Protecting Great South Bay starts on land

Robyn Silvestri
Executive Director
Save The Great South Bay

Save The Great South Bay recently joined Bay Shore residents at a Town of Islip public hearing regarding the proposed redevelopment of property at 1265 and 1275 East Third Avenue.

The question before the community is not simply whether this long-neglected property should change, but what future is appropriate for an environmentally sensitive site near Penataquit Creek and its associated wetlands.

Too often, we think about protecting Great South Bay only when we reach the shoreline. But the health of the Bay begins much farther inland. Our creeks, wetlands, groundwater and surrounding natural areas are interconnected parts of the same watershed.

Wetlands are particularly important. They help absorb and filter stormwater, provide wildlife habitat and serve as natural buffers between developed areas and our waterways. Once these natural systems are lost or compromised, they are extraordinarily difficult to replace.

A 2015 Long Island Tidal Wetlands Trends Analysis found that Long Island’s estuaries lost 13.1 percent of their native marsh communities between 1974 and 2005/2008—nearly 3,000 acres, or about 85 acres per year. While that study examined tidal wetlands across Long Island rather than the freshwater wetlands on this particular property, the scale of that loss makes protection of remaining wetlands, buffers, and open spaces increasingly important for wildlife, water quality and the long-term health of our communities.

At the hearing, Seatuck Environmental Association raised another possibility: pursuing acquisition of the property using land-preservation funds. That alternative deserves serious consideration before the town approves a zoning change that would allow greater development density on an environmentally sensitive property.

Preservation may require additional funding, process and cooperation, and it is not yet a guaranteed outcome. But when a viable path toward permanent protection is on the table, it should be fully explored alongside the development application.

Decisions made parcel by parcel ultimately shape the future of our watershed.

Protecting Great South Bay doesn’t begin at the Bay. It begins with the land, wetlands and creeks that sustain it.