THANKS 

FOR A GREAT SUMMER!

 

It was a beautiful season, made more so with new friends and

old acquaintances around the Forks.  We hope you've been inspired to

connect more deeply with everything local and to partner with us as
we conserve what we know and love on Long Island!

 

 

  

  

  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  

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Conservation News   

Trust Acquires 4+ Acres
Along the Forge River in the
Village of Mastic Beach for Conservation

  

Conserving vulnerable properties along the Forge River has long been a priority for both the residents of Mastic Beach and the Town of  Brookhaven in order improve the quality of the river, especially in the wake of Superstorm Sandy.   

 

In early September, with encouragement from local residents, the Town of Brookhaven, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and the US Department of Agriculture, the Peconic Land Trust purchased a 4+ acre parcel on the peninsula of the Forge River from the Stony Brook Foundation. The property includes a single family house, detached garage, and boathouse. The purchase represents the first step toward our goal of removing the structures from the property and restoring it to its natural state. Our ultimate success depends on the continued support of the local community as well as Town, State, and Federal agencies -- please keep us conserving! 

Additional plans for the property will be announced next month. If you are interested in getting involved in the conservation effort around the Forge River, please contact Trust Project Manager Kim Quarty at 631.283.3195 or KQuarty@PeconicLandTrust.org.  

 

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Trust Announces Request for Proposals 

to Lease Hayground Farm

Includes 24+ Acres of Farmland and Area for Farm Stand 

 

The Peconic Land Trust has issued a request for proposals to farmers to lease the farmland at Hayground Farm in Bridgehampton. Located on Rte. 27 in  Bridgehampton, the lease includes 24.6 acres of Bridgehampton silt loam soils and a one-acre farm stand location. The lease terms will be for five years, beginning in 2015. The property consists of four parcels purchased by the Trust between April 2008 and June 2013, made possible through the use of the Trust's revolving fund (The Peter J. Sharp Fund for the Environment), a grant from the South Fork Land Foundation and a loan from a conservation lender. Hayground Farm is part of the Trust's Farms for the Future Initiative. 

Goals for this property include: 

• Actively farming the property with an emphasis on food production; 
• Supporting a sustainable and viable farm operation by providing a ready market for produce grown through the establishment of a retail farm stand;
• Creating an opportunity for established farmers to grow their agricultural businesses; 
• Ensuring that the property stays available and affordable for farmers;
• Protecting the character of Bridgehampton and its environs by maintaining a scenic, historic use along Montauk Highway.

Interested applicants are asked to submit proposals for the lease by October 15, 2014 to be considered. To download the PDF of the Request for Proposals, click here.  

 

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AFPLI Award:  

Rebecca A. Chapman to be Honored

for a Lifetime of Fundraising Success!

 

The Association of Fundraising Professionals Long Island Chapter (AFPLI)
will present our own Rebecca A. Chapman with their Outstanding Fundraising Executive Award at Philanthropy Day 2014! 

This prestigious award is given to a fundraising executive who epitomizes ethical, innovative and dynamic professionalism in the fundraising world.  This certainly describes Rebecca's efforts for the Peconic Land Trust, where she has worked tirelessly for 10 years to develop relationships, and raise funds necessary to complete numerous multi-million dollar transactions that conserve the working farms and local heritage we cherish. Rebecca will honored at a luncheon in November.  

Congratulations Rebecca!

For more information on this award, including ads in their event journal, please contact info@afpli.org. 

 

 

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Troubled by Grubs, Brown Patches and Crab Grass in Your Lawn?

Now is the time to take advantage of

 Free Lawn Care Advice

at Bridge Gardens

through October!

 

The Peconic Land Trust has teamed up with the PerfectEarth Project and Paul Wagner of Treewise and Soil Foodweb NY, Inc. to offer free advice and problem solving for lawn and landscape pests, using a toxin-free approach.

Every Thursday through October, Paul will be at Bridge Gardens from 12 Noon to 4:00 p.m. to answer questions from both homeowners and landscape professionals.  

