New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) recently announced the permanent protection of more than 43 acres of globally rare pine barrens owned by the Sisters of St. Joseph in Brentwood, in the town of Islip on Long Island.
DEC acquired a conservation easement from the Sisters and will jointly manage the property with them for groundwater and habitat protection and public access to open space in an area historically under-served by parkland.
The newly protected land is located on the Sisters’ more than 200-acre Motherhouse campus in Suffolk County, NY, designated as an environmental justice area.
The property contains species typical of a pine barrens ecosystem including a pine-oak-heath forest, scrub-oak, and blueberry understory, and an herbaceous layer of ferns, sedge, and wintergreen, all in well-drained sandy soils of glacial outwash plains and moraines.
This forest type is rare, and even more so given its location in an urban environment as defined by the New York Natural Heritage Foundation.
The protected property is expected to have a designated parking area for visitors to enjoy an existing network of marked foot trails for walking, hiking, birdwatching, nature study, and quiet enjoyment.
The Sisters’ practice strong environmental stewardship with a “commitment to protect valuable natural areas with a vision toward a healthy and sustainable natural environment that supports the viability of our community and neighbors.”
Elsewhere on the 200+acre campus the Sisters previously sold 26-acre agricultural easements to Suffolk County.
Their farming initiatives have increased access to and consumption of healthy, organic, and locally grown produce in Brentwood, an Environmental Justice Area, and surrounding communities. Sisters have also installed a solar array and on-site wastewater treatment facilities including a constructed wetland.
More information about Sisters of St. Joseph is available on their website.
Read more about Long Island pine barrens.
Photo: DEC, the Sisters of St. Joseph, local environmental groups, and elected officials gathered to mark the protection of the 43-acre pine barrens woodland (provided by DEC).
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