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The Nature Conservancy and Town of East Hampton Preserve Nine Acres on Accabonac Harbor

Acquisition over 20 Years in the Making, Adds to Ongoing Preservation Efforts

East Hampton, NY — April 7, 2008 — In partnership with the Town of East Hampton, The Nature Conservancy announced today the protection of 9.5 acres on Accabonac Harbor. The site was chosen for protection because of its ecological value, consisting of vital wetlands and wooded uplands, with butterfly weed and slender lady’s tresses, a rare orchid, red cedar, and other native species. 

“Our efforts to preserve this property date to 1981,” said Nancy Kelley, executive director of The Nature Conservancy on Long Island. “Since then, the importance of the land to Accabonac Harbor and the Peconic Estuary has only increased.”

From the early 1980’s until this week, the property belonged to Donald and Birgita Filippelli. On Wednesday, they sold the land to The Nature Conservancy, which had purchased an option from the Filippellis last fall with funds contributed by donors. Then The Nature Conservancy sold half of the property to the Town, which paid $1.6 million from the Community Preservation Fund. The Suffolk County Legislature has approved purchase of the remaining half for $1.6 million. That final part of the transaction is expected to take place shortly.

“The marsh needs to be able to move landward as sea level rises,” explained Kelley. “We understand that requirement now even more than we did in the 80s, and protecting coastal areas against sea level rise has become a more pressing concern throughout the world. Keeping development off of the uplands portion of this property will allow the marsh to move over time and remain healthy.”

The Filippelli acquisition is the second major Accabonac Harbor conservation purchase within a year. Last year, the East Hampton Town and Suffolk County partnered on the purchase of the 8-acre Dodge parcel to the north of Filippelli. Community Preservation funds were used for half of that purchase, which was negotiated by The Nature Conservancy.

“We are extremely pleased that Suffolk County has supported our efforts to preserve these important parcels,” said Scott Wilson, director of land acquisitions for East Hampton Town. “We are continuing to pursue important acquisitions throughout the town.”

The Nature Conservancy and the town have agreed to work together to manage the property as part of the Accabonac Harbor estuary.

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 100,000 acres. Visit us on the web at nature.org/longisland.