Peconic Land Trust purchase of 4-H Camp progressing towards closure

The Peconic Land Trust is moving along with Suffolk County on purchasing development rights on the farmland portion of the 4-H Camp property — which may happen in the first quarter of 2027. 

Peconic Land Trust is currently in contract with Nassau County to purchase the 145-acre Baiting Hollow property, which includes the Dorothy P. Flint 4-H Camp, for $10 million. This contract must close simultaneously with the agreement with Suffolk County for the development rights on a portion of the farmland.

Members of Riverhead Town’s Open Space Committee, representatives of the Peconic Land Trust and former Legislator Catherine Stark met with town officials at a work session on Thursday to provide an update regarding this particular land preservation effort with the county. 

Julie Wesnofske of the Peconic Land Trust told town board members while the target closing date is Dec. 2, the project timeline may shift realistically toward early 2027 — potentially sometime in February — due to legislative calendars and survey requirements.

Officials previously said Suffolk County won’t reveal its price of the acquisition until the final resolution is adopted by the legislature. 

“With Catherine’s help with the county, we’re still aiming for December 2,” Ms. Wesnofske said. 

The 145-acre property includes the 4-H Camp, working farmland along Sound Avenue, wooded areas, walking trails and shoreline access, offering significant ecological and open space value. 

It also contains nearly 100 aging structures comprising a mix of camp cabins, washrooms, meeting centers, dining halls, staff housing, barns and craft barns, which need significant improvements, according to Nassau county documents regarding the proposed sale.

The farmland is being used as a working farm that produces vegetables, flowers, garlic, herbs, apples, honey, and chicken eggs as well as a horse barn, horse shelter, sheds, coops including poultry, sheep, goats and horses.

If the acquisition goes through, Suffolk County preserves 40 acres of farmland that is broken down into two parcels. Riverhead receives the nearly 36 acres of open space, which extends the 15-acres of already preserved Sound Avenue Nature Preserve up to the Long Island Sound. 

That leaves the remaining 69-acre balance with the Peconic Land Trust, which is working with Suffolk County to purchase the development rights off the farmland so the 4-H camp continues its operation. 

The Riverhead Town Board did authorize an appraisal of the roughly 36-acre parcel along Sound Avenue, which came back at a $110,000 value, according to Councilman Bob Kern. This is an estimate, no total or agreed price for the town’s piece has been finalized yet.  

Riverhead’s involvement would be a key step in a broader preservation effort involving Suffolk County and the Peconic Land Trust to acquire the Nassau County-owned property.

Councilman Kenneth Rothwell said there is “full board support” for the preservation effort. He added that when the 145-acre property is eventually subdivided by Peconic Land Trust, there may be varying values depending on where each parcel is and what the non-profit organization decides to keep. 

“There are different values to that and it’s going to be broken up accordingly…I’m not set that it’s a set price, take 10 million dollars and divide it all by acres,” Mr. Rothwell said. “It’s all different about how you divide it up.”

There are at least four out of 40 existing structures on Riverhead’s potential parcel that the councilman said could possibly be used for passive recreation, such as book club meetings, Boy and Girl Scout meetings, 4-H programs or storage for the town’s recreation department. 

The other 75% dilapidated structures would be removed, which could cost the town up to $400,000. 

“We were just sharpening all of our numbers to do the best we can because we want to preserve a lot of land,” Mr. Rothwell said in response to open space committee member concerns about losing the property if Riverhead did not get involved. 

Nancy Gilbert, Peconic Land Trust Board member and member of the town’s Open Space Committee, said if Riverhead acquires the 36-acre piece, it will make the Sound Avenue Nature Preserve more appealing and supported the idea of using the existing buildings for passive programming. 

She stressed it is crucial to save this property from being developed because if that happens, it can not be undone.  

“This is not just about dollars and cents — this is an investment in the community and in the future of the community,” Ms. Gilbert said. “I think we lose sight of that when we because we’re always sharpening our pencils and thinking dollars and cents…so, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to really think about our connection to the land and how we identify as a community.”

Ms. Stark reminded those at the work session that Sound Avenue is designated by Suffolk County and the state as a historic agricultural corridor. Janis Leonte, chair of Riverhead’s Open Space Committee, noted the town piece of the 4-H property received the committee’s “highest rating” for preservation.