Northwest Alliance

Last updated

Northwest Alliance
Region served
East Hampton (town), New York

The Northwest Alliance is a New York state based organization of citizens formed in the early 1980s whose goal was to gain protection of two unoccupied parcels of East Hampton, Long Island, comprising The Grace Estate, [1] Barcelona Neck, Northwest Creek, Little Northwest Creek and Northwest Harbor. [2]

Contents

History

The early activists group, Cathy and Tom Lester, [3] Stuart Vorpahl, [4] Arnold Leo, [5] Helena Curtis [6] and other concerned south fork residents pushed for the town to acquire both land parcels. [7] This acquisition gained protection of the Sag Harbor side of Northwest Creek and the body of the southeastern shore of Northwest Harbor to Little Northwest Creek.[ citation needed ] They picked up the reins left by Nancy Boyd Willey (1902-1998), [8] whose Old Sagg-Harbour Committee [9] and the Sag Harbor Conservation and Planning Alliance (CAPA) saved Little Northwest Creek and wetlands from developers in 1974, and preserved Barcelona Neck. [10] [11] [12] [13]

The Paumanok Path winds through the Northwest harbor, where a 'Ghost town' and pastures were once part of East Hamptons early history prior to the advent of Sag Harbor's deeper port. [14]

In 1993 a brown tide [15] remnant affected Northwest harbor causing a gradual deterioration of the water quality and a die-off of shellfish and waterlife in Northwest creek. [16] The marine nursery of wide eelgrass beds that protected the overall Creek vitality was in decline. [17] [18] Hoping that dredging the outlet to the harbor would improve water quality, the newly formed Northwest Creek Task Force pressed for dredging to expand the tidal flush from the Creek. Dredging was begun in 1995 and repeated roughly every three years since then. [19]

In 2003, the group, renamed the Northwest Alliance, expanded its protective role over the Northwest area by attending meetings of the Community Preservation Fund Committee [20] and the Harbor Management Committee of the East Hampton Trustees. [21] They also teamed up with Suffolk Country Vector Control Citizens Action Committee [22] and also the East Hampton Citizens Action Committee [23] in becoming a vocal proponent of the environmental policy discussions being held over wetlands, land use and water protection issues. [24]

Programs

Town committee

In 2007, The Northwest Alliance formed the Northwest Comprehensive Coordinating Committee (NCCC) to unite all the government departments and interested private organizations whose purview was the Northwest Creek area. Due to overlapping jurisdictions covering the Northwest harbor area, there was difficulty getting the town to authorize dredging for environmental reasons, while dredging for navigation was being done by the county. The water quality had continued to decline and the NCCC set guidelines for going forward.

Alliance

The Alliance developed policy recommendations for state initiatives, including scientific study of the problems, the continued public acquisition of unoccupied parcels in wetlands, protection of aquifers and other sensitive watershed areas. They also developed a habitat restoration plan for Phragmite abatement, also hydrologically effective dredging and eel grass planting. [25] A growing concern by 2009 was the proliferation of helicopters to the east end. [26]

The Alliance commenced to work in close partnership with New York state, Suffolk county, and East Hampton town government and other private environmental organizations to cleanup and protect the Northwest Creek and surrounding ecosystem to the benefit of the community. [27]

Environmental Policy Questionnaire

In September 2013, the NCCC posed three questions to candidates for East Hampton Town Board and Supervisor. The concerns were water quality, the Northwest creek sandbar and noise pollution caused by the approaches to the East Hampton airport. [28]

Honors

On December 2, 2005, the East Hampton town board adopted Resolution 1524, renaming the Soak Hides Dreen [29] as the Cathy Lester Nature Preserve, honoring the environmental activism of the former town Supervisor. [30]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suffolk County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Suffolk County is the easternmost county in the U.S. state of New York. It comprises the eastern two-thirds of Long Island, bordered to its west by Nassau County, to its east by Gardiners Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, to its north by Long Island Sound, and to its south by Great South Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Northwest Harbor, New York</span> Census-designated place in New York, United States

Northwest Harbor is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of East Hampton, Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 3,317 at the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sag Harbor, New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Sag Harbor is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States, in the towns of Southampton and East Hampton on eastern Long Island. The village developed as a working port on Gardiner's Bay. The population was 2,772 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Long Island Sound</span> Tidal estuary on the U.S. East Coast

Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches 110 mi (180 km) from the East River in New York City, along the North Shore of Long Island, to Block Island Sound. A mix of freshwater from tributaries, and saltwater from the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island Sound is 21 mi (34 km) at its widest point and varies in depth from 65 to 230 feet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton, New York</span> Town in New York, United States

Southampton, officially the Town of Southampton, is a town in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, partly on the South Fork of Long Island. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 69,036. Southampton is included in the stretch of shoreline prominently known as The Hamptons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">East Hampton (town), New York</span> Town in New York, United States

The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York. At the time of the 2020 United States census, it had a total population of 28,385.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peconic County, New York</span> Hypothetical new county on Long Island, New York

Peconic County is a proposed new county on Long Island in the U.S. state of New York that would secede the five easternmost towns of Suffolk County: East Hampton, Riverhead, Shelter Island, Southampton and Southold, plus the Shinnecock Indian Reservation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Fork (Long Island)</span>

The South Fork of Suffolk County, New York is a peninsula in the southeastern section of the county on the South Shore of Long Island. The South Fork includes most of the Hamptons. The shorter, more northerly peninsula is known as the North Fork.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sag Harbor State Golf Course</span>

The Sag Harbor State Golf Course is 48.8-acre (197,000 m2), 9-hole golf facility is located in the middle of a 341-acre (1.38 km2) parcel known as the Barcelona Neck Natural Resources Management Area. The golf course is entirely located in the town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paumanok Path</span>

The Paumanok Path is a 125-mile (201 km) hiking trail in New York on Long Island that goes from Rocky Point to Montauk Point State Park. It travels through four towns in Suffolk County: Brookhaven, Riverhead, Southampton and East Hampton. It is marked by white trail blazes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York's 1st congressional district</span> U.S. House district for New York

New York's 1st congressional district is a congressional district for the United States House of Representatives in eastern Long Island. It includes the eastern two-thirds of Suffolk County, including the northern portion of Brookhaven, as well as the entirety of the towns of Huntington, Smithtown, Riverhead, Southold, Southampton, East Hampton, and Shelter Island. The district encompasses extremely wealthy enclaves such as the Hamptons, middle class suburban towns such as Selden, Centereach and Lake Grove, working-class towns such as Riverhead and rural farming communities such as Mattituck and Jamesport on the North Fork. The district currently is represented by Republican Nick LaLota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">New York State Route 114</span> State highway in Suffolk County, New York, US

New York State Route 114 (NY 114) is a state highway, including two ferry crossings, on the far eastern sections of Long Island in New York in the United States. It serves as a connector between the two "forks" of Long Island, crossing Shelter Island in the process. This is the only connection between the North and South forks east of Riverhead. NY 114 is the easternmost signed north–south state route in all of New York. Additionally, the route is the last in a series of sequential state routes on Long Island. The series begins with NY 101 in western Nassau County and progresses eastward to NY 114.

Amsterdam Beach State Park is a 199-acre (0.81 km2) undeveloped state park on the Atlantic Ocean in the Town of East Hampton just east of Montauk, New York. The land is also known as the Amsterdam Beach Preserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Thiele</span> American politician

Frederick W. Thiele Jr. is an American politician who serves in the New York State Assembly from the 1st district since 2013 and the 2nd district from 1992 to 2012, as a member of multiple political parties. Thiele was originally elected as a member of the Republican Party, but switched to the Independence Party of New York in 2009. He joined the Democratic Party after the Independence Party lost its ballot position.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elkhorn Slough</span> Body of water in Monterey County, California

Elkhorn Slough is a 7-mile-long (11 km) tidal slough and estuary on Monterey Bay in Monterey County, California. It is California's second largest estuary and the United States' first estuarine sanctuary. The community of Moss Landing and the Moss Landing Power Plant are located at the mouth of the slough on the bay.

Eighteen Mile Creek, or Eighteenmile Creek, is a tributary of Lake Ontario located entirely in Niagara County, New York in the United States. The name of "Eighteen Mile" Creek refers not to the length of the creek, but to its distance from the Niagara River to the west.

The Water Resources Development Act of 1992, Pub. L. 102–580, was enacted by Congress of the United States on October 31, 1992. Most of the provisions of WRDA 1992 are administered by the United States Army Corps of Engineers.

