The Long Island Conservancy is racing to raise money to buy a 0.64-acre lot in Wainscott that is at present for sale, and its executive director and another conservation professional spoke of the urgency to complete the transaction with members of the Wainscott Citizens Advisory Committee when the committee met via video conference on Feb. 7.
The parcel at 80 Westwood Road, at the northwest corner of the road’s intersection with Two Rod Highway, is one of two purchased by a buyer who intends to build on the adjacent, half-acre lot, said Devon Giordano, the Long Island Conservancy’s executive director.
A wooded lot with a residence that has sat vacant for many years, “it needs a lot of invasive [species] removals and a lot of replanting, and demolition of a dilapidated structure,” Ms. Giordano said. Trees impacted by southern pine beetle infestation would also be removed and the ecosystem restored, and the conservancy would steward the property in perpetuity, she said.
“It’s in the Georgica Pond watershed, which is just so important for our ecosystem and our environment,” Ms. Giordano said. The property’s owner, who was described as a Las Vegas businessman, “is very interested in selling to us,” she said, “however, he wants to sell it for what he paid for it. So the Long Island Conservancy is actively fund-raising to be able to acquire and protect this property as soon as possible.” The owner intends to clear the adjacent property and build a residence on it, she said.
The larger property is listed for sale with an asking price of $2.2 million, but the Long Island Conservancy is seeking to raise an additional $400,000 to $600,000 for demolition of the house “and all the work that needs to be done,” including ongoing stewardship as well as insurance and legal fees, Ms. Giordano said. The owner “very much wants to work with us. However, he wants to sell the property for what it’s worth, and he will take the first offer. So we are in a rush to raise under $3 million to preserve this property.” The property is currently being appraised, she added.
The conservancy is also in discussions with East Hampton Town, Ms. Giordano said. “The request is that they would really partner 50-50,” she said. But “I spoke with my board and the board has voted: Whether the town chooses to help us financially with this or not, we’re in. We believe this property is very important, and we are in and we are committed.”
Members of the citizens committee were invited to make a pledge, “or we can talk offline or have one-on-one conversations,” Ms. Giordano said.
Should the acquisition be completed, the Long Island Conservancy would hold the title, said Marian Lindberg, an attorney and conservation professional who worked with Ms. Giordano when both were at the Nature Conservancy, “but I don’t know whether the town wants to have a share. . . . We’ve even had three-way deals on Long Island, where you’ve got the state, the county, and the town. . . . That’s to be worked out, whether the town is going to have a legal interest or make a contribution. It may even be that the town holds an easement and the conservancy owns the fee title.”
Scott Wilson, the town’s director of land acquisition and management, said in an email that he was not at liberty to share information on “parcels we may or may not be interested in.”
Founded in 2021, the Long Island Conservancy attained 501(c)(3) nonprofit status last year, Ms. Giordano said. “We’re really making a splash on Long Island, all the way from the East River to Montauk, where our mission is to restore the ecosystem of Long Island through native plantings and invasive species removals. We’ve become a land trust, in that regard, that specializes in smaller properties in residential areas that are still part of the migration pathway — pollinator pathways — and are in need of saving, protection, and restoration.”
“We are so grateful for Devon and Marian bringing this project and working on this to protect any parcel in the Georgica Pond watershed,” Kim Quarty, executive director of the Friends of Georgica Pond Foundation, said. “Every little bit matters, and this would be great if we could acquire and protect this as well.”
