Officials lobby to name Pine Barrens preserve for Amper, protect remaining acres

A newly proposed Pine Barrens preserve could soon bear the name of the man who spent decades fighting to protect it — as Brookhaven officials push Albany to help secure hundreds of remaining acres.

Following the death of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society’s longtime executive director, Richard “Dick” Amper, Brookhaven Town Supervisor Dan Panico wrote a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul seeking a state partnership to preserve the remainder of roughly 800 acres of wooded land between Moriches-Middle Island Road and the Long Island Expressway, known as the “Pine Ridge Preserve.” 

Mr. Amper, who died at 81 on March 23, is recognized as the driving force behind the preservation of over 100,000 acres of land on the East End. He shepherded a landmark 1989 lawsuit that halted planned development in the Pine Barrens and ultimately led to the Long Island Pine Barrens Protection Act of 1993.

Two days after his death, Mr. Panico suggested naming the property after Mr. Amper, calling it a fitting tribute to his decades-long environmental advocacy.

“Naming this preserve in his honor would recognize his enduring legacy and commitment to environmental conservation,” Mr. Panico wrote to the governor on March 25.

Brookhaven has already made headway. The town acquired 152 wooded acres in Manorville in 2023 — part of the larger Rose Breslin properties, a roughly 700-acre stretch between Brookhaven Airport and the Long Island Expressway. The land is among 15 major parcels identified by the Long Island Pine Barrens Society on its “Best of the Rest” list — about 3,800 acres environmentalists have long targeted for permanent preservation.

Officials are also weighing a smaller adjacent acquisition that would bring the total preserved area to about 175 acres. The remaining roughly 548 acres are still unprotected.

The Rose Breslin properties are considered especially valuable for both habitat and water supply. The land supports species such as turkeys, foxes and deer, along with native plants like dogbane, a key pollinator species. Portions of the site burned in a wildfire several years ago, spurring the regrowth of fire-adapted vegetation typical of Pine Barrens ecosystems.

The property also plays a significant role in groundwater recharge. Mr. Panico said about 365 million gallons of water filter into the aquifer there each year — enough to meet the daily needs of roughly 8,300 residents.

Because the land is included in the New York State Open Space Conservation Plan, it is eligible for state acquisition funding, said John Turner, co-founder of the Long Island Pine Barrens Society.

Mr. Turner told the Riverhead News-Review on Wednesday he planned to join Mr. Panico on a call with representatives of the governor’s office to discuss the proposal in greater detail.

“Given [Dick’s] remarkable commitment to trying to preserve the Pine Barrens and generally the environment on Long Island, it would be really fitting to dedicate this property, or some other property in the Pine Barrens, in his memory,” Mr. Turner said. “The property’s got significant wildlife value, it’s got significant hydrological value, it’s got significant potential outdoor recreational value — that’s why the society captured it as one of the Best of the Rest.”

Mr. Turner also suggested the Shoreham Forest property as another fitting place for the tribute, as Mr. Amper lived close by at Lake Panamoka. The executive director also worked with former assemblyman Steven Englebright to include the Shoreham parcel within the Central Pine Barrens Core Preservation Area.

That property consists of nearly 850 acres of forests and tidal marshland and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation is currently in active negotiations to preserve it, he said.

There has also been talk of renaming Brookhaven State Park after Mr. Amper and his late wife, Robin Hopkins Amper.

“They really were a dynamic duo — Robin was the quiet, thoughtful one that would just kind of pull emotion out of an issue and just really talk about it logically, and Dick was kind of the firebrand,” the L.I. Pine Barrens Society co-founder said. “I think this is a thought that’s kind of gathering momentum, but it hasn’t crystallized yet, about dedicating some property in the Pine Barrens in his honor.”