Environmental Victories in 2024
We are so grateful for the support of our community this year. Because of you, the Group was able to achieve a number of environmental victories to protect the nature of the place you love. Here are just a few of the things we accomplished in 2024…
ADVOCACY
Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act — After a decade of advocating for clean water, on November 5, Suffolk County residents voted overwhelmingly to pass Ballot Proposition 2, the Suffolk County Water Quality Restoration Act. As a result, the county is setting up a fund exclusively for clean water infrastructure that is expected to raise approximately $4.5 billion over the next 35 years. This victory represents the single most consequential investment in our fragile coastal environment.
Strong’s Marine Yacht Center — After the Suffolk County Planning Commission rejected the developer’s original proposal, stating the expansion would cause significant negative environmental impacts to the area, Strong’s Marine Yacht Center submitted a revised proposal. Although the project was scaled back, the Group, Save Mattituck Inlet, neighbors, and civic groups remain opposed, pending a comprehensive review and public comment on the redesigned proposal. In the most recent hearing this past fall, the Southold Planning Board has deemed the applicant’s revised proposal incomplete.
Agri-tourism Resort Zoning Code Proposal — Working with dedicated civic groups, environmental organizations, and government partners, the Group and its allies led the way to the defeat of the agri-tourism resort proposal. After months of meetings behind closed doors with a developer’s consultant, the Riverhead Town Board had proposed a zoning code amendment that would have allowed agri-tourism hotel and spa resorts on hundreds of acres of farmland between Sound Avenue and the bluffs of Long Island Sound. While this is not the last we’ve seen of such proposals, it is a victory for the environment and community character.
Liberty Gardens — After years of advocating against the high-density Liberty Gardens development proposal slated for the worst stretch of County Road 39 in Southampton, the Southampton Town Board denied the applicant’s request for a change in zoning.
CONSERVATION
Plum Island — In the last days of 2024, the US Senate passed legislation calling for the Plum Island Preservation Study (Bill S5136). Although the bill didn’t yet make it through the House, this bipartisan effort is an important step forward in the preservation effort. We hope to see action by the House of Representatives in 2025. If successful, the future law will examine the island’s unique natural, historical, and cultural attributes to help determine the best route for permanent preservation and management.
Bay to Sound Trails Initiative — As part of the Group’s long-term partnership with the Town of Southold on the Bay to Sound Trails project, we engaged 170 volunteers to remove 55+ tons of debris from North Fork preserves and create 1.8 miles of new trails in the fall. Volunteers included Boy and Girl Scout troops, Southold ROTC students, Mattituck High School students, Southold Elementary School fifth graders, Peconic Community School students, Southold Peconic Civic Association, library groups, and the general public.
Medication Disposal Program — Since the Group launched the East End Medication Disposal Program with Suffolk County in 2014, South Fork, North Fork, and Shelter Island residents have safely disposed of 15,500 pounds of unused medications in drop boxes at participating police stations.
Ospreys — Population numbers continue to rise as the Group shifts its focus to hazard mitigation.
EDUCATION
Downs Farm Preserve — From nature-inspired art workshops to children’s events and more, we’ve spent a lot of time at Downs Farm Preserve in Cutchogue this year. We hosted a native plant swap with North Fork Pollinator Pathway and participated in its annual garden crawl, met the resident animals of Quogue Wildlife Refuge and discussed the importance of conservation, and maintained the meadow and thicket, increasing the number of native plants available for wildlife. Thank you to all who attended public programs at Downs Farm Preserve this year!
Outreach — We continued our long-term partnerships with CAST North Fork and Project MOST, hosted special presentation at the East Hampton Garden Club’s conservation meeting, spoke about environmental issues on the East End at the Shelter Island Expo and the Greenport Maritime Festival, and much more, all with a goal of inspiring people to embrace a conservation ethic.
Classroom Lessons — In schools, our education teams worked with 20 schools/youth groups to teach more than 150 classes, reaching 2,540 students!
Since 1972, the Group has been protecting the East End’s land, water, and wildlife through advocacy, conservation, and education. But we cannot do this work alone. Thanks to our incredible environmental community, we can swim in clean water, take a restorative walk in the woods, and watch majestic ospreys soar overhead. We’re so grateful for your support, and cannot wait to see what we can accomplish together in 2025!
