Letters

A once-in-a-century opportunity has come to Southampton Town. Spring Farm, which is adjacent to the magnificent and biodiverse Great Swamp, The William Mulvihill Preserve and The Anna and Daniel Mulvihill Preserve, has actually gone on the market.

These properties are all critical to the preservation of our groundwater and the future drinking water for the South Fork. Not only does this area supply necessary water to the Long Pond Greenbelt, but to the aquifers on which we all depend. Living on an island, we are especially vulnerable to the loss of water purity, especially as population increases and development proceeds everywhere we turn. We must protect our groundwater recharge capabilities by land acquisitions of parcels on the South Fork’s groundwater divide; there is no plan B.

Large tracts of woodland are also necessary for the nesting of large raptors according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. Unfragmented woodlands and our rich bioreserves are what distinguish us from western Long Island. The protection and stewardship of our local biodiversity is our responsibility and is not only the right thing to do, but is critical to the endurance of the South Fork as the beautiful, wild and rural destination so many adore. Diverse habitats are the foundation for ecological stability as we careen into the future and may allow other species to withstand the constant pressures from human indiscretion.

We will never again get the chance to protect the existing preserves in the Great Swamp area with a purchase like this, as well as to save the sensitive woodlands of Spring Farm and every one of its many species. Future generations will applaud the foresight of the current town officials, and all those who worked to make this purchase a reality and safeguard clean water, beloved species and their habitats. Or not.

Please call and write to your Town Council members and the Community Preservation Fund director and beseech them to purchase this property right away with Community Preservation Funds. Southampton Town has listed these parcels on their own target lists for preservation for decades, due to their rich ecological importance. This is why Southampton Town acquired a right of first refusal, if and when the property ever came up for sale. Other entities have also listed these parcels as high priority acquisitions in the past such as the Suffolk County’s Drinking Water Protection Program and New York State’s Open Space Plan. As part of the Peconic Bioreserve, Spring Farm must be preserved for all time.

Mary Ann Mulvihill-Decker

Sag Harbor