The state has purchased a 38-acre parcel in the Central Pine Barrens core preservation area in Manorville.
The state acquired the former Cascone property, located on the north side of the Long Island Expressway east of Wading River Road, for $945,000 from the state’s Environmental Protection Fund, according to a press release issued by State DEC commissioner Basil Seggos.
The site includes a four-acre pond and extensive freshwater wetlands in the watershed of the Peconic River. The property will become part of the DEC’s Otis Pike Preserve and will be managed for its unique habitats and as an outdoor recreational resource for hunting, hiking and nature enjoyment. Since the site is surrounded by the Manorville Prairie County Park, the acquisition creates a contiguous block of public land, enhancing recreational opportunities.
The site is classified as a “bog,” a unique type of wetland identified by its peat layer and specialized vegetation. The pond on the property is a documented breeding area for the state-endangered eastern tiger salamander. In addition, state-threatened and rare plants have been documented, including rose coreopsis, stargrass, narrow-leaved bush clover and trinerved white boneset.
New development within the core preservation area is prohibited in sensitive areas as a means of protecting the quality and safety of Long Island’s sole-source drinking water aquifer, according to the release. Acquisition of vacant land in the core area is a priority for New York State, set forth in Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s 2016 Open Space Conservation Plan.
“It’s critically important that we continue to preserve and protect the environmentally sensitive lands and our aquifer below,” State Sen. Ken LaValle said. “As a friend of Otis Pike, who was a forward thinking environmentalist, I find it fitting that this parcel will be added to the DEC preserve named for him.”
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