Richard L. Amper, Long Island Pine Barrens Advocate, Dies at 81

Amper died of a heart condition while in hospice. A resident of Ridge, he spent more than four decades working to protect Long Island’s natural landscapes and water resources, with a particular focus on the Pine Barrens.

Born in 1945, Amper began his advocacy in the early 1970s in Lake Panamoka, where he and his wife, Robin Hopkins Amper, opposed a proposed housing development along the lake’s shoreline. The effort was successful, and was the beginning of his advocacy.

In the 1980s, while managing a public relations firm, Amper was approached by environmental advocates concerned about increasing development in the Long Island Pine Barrens. He took up the cause and became a central figure in efforts to preserve the area. His work as an activist contributed to the passage of the Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act in 1993, which protected more than 105,000 acres of pitch pine and oak forests, as well as red maple and Atlantic white cedar wetlands.

As executive director of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society, Amper led initiatives that resulted in the preservation of more than 100,000 acres of land within the Pine Barrens by 2020. His work also extended to protecting groundwater and drinking water resources across Long Island.

In 2012, the Long Island Pine Barrens gave the Long Island Press an award for its environmental coverage, with staff members being given pine saplings to plant.

Amper advocated for policies to address nitrogen pollution and was involved in the creation of the Clean Water Partnership in 2013, an effort aimed at improving water quality by addressing septic systems, wastewater infrastructure and runoff.

In a statement, the Central Pine Barrens Commission said Amper “for decades stood as a fierce advocate for the protection of the Central Pine Barrens” and was “principled but willing to work with others,” adding that “there was never a doubt on where he stood on an application.”

Amper also supported efforts to limit toxic chemicals in children’s products.

He was preceded in death by his wife in 2019. He is survived by his brother, Tom Amper.

A funeral Mass was scheduled for April 1 at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Wading River.

Those wishing to honor his memory are invited to plant a tree in his name.