NY State Department of Environmental Conservation

Assemblyman Fred Thiele hailed the appellate court decision as “a home run for home rule.” Where the town code prohibits mining, "DEC cannot process the application, let alone issue the permit,” he said.

Riverhead Town has signed on to an amicus brief in an appeal being defended by Southampton Town in a sand-mining case that could have implications for towns across the region.

Applications are now being accepted for federal CARES Act funding to assist New York's marine fishing industry following extensive economic losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.

State DEC forest rangers, staff and volunteers have conducted three prescribed burns on 137 acres in the Otis Pike Preserve in Calverton.

Riverhead Town must have additional maps prepared for the DEC before the state agency will agree to review the town's application. The new maps must provide detailed information about sensitive environmental areas on the 2,324 acres being subdivided to complete a $40 million sale.

The town's $40 million deal with Calverton Aviation and Technology requires the town to file a final subdivision map by mid-May. But the town needs approval from the DEC — and so far, it's not forthcoming.

Environmental regulators continue to investigate the MTBE contamination of drinking water wells in the Manorville pine barrens. They have not yet determined the source or extent of the contamination.