Most of my reporting on the recent history of land preservation on the East End of Long Island has dealt with the South Fork, or “The Hamptons.” But on the other side of Peconic Bay, similar if somewhat later stories could be told. This item from Patch spotlights one man’s efforts in New Suffolk that began in 1982, when just as on the waterfront to the south, condominium and commercial development loomed. Although the North Fork today is experiencing a crush of popularity and glamorous winery investment that disturbs some locals, its hamlets could never have sustained their mostly bucolic character without activists such as Joe McKay. Except for the town of Riverhead, which has plunged ahead with buildout of its western corridor, most localities on both forks of the East End have grown protective of their past–under constant pressure from green lobbies, if not their own citizenry.
North Fork Waterfront Preservation ‘Pioneer’ Feted | North Fork, NY Patch
Tim W. Ferguson 