Environmental advocate Bill Toedter is named ‘citizen of the year’ by newly established North Fork civic group

North Fork Environmental Council president Bill Toedter was honored last night as “citizen of the year” by the Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association.

It was the first annual award presented by the civic group, which was founded this year to provide a voice for the communities in the westernmost hamlets of Southold Town.

Toedter, who is moving to Sedona, Arizona, was feted during often-emotional ceremonies at the Mattituck home of civic president Mary Eisenstein and her husband Mel Morris, where invited guests gathered at a dinner in Toedter’s honor.

Southold Supervisor Scott Russell, Southold planner Mark Terry, Group for the East End president Bob DeLuca, aide to Legislator Al Krupski Gwynn Schroder (who also worked for the NFEC for nine years in the past), and former Riverhead councilwoman Barbara Blass were among those who spoke about Toedter’s dedication to his community and its environment.

“Those epic battles that come up from time to time are important to fight but they’re not what win the war,” Russell said. “It’s the steady consistent and persistent pressure along the way — pressure on people like me, pressure on other town boards — that matter,” he said.

“Supervisors, town boards and elected officials come and go, but the people who stay, people like you, are the people who make the difference,” Russell told Toedter before presenting him with a proclamation on behalf of the town.

DeLuca told the group he once heard this saying about the formula for success of a nonprofit organization is this: “Do as much as you can, as long as you can, in the place where you are, with whatever you have.” He said Toedter’s “agility and persistence” epitomized this formula for success with the NFEC, working toward achieving the organization’s goals without any paid staff and at the same time promoting other organizations and connecting other organizations in the region to one another.

“That’s God’s work,” DeLuca said.

Schroeder, speaking on behalf of County Legislator Al Krupski, who she said had a prior commitment in Albany last night, thanked Toedter for his work as co-chairperson of the North Fork Preserve advisory committee.

Speaking on a personal note, Schroeder, a former NFEC staff member, grew tearful.

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen to NFEC when you go,” Schroeder said, “but thank you. You did a great job and you’re loss is going to be felt.”

Southold planner Mark Terry, of Baiting Hollow, a recipient of the NFEC’s Paul Stoutenburgh environmental award, thanked Toedter for “keeping me on my toes and making me better at what I do…Your work will live on, embedded in decisions and in the landscape for generations.”

Terry, who is also an artist, presented Toedter with a gift of one of his paintings.

Blass also grew emotional as she spoke to Toedter about his legacy.

“Bill, your passion your personal commitment, your productivity and perseverance show in everything that you do, you do it 110 percent, including your friendship which I will miss,” Blass told him. “We shared a lot of environmental struggles and issued behind the scenes and you had my back a lot more than I had yours. You have undoubtedly left the North Fork and everything you’ve touched better – the North Fork has benefitted from your presence here and we will miss you.”

Toedter, who grew up on the North Fork, has served on the board of the NFEC for six years and has been a volunteer with the organization for 15.

He plans to spend the next year finishing two books he’s writing. One is a novel based on his experience as a caretaker at a Southampton estate. The other is a memoir about life lessons growing up in a small town.

When the board of the Mattituck-Laurel Civic Association decided this fall to present a “citizen of the year” award, its members immediately and unanimously decided Toedter should be the first recipient of that award, Eisenstein told Toedter.

“When I first met you, when I was running for office, the thing I saw first was your kindness and generosity,” Eisenstein said. “That is everyone sees first about you. Second is this incredible intelligence and wealth of knowlege and your generosity in sharing that with people. As a human being, you walk your talk,” she said.

“You are an incredible example of what it means to be a leader of an organization. One of the things that we hope as a civic association is that we will be able to lead with the soundness, with the integrity, and with the generosity that you have led the North fork Environmental Council,” Eisenstein said.

Toedter also grew emotional as people spoke about him and during his own comments accepting the award.

“Thank you, everybody. I’m speechless,” he said.

“I’ve been very fortunate in my life,” Toedter said. “One of those pieces of good fortune was growing up living up out here. It gave me my passion for marine biology and my appreciation for growing up in a smaller, slower-paced world
and the chance its given me to meet people like you, too, has been very special,” he said.

“We all want to feel that we make a difference,” Toedter said.

“What a contribution to our community he has made,” Eisenstein said last night at the conclusion of the presentation.

Correction: In a previous version of this article, Barbara Blass was incorrectly identified as a former member of the NFEC board.