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Long Island’s Last Stand 2007 Status Report Released

Environmentalists Celebrate County and Town Conservation Successes and Call on New York State to Increase Support

East Hampton, NY — March 10, 2008 — Representatives of Long Island’s Last Stand, a Nature-Conservancy led coalition of Long Island’s environmental organizations, businesses, civic organizations and community leaders today released their 2007 Status Report (.pdf, 825kB).

The report notes that more than $2.8 billion have been secured for Island-wide conservation needs.  Thanks to Long Island voters, three significant local conservation initiatives worth a total of $634 million were approved in 2007.  State, county and town governments protected about 2,277 acres of open space and farmland during 2007 with previously available funds.

The report also notes that, though New York State has historically contributed greatly to land protection needs on Long Island, 2007 state efforts to partner with county and town government have fallen far short, reaching only 142 acres. The organizations called upon the state to increase its investment and protect 500 acres a year to meet the goals of Long Island’s Last Stand. To help meet Long Island’s conservation needs, they urged an increase of New York’s Environmental Protection Fund to $275 million and an increase of state appropriations for land acquisition through the Environmental Protection Fund to $100 million annually beginning in the next fiscal year.

“In two short years, we’ve already put our firm mark on Long Island’s future,” said Nancy N. Kelley, executive director of The Nature Conservancy on Long Island.  “With more than 4,200 acres of land protected in that time, Long Island’s Last Stand is well on its way to bettering the life of all Long Islanders.”

“Nassau County and the Town of Oyster Bay have been energized by the challenge of Long Island’s Last Stand”, said Lisa Ott, executive director of the North Shore Land Alliance. “In two years, we’ve gone from zero to 60 in the land protection world and have made gratifying progress in saving the best of what remains in our corner of Long Island.”

“Saving the best of what remains in Nassau County is critically important to residents in western Long Island,” said Tom Suozzi, Nassau County executive. “We are proud to play a role in the collective commitment to preserving local quality of life.”

“Before Long Island’s Last Stand, Suffolk County invested hundreds of millions of dollars to protect the best of what remains here. We support the critical goals of Long Island’s last Stand and we are proud of our contribution to Long Island land protection during 2007 – the largest of any government entity working here,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy. “Despite our banner year in 2007, we cannot do the whole job of protecting the best of what remains by ourselves. I call upon my colleagues in state government to re-energize New York’s land protection program on Long Island. Let’s return to the levels of state commitment last seen in the 1990s – when more than 500 acres a year were protected.”

Representatives of The Nature Conservancy and the North Shore Land Alliance also honored the contributions of counties and towns in meeting Long Island’s Last Stand goals during 2007.  In recognition of each county’s efforts to save critical wildlife habitat, open space and farmland, Suffolk County Executive Steve Levy and Nassau County Executive Tom Suozzi were awarded photo plaques by the organizations.  A plaque was also given to Supervisor Venditto of the town of Oyster Bay in recognition of his effort to protect open space and farmland across Long Island.

Long Island’s Last Stand is a 10-year action plan to save Long Island’s most significant remaining open spaces and farmland and to restore and protect our harbors, bays, and public parkland. Long Island’s Last Stand is supported by a coalition of concerned citizens, farmers, business leaders and conservation groups who are taking a stand to protect remaining natural areas and to restore Long Island’s lands, waters and way of life.

The Nature Conservancy is a leading conservation organization working around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. To date, the Conservancy and its more than one million members have been responsible for the protection of more than 15 million acres in the United States and have helped preserve more than 102 million acres in Latin America, the Caribbean, Asia and the Pacific. On Long Island, The Nature Conservancy has helped to preserve more than 150,000 acres.  Visit us on the web at nature.org/longisland.