With Their Help, A Greenbelt Runs Through It
When Dai Dayton and Sandra Ferguson sit down to lunch, they talk not in years but in decades.
Nearly two decades ago, the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt began with a simple knock on the door.
Then as now, Ms. Dayton was a committed conservationist, busy gathering signatures along the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike to prevent Vineyard Field behind what is now the South Fork Natural History Museum, and the nearby woods from becoming a 70-acre luxury condominium development and nine-hole golf course.
When Ms. Ferguson answered her front door, she recognized a familiar face. Ms. Dayton had graduated from East Hampton High School with Ms. Ferguson’s stepson. Both women had since moved to the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike and now lived within half a mile of each other.
For decades, the Town of Southampton had eyed the low-lying, flood-prone Long Pond Greenbelt for preservation. Ms. Dayton convinced Ms. Ferguson that it was an opportune time to act, and they quickly worked in tandem to circulate petitions and galvanize public support.
The Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt, which now includes 325 members, oversees 1,100 acres between Sag Harbor and Sagaponack — 800 acres of which are preserved by either the Nature Conservancy, Southampton Town, or Suffolk County. With fluid boundaries, its founders are hopeful that more parcels will continue to be preserved, thereby expanding the Long Pond Greenbelt’s footprint and ecological impact.
“Dai is a bit of a dynamo. She has a real drive for preservation and I have to say, I responded to that,” said Ms. Ferguson, over a recent lunch of homemade whole-wheat pizza and a mixed green salad with balsamic vinaigrette. Since January, both women have assiduously followed a diet sponsored by the Wellness Foundation in East Hampton. It forbids dairy, meat, and oil.
“It’s the first time I’ve done it,” said Ms. Ferguson, adding that it helped stop her sugar cravings. Her backyard has a pathway that leads directly into the 41-acre Vineyard Field.
“Because I don’t stick to it, it’s my third time,” added Ms. Dayton, whose property overlooks Black Pond, one of the Long Pond Greenbelt’s 13 coastal plain ponds.
“The initial purchase was quite fast,” said Ms. Dayton.
“It was inspiring and seemed like a big, early victory,” added Ms. Ferguson. The two, who alternate serving as president and vice president, often finish each other’s sentences.
Very quickly, their volunteer roles shifted to one of preservation and stewardship — overseeing an expanse of coastal plain ponds, freshwater swamps, wetlands, and woodlands that stretches from Ligonee Creek in Sag Harbor to Sagg Pond in Sagaponack.
“And we’re not finished,” said Ms. Dayton, who remains hopeful that several parcels will be added to the current acquisition list, helping connect more plant and animal life. She estimates that she spends nearly 20 hours each week devoted to some aspect of the Long Pond Greenbelt, with Ms. Ferguson, now retired, logging another dozen hours. Otherwise, Ms. Dayton keeps busy as an estate manager. Jean, her daughter, serves as the nonprofit’s secretary and Jackson, her son, guides hikes. A lifelong horseback rider, Ms. Dayton is also one of the founders of the Southampton Trails Preservation Society.
Last month, the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt wrote a letter to the Village of Sag Harbor asking that a property owned by Barry and Carol Magdioff, which is now before the planning board for subdivision, be added to the list of properties to be preserved by Southampton Town’s community preservation fund.
“The Magdioff property, three-quarters of which is wooded,” wrote Ms. Dayton, “bridges two established park areas at the gateway to Sag Harbor: Mashashimuet Park and the Nancy Boyd Willey Park. The parcel also shares a border with the main entrance trail to the Long Pond Greenbelt.”
Last week, the Sag Harbor Village Board voted to send Southampton Town the letter requesting that the property be added to the community preservation fund list. “It’s a slow but steady process,” said Ms. Dayton, who remains optimistic. “It only works if you have a willing seller.”
About a decade ago, the organization applied for a grasslands restoration grant for Vineyard Field, to help restore native plant life and remove thorny autumn olives that had since taken up residence, killing off native plant life. Now, the field has come back to life, with wildflowers, milkweed, goldenrod, bluebirds, hawks, and purple marlins calling it home. At Monday night’s meeting, the nine-person greenbelt board voted to bring six goats from Goodale Farms in Riverhead to the property. They will spend the summer munching on invasive plant species. Several quail releases are also planned.
Next month, the Friends of the Long Pond Greenbelt will honor the late Richard Hendrickson — who recorded twice-daily weather conditions from his Bridgehampton farm for over 80 years — by installing an automatic weather station at the Long Pond Greenbelt Nature Center.
Larry and Julie Penny, two early supporters and members of the organization, recently made a donation in Mr. Hendrickson’s memory, which will provide a 24-hour feed of local data. According to Tim Morrin, who heads the National Weather Service’s Cooperative Observer Program in Upton, the East End of Long Island is a data-scarce region, and the new weather station will perform a valuable service.
And later today, the organization will unveil its first Story Walk — a one-mile family-oriented hike that starts near the bleachers at Mashashimuet Park. Laminated pages from “Box Turtle at Long Pond” will be mounted on various posts throughout the one-mile circuit, encouraging young hikers to read as they walk the path. The organization plans to swap out stories seasonally.
No matter the weather, Ms. Dayton and Ms. Ferguson can be found leading hikes every weekend, with full-moon hikes offered each month.
Despite continuous outreach, both founders are baffled when newcomers are still unaware of the Long Pond Greenbelt’s existence. “It’s very surprising when you lead a hike and people say they never knew this was here,” said Ms. Dayton. “We’re trying to get the word out. The more people who enjoy it, the more it will be protected and expanded.”