Stillwell Activists to the TOB: Draw Line in Sand

By Guy Jacob, Conservation Co-Chair, SSAS

Advocates discussed Stillwell’s precarious future with Assemblyman Steve Stern (10th NYS Assembly District) on November 25th.  The 10th AD fully encompasses Stillwell Woods Preserve, and the NYS Assembly has a great stake in protecting this ecological gem.  Nassau County cannot complete its transfer of the preserve to the Town of Oyster Bay (TOB) without enacting NYS legislation to alienate parkland.

Representatives from Cedar Swamp Historical Society, South Shore Audubon Society (SSAS), and the Sierra Club, along with AD 10 constituents thanked the Assemblyman for communicating with TOB Supervisor Joseph Saladino this past summer about the critical importance of completing a comprehensive survey of the property prior to any consideration of parkland alienation.  Stern was instrumental in moving the TOB to finally begin the survey that Saladino promised would be completed during our meeting with him on July 15th.

TOB staffer, Kevin DeLury, stated in an email to us on November 19th,  “According to the Town's Engineering Department, all the survey field work at Stillwell has been completed.  The surveyor is currently coordinating the field work measurements with existing property documents to define the boundaries of the property.  We're hopeful to have a completed survey by the middle of December.”  We raised concerns with the TOB and the Assemblyman because we have not seen any survey markings along the current  border between the athletic fields and the forest.  There should be physical markings if the surveyor has indeed delineated this border.

On July 21st, we received an email from TOB Special Counsel, Thomas M Sabellico stating, “At our meeting last week, the very first statement made by the Town’s representatives was that after consultation with the Town Attorney, the Town was proceeding to have the property surveyed, with a view toward obtaining a complete, detailed Survey that will provide a definitive line between areas of the property (active vs. passive [preserve]), and detailing all features which exist on the property.” 

This delineation is foundational to habitat protection, and we must be assured that the appropriate markings have been taken to define this border.  We are confident that Assemblyman Stern is dedicated to protecting the preserve’s future.  We urge him to hold the TOB accountable for Counsel Sabellico’s statement and never consider alienation of parkland legislation without first drawing a literal line in the sand between the sports fields and wildlife habitat.