New Here in my Nest StoryWalk^® Trail to be Launched at Sag Harbor's Mashashimuet Park

Saturday, August 16th

10:00 a.m.

Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt is excited to announce the inaugural walk and book signing by local author, E. Smyth, for FLPG’s StoryWalk^® trail at Mashashimuet Park, Main Street, Sag Harbor, on Saturday, August 16, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Here in My Nest follows Box Turtle at Long Pond, The Wild Adventures of Scurry the Squirrel, and A Seed is Sleepy as the fourth in FLPG’s StoryWalk^® trail series. The trail and story start at the grandstand at Mashashimuet Park and will be celebrated with an inaugural walk and book signing on Saturday, August 16, at 10:00 a.m. 

StoryWalk® is an innovative approach to encouraging people of all ages to get out and walk while enjoying wonderful children’s books. The StoryWalk® Project was created by Anne Ferguson of Montpelier, Vermont, and developed in collaboration with the Kellogg-Hubbard Library.

The Here in my Nest StoryWalk® is made possible by a grant from Sag Harbor Partnership.

For more information or to RSVP contact: info@longpondgreenbelt.org or Day Dayton at 631-599-2391

Three Cheers for the Long Pond Greenbelt's 50th Anniversary

Yes, it’s been fifty years in the making. The first ever land purchase targeted for the preservation of the Long Pond Greenbelt, called at the time the Sag Harbor-Bridgehampton Greenbelt, occurred in July of 1975 when Suffolk County moved to purchase 26 acres of waterfront property on Poxabogue Pond. The county was spurred to take action as the result of an intense two-year campaign by local environmental groups and concerned citizens who opposed the creation of a residential development on such environmentally sensitive land. That purchase became Poxabogue Park and kickstarted the remarkable string of preservation acquisitions spanning the next four decades, particularly in the 1980s and 1990s.

The steadfast dedication over the years of Suffolk County, Southampton Town, and The Nature Conservancy has resulted in the magnificent Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Preserve of today, with its over 800 acres of protected upland surrounding approximately a further 300 acres of ponds and wetlands, including thirteen rare coastal plain ponds, stretching from Sag Harbor to Sagg Pond in Sagaponack. Over the years Southampton Town has become the larger conservation partner, preserving close to fifty percent of the Greenbelt’s safeguarded acres with The Nature Conservancy and Suffolk County sharing the balance of preserved properties.

Our hats are off to the early conservationists who fought so hard for the purchase of Poxabogue Park in 1975 and to the town, county and The Nature Conservancy as well for their critical role in the creation of the Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Preserve.

Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt

Sundays At Two Program

Bats on the Beach

Delaney Costante

Sunday, September 21, 2:00 p.m.

Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center

1061 Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Tpk.

Understanding the distribution and habitat use of bats is important to their conservation. While many people know about bats in the woods, relatively few realize that there are bats in coastal ecosystems as well! Delaney Constante uses passive acoustic monitoring to better understand where bats are spending their time. In this talk, you'll learn about our local bat species, why they're so important to their ecosystems, and that you just might find them at the beach!

Delaney Costante is a PhD student using acoustics to figure out where animals are spending their time. She is currently using passive acoustics to determine if bats use Long Island barrier island habitat for foraging, as well as active acoustics paired with net samples to assess the vertical distribution of small animals in the Southern California Bight. When not doing science, she enjoys playing guitar, spending time in nature, and talking to people about her research!

Sundays at Two events are free and open to the public.

Only One More Sundays at Two Program Remaining:

• October 19th: Aiyana Smith of Blossom Sustainable Development and Shinnecock Indian Nation

Photos from Sundays at Two Events

Sundays at Two with Jill Dodds

Thank you to biologist Jill Dodds for speaking to us about her process for photographing moths and sharing with us some of her beautiful images. We've marked our calendars for the next National Moth Week in July 2026. www.nationalmothweek.org.

Sundays at Two with Tony Valederrama

Thank you to artist Tonito (Tony) Valderrama for conducting a very special pinch pot workshop and educating us on how art can connect us to nature and vice versa. https://www.linkedin.com/in/tonito-valderrama-274a9a7