Poggatacut also known as Youghco or Poggatticut, was sachem of the Manhasset Indian people of Shelter Island, New York and elder brother to Montaukett Sachem Wyandanch. Sachem Poggatacut and his wife Aswaw granted possession to Lion Gardiner for Gardiners Island in 1639. It was conveyed when they deeded Manchonat, an Island between the north and south fork in exchange for goods and alliance. By 1644 he had united the Corchaug, Shinnecock, Manhassets and Montaukett before retreating as Grand Sachem to his redoubt on Shelter Island, relinquishing control over the tribes to his younger brother, sachem Wyandanch. As “Sachem of Paumanacke", as Long Island was called, he was empowered to make treaties for the Montauketts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Beach Subdivisions Historic District</span> Historic district in New York, United States

Sag Harbor Hills, Azurest, and Ninevah Beach Subdivisions Historic District (SANS) is an African American beachfront community in Sag Harbor, New York. Founded following World War II, the SANS community served primarily as a summer retreat for middle-class African American families during the post-WWII and Jim Crow era. African American families were not allowed at beachfront resorts, pools or beaches, and SANS began as a place of refuge from racial strife. The historic district is bordered by Hempstead Street, Richards Drive, Hampton Street, Lincoln Street, Harding Terrace, Terry Drive and the eastern end of Haven's Beach in Sag Harbor. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 10, 2019.

Nancy (Boyd) Willey 1902–1998, was an American environmentalist and historic preservationist from Sag Harbor, New York. She was the founding president and historian for the Old Sagg-Harbour Committee.

References

  1. "Grace Estate". The Nature Conservancy.
  2. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 9 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. "Recalling the Striped Bass War, 20 Years On | The East Hampton Star". www.easthamptonstar.com. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  4. "Stuart Vorpahl dies; Amagansett man fought for fishermen's rights". Newsday.
  5. "Town ousts longtime fisheries consultant". 19 February 2011.
  6. "Helena Curtis, 81, wrote 'elegant' science textbooks | amNewYork". March 2005.
  7. Klebnikov, Peter (10 July 1983). "Upzoning Gains in East Hampton". The New York Times.
  8. "Biography".
  9. "Historic Custom House Given to Sag Harbor Group". The New York Times. 8 September 1955.
  10. "Town Furious at New York's Settlement with Developer". The New York Times. 25 October 1992.
  11. Clavin, Thomas (13 April 1986). "The Battle for Barcelona Neck". The New York Times.
  12. "Women of Sag Harbor - Sag Harbor Partnership". www.sagharborpartnership.org. Archived from the original on 30 June 2017.
  13. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 January 2021. Retrieved 10 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  14. "Ghost Town Hike (Self-Guided)". East Hampton Trails Preservation Society.
  15. "What's Really Feeding Long Island's Destructive Brown Tides?". 15 February 2019.
  16. Klebnikov, Peter (16 October 1983). "Debate Rages on Land Paln in East End". The New York Times.
  17. "The Importance of Eelgrass | NOAA Fisheries". 21 April 2022.
  18. "PRAIRIES OF THE SEA". smithsonianmag.com.
  19. "Algae known as 'brown tide' creating a nuisance on Long Island". 5 July 2016.
  20. "Community Preservation Fund | Southampton, NY - Official Website".
  21. "Harbor Management Committee – East Hampton Trustees". Archived from the original on 31 October 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  22. "Suffolk County Mosquito Control Plan".
  23. "E. Hampton/Sag Harbor Citizens Advisory Committee | East Hampton Town, NY".
  24. "East Hampton Environmental Coalition". 31 October 2017.
  25. "Dredging" (PDF). FAO. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  26. "Northwest Comprehensive Coordinating Committee Letter to James Brundage – East Hampton Helicopter Noise".
  27. "Appendix C" (PDF). ny.gov. Retrieved 16 July 2023.
  28. "Questionnaire". www.northwestallianceny.org.
  29. "LI Trail News at LIRunning.com: Hike 10: Route 114 to Soak Hides Dreen, East Hampton". LI Trail News at LIRunning.com. 18 June 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2023.
  30. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 25 October 2020. Retrieved 22 December 2020.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)