WHO WE ARE
The Nathan Hale Nature Preserve Committee is a community-based group, primarily comprised of residents living in the Halesite and Huntington Bay villages within the Town of Huntington. We deeply appreciate, value, and are committed to protect what is left of the environmentally important properties and open spaces of our Town.
We welcome participation and support from fellow residents and friends who share our commitment to:
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preserve and protect the natural and at-risk environment
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apply existing laws to achieve these goals (including Town of Huntington slope law and New York State SEQRA processes)
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ensure the Town of Huntington welcomes and respects the community’s full participation throughout the decision-making processes that affect our environment, property values, and quality of community life
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put in place written protocols and procedures that assure open public access to all material information developed by and/or presented to the Town concerning the development of properties in the Town via open hearing processes and ensure accessibility of this information as it is posted and maintained to the Town of Huntington’s website’s “Meetings and Agendas” portal and/or other designated portals as required by the protocols and procedures to be put in place.
OUR MISSION
The citizens of the Town of Huntington have repeatedly voted for funding efforts to preserve open space whenever possible – $60 million since 1998.
But, in recent years, environmental damage caused by over-development of properties all across Huntington is apparent. The open space character of our Town and local communities is degrading. The eco-health of all our properties has been adversely impacted. Huntington is becoming unrecognizable. We urge our elected officials to honor the will of the voters who put them into office. Keep Huntington open space open.
OUR COMMITMENT
We are committed to preserve and protect the environmentally sensitive and historically important, steeply sloped Bay Avenue-Vineyard Road property situated in the heart of Halesite. In addition to native plantings, the property features historically noteworthy and unique varieties of rhododendron and azalea cultivars propagated, planted and preserved by a founding member of the Nathan Hale Garden Club. The property is home to hundreds of wildlife species and birds, including Cooper's Hawks, visiting pairs of Bald Eagles and osprey, Northern long-eared bats and mating pairs of Great Horned Owls. The environmental importance and sensitivity of the property is aptly described in detailed comments (8) excerpted from a June 10, 2021Memorandum prepared by Town of Huntington Senior Environmental Planner, Christian Granelli, following the Division’s review of the Plans submitted for the Vineyard Bay Estates Subdivision Pre-Application.