Farmingville, NY - Supervisor Ed Romaine and Councilwoman Jane Bonner joined Suffolk County Legislator Sarah Anker to announce the purchase of 15 acres of land that complete the acquisition of 59.3 acres to be preserved as open space in Mt. Sinai. The original purchase of 44.3 acres was completed in 2014. The 15 acre parcel was purchased for $1,653,300 with Suffolk County covering 75% of the cost, while the Town of Brookhaven is responsible for 25%. The property, which was owned by the Society of St. Francis, is located adjacent to Mount Sinai Harbor and within its watershed. It discharges approximately 25.2 million gallons of water a year to the underlying aquifer which then discharges into the harbor, providing a large volume of pure water to this important coastal embayment.
Supervisor Romaine said, “The acquisition of this land near Mount Sinai Harbor and the Long Island Sound will make a big impact on the local environment. It’s another example of the cooperative effort by the Town and County to protect our open space for many years to come.
Councilwoman Bonner said, “Open space preservation is a priority for the Town and this acquisition is another important step to protect the undeveloped land around Mt. Sinai Harbor. I will continue to work with the County to identify and acquire other properties that make good sense to preserve as open space.”
The Town and County made the commitment to partner on the acquisition because of its numerous environmental and ecological attributes. The property is heavily forested with a variety of species that constitute a coastal oak-beech forest which is a New York State Heritage S3 ranked community, many of which have been diminished by residential development throughout Long Island’s north shore. In addition, several rare and vulnerable species of vegetation occur on the property, providing a habitat for a variety of resident and migratory bird, mammal, reptile and amphibian species. The property is also positioned on the Harbor Hill Moraine, the younger of the two glacial moraines that were created by the continental ice sheet that formed Long Island. Its high elevation and dramatic slopes provide commanding views of the surrounding area and harbor.
