Easements keep ownership private, allow for the land to be sold or passed on to future generations and do not require public access. They may also offer potential tax benefits when donated.