     

Bridge Gardens is located at 36 Mitchell Lane in Bridgehampton.  Not able to stop in? Get your questions answered by email at LawnExpert@PeconicLandTrust.org. 

      

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Ag Center at Charnews Farm:

Community Gardeners Support

Local Food Pantry  

  

The food pantry at St. Agnes Church in Greenport has seen an uptick in needy visitors over the years, due to population growth and changing demographics. Providing healthy, fresh produce to the members of this under-served community has been a lot easier since making the connection with the Trust's Community Garden, located at our Agricultural Center at Charnews Farm in Southold.  

Several of our community gardeners and Trust volunteers began delivering fresh, organically grown produce from the Ag Center's garden to the food pantry about 3 years ago, and this continues each week, when nearly 25 pounds of tomatoes, salad greens, eggplants, peppers, beans, chards, and herbs are delivered to the church.  Four plots at the garden, used for educational programs with Southold School District, are planted in the spring and harvested throughout the  growing season, with produce heading straight to the food pantry's visitors. 

Denise Markut, the Trust's manager of the Community Garden, oversees these plots with enthusiastic help from a number of volunteers who work all season to keep the plots watered, weeded and pest free. Several other local food pantries have also benefited from the garden plots' abundance, including Community Action Southold Town, or C.A.S.T.

  

Building community is what the Ag Center's community garden is all about, and helping to serve the needs of some local families feels good.  For more information about St. Agnes Church's food pantry, contact them at 631.477.0048. For more information about C.A.S.T. and to contact them, call 631.477.1717.

 

Interested in reserving a garden plot for the 2015 growing season or volunteering at the Trust's AgCenter? Contact Denise at 631.734.5630 or DMarkut@PeconicLandTrust.org.

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 Ashawagh Hall, East Hampton 

Plein Air Peconic IX:

Land, Sea, Sky

Exhibition: October 11-13, 10 am to 5 pm

Meet the Artists Reception, Saturday, October 11: 5 to 8 pm

A collection of beautiful new works will be on display by the artists of

Plein Air Peconic over the holiday weekend, October 11-13, 2014. The exhibition will include works by the artist that showcase the farmland and natural lands conserved by the Trust over its 30-plus year history.

Participating artists: Casey Chalem Anderson, Susan D'Alessio, Aubrey Grainger, Anita Kusick, Keith Mantell, Michele Margit, Joanne Rosko, Tom Steele and Kathryn Szoka. Guest artists include Gail Kern and Ty Stroudsburg.

All works are for sale and a percentage of all sales benefits the Trust.

For more information about Plein Air Peconic, please visit:

www.PeconicLandTrust.org/plein_air or www.PleinAirPeconic.com 

Mark your calendar and join us for a meet-the-artists reception on Saturday, October 11th!   

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Crave vegetables in the winter?

Quail Hill Farm Winter Share 

November 21 into March 2015 

Join us in this our 25th year! Pick-up for our winter share is every 2 weeks at the farm shop, and you can harvest your fresh greens from the greenhouses. There is a wonderful abundance of root vegetables and greens to choose from, including  carrots, beets, potatoes, sweet potatoes, celery root, parsnips, cabbage, kohlrabi, radish, turnips, winter squash, burdock, garlic, shallots, wheat berries and more...

For more information and to join, contact Robin Harris at 631.283.3195 ext. 19 or RHarris@PeconicLandTrust

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Educational Seminar:

Suffolk County Farmland Preservation Program   

Suffolk Academy of Law and the Farmland Committee will host a special seminar that will cover the history, intent, rules, regulations and acquisition process for Suffolk County's Farmland Preservation program. You will gain an understanding of the County's program to purchase development rights to maintain farmland and how to represent those involved in the process. The presentation should prove of interest for virtually all Suffolk County lawyers, but especially for municipal, land-use, real property, environmental and estate planning attorneys.

MCLE Credit: 2 hours (professional practice).

Info: 631.234.5588 or www.scba.org 

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