LATEST NEWS FROM NHNP

10/23/24: Planning Board Issues Negative SEQRA Declaration; NHNP Refiles Article 78
9/25/24: NHNP Rebuttal Postpones SEQRA Vote
9/24/24: NHNP Fires Back on Latest VBE Document
9/12/24: New VBE Vendor Submits New EEAF Form
8/24/24: NHNP Outlines Flaws in Latest VBE Submission
8/13/24: NHNP Asks State Experts for Help
8/8/24: Developers Issue Expanded EEAF
8/5/24: Another NHNP
Plea for Positive SEQRA Declaration
8/5/24: Unkechaug Chief Warns Board Against Potential Desecration
6/26/24: Town Planning Board Tables Vineyard Bay Estates Resolution...at Developers' Request
5/30/24: Town Reverses Previous Vineyard Bay Estates Resolution
4/15/24: NHNP Brings Fight to New York State Supreme Court

NHNP IN THE PRESS

Times Huntington & Northport 7-18-24: TOH Planning Board revokes approval of Halesite development

Newsday 7-8-24: Board's Retracing Its Steps. Town of Huntington reverses approval of development after lawsuit cites errors.

Northport Observer 6-6-24: Subdivision rescinded after town failed to follow the law

Long Islander 6-6-24: Letter to the Editor from
George C. Pezold

Newsday 4-26-24: To Develop or Not Develop

The Times of Huntington-Northport 3-21-24: Residents plead with Huntington Town Board to take action

News 12 Long Island 3-12-24: Halesite residents say 'no' to subdivision

The Times of Huntington-Northport 3-9-24: Town of Huntington preliminarily approves Vineyard Bay Estates

9/12/24: Developers Issue "Final" Response to NHNP Project Objections

An expanded document from a new vendor to Vineyard Bay Estates developers claiming to answer all process and environmental objections from the surrounding community was delivered to Huntington Town officials.

The document is available here.

8/24/24: NHNP Summarizes VBE Project Flaws; Again Petitions Town for Positive SEQRA Declaration

An evidence-packed document citing ongoing misrepresentations from Vineyard Bay Estates vendors arrived in Town officials’ inboxes on August 24th, once again urging them to issue a positive SEQRA declaration on the land. Nathan Hale Nature Preserve (NHNP) has repeatedly asked outside and objective scientists and archeologists to study the ancient forested Halesite land before its destruction for a proposed subdivision.

The document includes specifics on the New York State documented presence of the endangered Northern Long-Eared Bat within 1/3 mile of the land, as evidenced by the New York State EAF mapper – well within the 3 mile radius mandated by federal and state law as an absolute stop to any land development.

It also addressed the New York State designation of the land for archeological sensitivity, a designation left out of previous developers' vendor EEAF submissions to the Town Planning Board.

The formal letter from NHNP is available here.

8/13/24: NHNP Petitions State Scientists to Mount Independent Archeological Study, Citing Flaws, Omissions and Misstatements in Developers’ EEAF

Nathan Hale Nature Preserve civic association members vehemently objected to claims from Vineyard Bay Estates vendors that they had addressed all archeological and ecological issues associated with the Halesite land slated for a subdivision of eight houses. They petitioned New York State experts to oversee the process of determining the land’s true archeological sensitivity.

The vendor’s EEAF claims that a comprehensive archeological assessment was undertaken on June 23, two days before the author of the document was visibly surprised at the testimony of NHNP members regarding New York State’s designation of the land as archeologically sensitive. However, neighbors who took photos of the young men who climbed over the orange fencing erected by developers, emphatically stated that the “archeologists” observed seemed to be day laborers, and carried no scientific equipment or company identification, leaving without soil samples.

The vendor digitally marked a map of the land as “verifying” 55 test pit locations, claiming these were tested but lacked archeological findings. However, neighbors report the group of men were visible on the land for under an hour, digging indentations less than 8 inches deep – nowhere near the depth required to find, verify or preserve archeological artifacts or funerary remains.

NHNP’s plea additionally pointed out the developer’s vendors bypassed submitting “evidence” to the New York State scientist/archeologist with deep and recent familiarity with archeological artifacts associated with Native Americans in Long Island region.

The complete letter from NHNP outlining all objections is available here.