Letters

An unrest is growing stronger between the ones who wish to stop the overdevelopment of Shinnecock Hills and the ones who don’t. Although Southampton Town has the funds to purchase, preserve and protect all undisturbed land in the Hills, they will not make it a priority and continue to take credit for preserving a very limited amount of land.

In August 2018, on Hawthorne Road in the Hills, an ancestor of ours was unearthed during construction on land we had already put on the list for preservation and protection within “culturally sensitive areas.” It was, in our opinion, “intentional desecration” of ancient burials. There does seem to be a “double standard” when Indigenous graves are involved.

The land is being exploited and overdeveloped at an extremely fast rate. The cost is further degradation of drinking water quality, wildlife habitat (including osprey, turtles, flying squirrels, songbirds, foxes, deer and much more), plant life and trees. Pollution related to septic/sewage, traffic and all the horrors of overdevelopment is what our Hills face.

We need your help to combat this problem. The Spellman property, located on Peconic Road, Shinnecock Hills, is facing the chopping block for subdivision of the nearly 5-acre lot. The Peconic Land Trust has been vital in land preservation efforts and has gotten an appraisal for the land and has all the details attached to the Spellman property.

We need your help to raise $500,000 as soon as possible to make this acquisition a reality.

Our spiritual and cultural connection to the Hills cannot be severed, no matter how difficult the task is in protecting from destruction and desecration. “Unmarked burial laws” put in place in September 2020 are ignored and disregarded.

We continue to organize community members and allies to oppose the dreadful desecration overdevelopment of our “shared” sacred Hills and implore you to consider contributing and advocating to “Save What’s Left.” Make your contribution at peconiclandtrust.org/ways-to-give/slasf. For more information on tax-deductible contributions, please contact Amanda Abraham, director of development at Peconic Land Trust, at (631) 283-3195.

You can also mail a check to Peconic Land Trust, 296 Hampton Road, Southampton, New York 11968. Include a note that your gift is for the Shinnecock Land Acquisition and Stewardship Fund’s Spellman Acquisition.

Tabutne (thank you) for helping us raise $500,000 as soon as possible to make the Spellman acquisition a reality.

Rebecca Genia

Co-Chair

Shane Weeks

Co-Chair

Graves Protection Warrior Society

Shinnecock Nation