Peconic Land Trust Preserves Manorville Open Space

The nonprofit Peconic Land Trust purchased a 15.7-acre piece of open space in Manorville’s Long Island Pine Barrens Region that will be preserved to help protect the public drinking water supply.

The trust purchased the woodlands on the south side of South Street in the Pine Barrens Compatible Growth Area from the Presbytery of Long Island. The $423,750 deal was funded by the New York State Water Quality Improvement Project grant funding in partnership with the Town of Brookhaven.

“Preserving the property will simultaneously help maintain the rural character of Manorville hamlet, protect the area’s scenic quality, preserve significant wildlife habitat and safeguard the critical drinking water aquifers beneath the site,” said Brookhaven Town Supervisor Ed Romaine.

The Pine Barrens have been preserved for decades to ensure that aquifers from which Long Island draws its public drinking water are not polluted by overdevelopment. The land will also be used for recreation including hiking and birdwatching, with potential improvements limited to a foot trail, placement of trail markers, and a trailhead kiosk, according to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC).

The acquisition under the Regional Aquifer Protection Land Acquisition Program follows similar purchases of the Cornfield Preserve in Ridge in 2019, River Preserve in Manorville in 2019 and Moriches Preserve in 2021.