Public wants better trails, new features at Aquebogue birders’ paradise
Nature lovers pitched ideas for the future of Broad Cove Preserve, a hidden gem in Aquebogue recently added to the state’s Birding Trail.
About a dozen people attended a Peconic Land Trust open house at Riverhead Free Library on Oct. 7 to discuss future programming and features for the 100-acre former duck farm. The Trust is developing the property for public access and nature-based recreation and will incorporate community suggestions into a management plan.
Ideas included connecting trails, interactive learning opportunities, habitat improvements and demonstrations of conservation practices residents can use at home.
“Through these outreach initiatives, we hope to add to the management plans additional ways to deepen and enrich the public’s access and enjoyment of the Broad Cove Preserve,” said Jessie McSwane, the Trust’s director of stewardship.
Peconic Land Trust purchased the property on Flanders Bay for $11.5 million in December 2021, preserving it as open space. It includes 25 acres of tidal wetlands and 8,000 feet of shoreline along Terry Creek and Broad Cove. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation acquired an easement on the property at the end of 2025, according to the Trust.
“The acquisition was especially meaningful because the Broad Cove property had been a high-priority site for preservation for decades,” said John Turner, a prominent Long Island naturalist who helped lead the purchase with the Trust. “Opening it up for public access is great, and Long Islanders can now enjoy a spectacular waterfront property.”
Since the purchasing the land, the Trust has removed invasive species, installed railings with accessibility features and added a parking area.
Broad Cove joined the New York State Birding Trail in May. Visitors can spot bluebirds, ospreys, great horned owls, bald eagles and hummingbirds there, as The Riverhead News-Review previously reported.
“Through a grant from the Peconic Estuary Partnership, we have brought on a community facilitator who has been reaching out to community groups as well as organizing last Wednesday’s open forum at Riverhead Library,” said Yvette Salsedo, vice president of the Peconic Land Trust.
A recreational day at the preserve is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to noon.
