Long Island Central Pine Barrens
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| Long Island Central Pine Barrens | |
|---|---|
| IUCN Category V (Protected Landscape/Seascape) | |
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| Location | New York, USA |
| Nearest city | Manorville |
| Coordinates | |
| Area | 100,000 acres (405 km²) |
| Established | 1993 |
| Governing body | New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Nature Conservancy |
The Long Island Central Pine Barrens (also known as the Long Island Pine Barrens) a large area of publicly protected pine barrens in Suffolk County, New York on Long Island, covering more than 100,000 acres (405 km²)).
The Barrens operates in a similar manner as Adirondack Park with public lands managed by a mix of federal, state, county and local pulbic land managers intermixed with private inholdings.
It is Long Island's largest natural area and its last remaining wilderness. The region contains a remnant of a forest thought to have once covered a quarter million acres (1,000 km²) on Long Island.
The Central Pine Barrens overlays and recharges a portion of a federally designated sole source aquifer for Long Island's drinking water (all of Long Island's drinking water comes from ground water (wells)) -- none of the island's water comes from reservoirs. Almost all of the Peconic River and Carmans River (two of Long Island's four biggest rivers) as well as much of their watersheds are in the Barrens.
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[edit] History
The pine barrens region had remain largely undeveloped until the 1970s when a proposal was made to create the area a Free trade zone to spur development.
In the 1970s the State of New York began acquiring large parcels to create a Greenbelt. The federal government at Brookhaven National Laboratory transferred 2,300 acres (9 km²) in 1971 and RCA transferred 7,200 acres (29 km²) around Rocky Point, New York in 1978 (for a cost of $1).
In 1984 the Pine Barrens Review Commission was created to review development in the region. In 1986 the Suffolk County Open Space Program financed by a 0.25% sales tax was to result in 28 new Suffolk County Parks in the region totalling 4,600 acres (19 km²)[1]
Despite the efforts development pressure continued and in 1989 the Long Island Pine Barrens Society filed a multibillion dollar suit against Suffolk County, and the towns of Brookhaven, Riverhead and Southampton.[2]
The Society eventually lost its suit in the New York's highest court --the New York Court of Appeals -- after winning in earlier courts.
In 1993 the New York State Legislature approved the Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act to protect the region.
The Central Pine Barrens Joint Planning & Policy Commission to oversee the plan including:
- A core 53,000 acres (214 km²) area where no development is permitted at all. The area was expanded to 55,000 acres (223 km²) in 1998 with the addition of Wertheim National Wildlife Refuge. 75 percent of the land in the core area is to be acquired. A provision of the law allows private ownership in the core area provided there is a transfer of development rights arrangement where the owner can build elsewhere by transferring ownership of the Core lands to a government entity.
- A Compatible Growth Area of 47,000 acres (190 km²) acre Compatible Growth Area where limited, environmentally compatible development is allowed.
The initial towns were Brookhaven (town), New York, Riverhead (town), New York, Southampton (town), New York. In 1998 East Hampton (town), New York set aside a small portion of land for the Barrens and it was expanded to 1,000 acres in 2007[3]
[edit] Sunrise Fire of 1995
In late August-early September 1995, a series of major brush fires swept through the pine barrens region. The first major fire incident occurred in Rocky Point, but was extinguished within days of its outbreak. A larger, more catastrophic fire erupted in the Westhampton area just shortly after the Rocky Point blaze was brought to an end. The fire, aided by high winds and dry conditions, quickly spread, threatening area homes and businesses. The fire was nicknamed the "Sunrise Wildfire," as it engulfed both sides of Sunrise Highway, the major highway connecting the Hamptons region with the rest of Long Island. The fires closed down the highway and stopped railroad service, effectively cutting the Hamptons off from the rest of the island for days as firefighters from all over Long Island and the FDNY worked around the clock to battle the blaze.
By early September, the Sunrise Wildfire was extinguished, but the results of that fire, in addition to the Rocky Point fire, were disastrous: approximately 7,000 acres (28 km²) had burned, numerous homes and small businesses suffered damage, and 400 people were forced to evacuate their homes. The fire, which erupted during the peak Hamptons tourist season, resulted in a considerable economic blow for the region. However, the human toll was very light, a few firefighters suffered injuries, but nobody was killed in the event.
As of 2007, the region has all but recovered from the damage it sustained, although some vegetation still bears the scars of the fire.
[edit] Sister parks
- The Central Pine Barrens Commission and the Migliarino-San Rossore-Massaciuccoli (MSRM) Regional Park in Tuscany, Italy are "twin parks" under a New York State program which supports such programs with the goal of sharing knowledge and experience between the citizens of both regions. It is also home to many endangered animals.[citation needed]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- New York State's Central Pine Barrens
- Scientific Research and the Pine Barrens
- The Long Island Pine Barrens Society
- The Wildfire Preparedness Project of theNational Fire Plan
- U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service-- Significant Habitats and Habitat Ccomplexes of the New York Bight Watershed
[edit] Additional reading
- Exploring the Other Island: A Seasonal Guide to Nature on Long Island by John Turner
- Fish-Shape Paumanok: Nature and Man on Long Island by Robert Cushman Murphy
- Sunrise Fire, a Quality Parks production
