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The Latest News from the Peconic Land Trust
February 2, 2016
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 Join our Team: Project Manager
 We're hiring! The Trust is looking for a dynamic individual to join our Conservation Planning staff. Consider joining us as we continue to work with the community to conserve the working farms and natural lands that make Long Island special.
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Lend Your Voice:
Plum Island Preservation!
Could 2016 be the year? Plum Island is slated for the auction block, but a new bill could change the course. An 840-acre natural and historical treasure, 80 percent of Plum Island is an undeveloped refuge for some of the region's most imperiled species of wildlife. With miles of pristine beaches, acres of freshwater wetlands, and a unique system of maritime dunes, Plum Island is a significant conservation asset of great importance.
Please join us and reach out to your New York Congressional representative to let them know you would like to see Plum Island preserved.
Congressman Lee Zeldin has sponsored legislation known as the "Save, Don't Sell" Plum Island Bill, number H.R. 1887. Representatives Peter King, Steve Israel, Kathleen Rice, Daniel Donovan, Jose Serrano and Christopher Gibson have all signed on as co-Sponsors. Please thank them -- and if your Representative is not on the list, please reach out and ask them to sign on today!
In the Senate, a companion bill, S.1675, the Plum Island Conservation Act, is co-sponsored by our two New York Senators, Charles Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand. Please thank them for their support.
To contact your House of Representatives member, click here for a directory.
To contact your Senator, click here for a directory.
Want to learn more? Contact Melanie Cirillo, Director of Conservation Planning, at 631.283.3195. The Trust has joined the Preserve Plum Island Coalition. To learn more, click here.
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Conservation News:
The D'Urso Family Donates Nature Preserve in Amagansett!
 We offer our thanks to the D'Urso family for their donation of a .7 acre pristine natural habitat near Napeague State Park in East Hampton Town. The new preserve will be added to the Trust's Ship Wreck Preserve, an assemblage that includes upland pitch pine woodlands and coastal dunes featuring native flora and fauna. The property is a known migration point for monarch butterflies who rely on the nectar of seaside goldenrod -- a protected New York State flower -- that flourishes on this preserve.
"All of us at the Trust thank the D'Urso family for choosing to conserve this fragile and sensitive piece of natural habitat. It is through the generosity of landowners and communities that conservation opportunities such as this become a reality," said John v.H. Halsey, President, Peconic Land Trust.
Want to learn more? Contact Melanie Cirillo, Director of Conservation Planning or Pam Greene, Vice President of Stewardship, at 631.283.3195.
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Committee Spotlight: Project Committee
 "It takes many hands" is the sentiment our President & Founder John v.H. Halsey uses often to describe the conservation work of the Trust. We have a wonderful and dedicated group of volunteers who lend their "hands" as well as their ingenuity and business savvy to many aspects of our work -- including our Project Committee.
The women and men who provide us with guidance and support in evaluating land conservation projects are led by our Director of Conservation Planning Melanie Cirillo and Committee Chair Steve Jones -- who is also co-Chair of our Board of Directors.
 The committee meets monthly to discuss upcoming projects and their conservation objectives. The committee also visits pending conservation projects to see the land from the "ground" and makes recommendations to our Board of Directors.
Do you know of a potential conservation project in your neighborhood? Would you like to get more involved? We'd love to hear from you! Contact Melanie Cirillo, Director of Conservation Planning, at 631.283.3195.
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Connections:
Late winter programs are getting us ready for spring!
 Watercolors at Bridge Gardens: For all our artist (and budding artist) friends, Lois Bender will continue to offer watercolor classes all through the winter, on Saturdays in February and March. Join us in the garden house at Bridge Gardens -- it's a great way to spend the afternoon -- to develop your drawing and painting skills, and get a peek at the winter and early spring blooms as they emerge through the garden. Lois' classes are great for all levels of artists. For more information, and to register, please visit her website at www.GardenSpiritsNY.com.
