The Paumanok Path

The Paumanok Path is the longest hiking trail on Long Island, New York. It is 125 miles long and spans from Rocky Point to Montauk Point. Ken Kindler of Hiking Long Island writes, “you can encounter glacial kettles and erratics, rolling hills with panoramic vistas, parabolic dunes, coastal plain ponds, White Atlantic Cedar swamps, Dwarf Pines, Pitcher Plants, Painted Turtles, fields of Reindeer Lichen, maritime grasslands, Harbor Seals, Harrier Hawks, Olive Hairstreak Butterflies, Cedar Waxwings, and more.  This is an island of great natural diversity and the Paumanok Path visits much of it” (Kindler, 2004). Despite its biodiversity, sections of the trail have not yet been set aside as natural areas. Local hikers are trying to fix that.

Southampton Town has used their Community Preservation Fund to protect 385 acres around the path since 1999. Recently, about one acre was purchased to buffer the trail. Mary Wilson is the manager of the Community Preservation Fund. “’It’s part of a 125-mile effort from Rocky Point to Montauk Point,’ Ms. Wilson said. ‘I believe it goes hand in hand with open space preservation for residents to be able to use the path and enjoy the natural beauty.’”

The trails in Southampton are kept up by the Southampton Trails Preservation Society. They have recently been advocating the protection of more land around the trail. Currently, in order to complete the Paumanok Path, a hiker must walk along roads and through developed areas. The Preservation Society has put forth to officials 10 areas to be protected, but so far, none have been purchased. Susan Colledge is a member of the Southampton Trails Preservation Society. She says, “’When we declare a piece of road as part of a trail, it’s like admitting that this is the only way we can [complete it]. And that could make it look like a lower priority than it should be.’”

To me, this is an example of people who are using their love of outdoor recreation to further preservation of natural areas. If there were no hikers who wanted to complete the Paumanok Path, it is unlikely that anyone would be fighting to conserve the land around it. Recreationists become preservationists. This story shows that in many cases, the people who want to preserve land are the ones who use it most. Land use through outdoor recreation inspires a deep connection to the land and a willingness to defend it.

Link to article: http://www.27east.com/news/article.cfm/East-End/56374/Group-Urges-Southampton-Town-To-Continue-Preserving-Land-For-Paumanok-Path

Source: Kindler, Ken. “The Paumanok Path.” Hiking Long Island. N.p., 2004. Web. 19 Apr. 2014.

Image Source: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-vceQZ8POnzs/T2c_VQj4u7I/AAAAAAAAFo0/kIKMy8VaZV4/s1600/P1170514+coastal+trail.jpg

By Christine Sandbach