 Seed Swap:
The Long Island Regional Seed Consortium is hosting its 2nd annual Seed Swap at Suffolk County Community College at the Riverhead campus on Saturday, February 13. With talks on seed saving and gardening, a panel on the Long Island Cheese Pumpkin, and a few surprises . . .along with our very own
Scott Chaskey who will be available to sign his book: Seedtime: On the History, Husbandry, Politics and Promise of Seeds. The stars of the show are, of course, the seeds! Bring vegetable, flower or herb seeds you have saved that have not been crossed with other types, commercial excess seed from last year, tubers, fruit scions and bulbs.
FREE to the public! You don't need to have seeds to swap in order to attend.
It's a great day to learn and meet new people and share your love of the land. More info at
Quail Hill Farm Summer Memberships Now Available!
This is also the perfect time to Join Quail Hill Farm for the 2016 Summer Season. Shareholders harvest from the farm stand and the fields from June through October. It's a great way to get out on the land, get your hands in the soil, meet new friends and enjoy fresh, local organic produce all summer long. Learn more . . .
Save the Dates!
Long Island Grown: Food & Beverage Artisans at Work
Returns in March & April
Please join us for our annual spring lecture series at Bridge Gardens, featuring lively discussions with the dynamic women and men growing, creating, and producing amazing local food, wines, beer and more.
Our series sold out last year! Plan to buy your tickets early and join us to hear their stories and learn about the innovative and entrepreneurial approaches they are taking as they connect our agricultural heritage to evolving consumer tastes. Thanks again to our moderator Laura Donnelly -- pastry chef, and food writer for the East Hampton Star -- and our media sponsor Edible East End. For more information, and the full slate of topics and speakers, please visit our website.
Speakers include: Vaughan Cutillo of Montauk Brewing Co., Michael Kontokosta
of Kontokosta Winery, Chef Noah Schwartz of Noah's, Nadia Ernestus of Hamptons Brine, Mirijana Ujkic of Wild Feast Foods, Chef Tom Schaudel of The Petulant Wino, Patty Gentry of Early Girl Farm, Richie King of North Sea Farms, Chef Joseph Realmuto of Nick & Toni's, Ed Tuccio of North Quarter Farm, Alexander Damianos of Duckwalk Vineyard, Patricia DiVello of Patty's Berries and Bunches, and Tom Wickham of Wickham's Fruit Farm.
Watch Now: Volunteer Geoffrey Wells produced a wonderful video essay on the 2015 Long Island Grown Series . . . perfect viewing to get you ready for 2016.
Want to learn more? Contact Kathy Kennedy, Outreach Manager, at 631.283.3195.
It's also a great time to Renew or Join as a Member of
Bridge Gardens for the 2016 season.
Bridge Gardens members receive a discount on the Long Island Grown lecture series
as well as many of the other educational and fun programs we are planning at
Bridge Gardens this year.
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Preserve of the Month: East Point Preserve
Donated in the memory of Leo Marder in December 1985, by Mr. and Mrs. Jacob K. Fischbach, this beautiful shoreline preserve juts into Shinnecock Bay in the Rampasture area of Hampton Bays. Thank you to photographer Christine Kraft for capturing the beautiful winter scene, taken in January 2008.
The image makes a great screen saver! Click on the photo image and save to your desktop -- and enjoy its beauty all month long. Each month we'll highlight a new preserve for you!
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Peconic Land Trust conserves Long Island's working farms, natural lands and heritage for our communities now and in the future.
Financial Disclosure Statement: A copy of the last financial report filed with the New York State Attorney General may be obtained in writing to: New York State Attorney General's Charities Bureau, Attn.: FOIL Officer, 120 Broadway, New York, NY 10271 or Peconic Land Trust, PO Box 1776, Southampton, NY 11969. Please help us further reduce our carbon footprint. If you change your address, or would like to receive all (or some) of your communications from the Peconic Land Trust by email, let us know! Contact Janet Schutt, Systems Manager, at 631.283.3195 ext. 24 or email her at JSchutt@PeconicLandTrust.org.
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