Riverhead could acquire large Sound-front 4-H camp property in Baiting Hollow
Riverhead could soon own a large stretch of historic Long Island Sound-front land in Baiting Hollow — and officials have already signaled they want to move quickly to secure a deal.
Town Board is preparing to authorize an appraisal of a roughly 36-acre parcel along Sound Avenue within a 143-acre property that includes the Dorothy P. Flint 4-H Camp. The move would be a key step in a broader preservation effort involving Suffolk County and the Peconic Land Trust to acquire the property, currently owned by Nassau County.
“I think that this is excellent for the Town of Riverhead. Any preservation that we can do, I am fully supportive of,” said Councilwoman Joann Waski during an April 9 work session, as other board members also indicated their support for a resolution at a future meeting. “We are foolish if we do not pay direct attention to this.”
Ms. Waski said she has worked on the effort to acquire the land with former Suffolk County legislator Catherine Stark over the last two years.
Her successor, Suffolk County Legislator Greg Doroski, also urged Riverhead officials to move forward at the April 9 work session.
“I see this as almost a once in a lifetime opportunity for the town of Riverhead to acquire a parcel with access to the beach,” Mr. Doroski. “The ball’s in our court to bring this across the finish line.”
The 143-acre property includes working farmland along Sound Avenue, wooded areas, walking trails and shoreline access, offering significant ecological and open space value, according to the Peconic Land Trust, which is spearheading the acquisition.
No price estimate has been provided for the appraisal or the overall cost of the land deal.
Julie Wesnofske of the Peconic Land Trust said Nassau County gave the organization the “first crack” at developing a plan to purchase the property, with the goal of preserving as much of the land as possible while maintaining the existing camp.
In addition to Suffolk County’s proposed purchase of development rights, Ms. Wesnofske said funding could also come from private fundraising and state programs such as the 2022 Bond Act and the Open Space Conservation Grant Program.
“[Riverhead] would not only be preserving that specific portion of the property, but it would enable us to preserve any of it,” she said. “If we can’t come up with enough money from our public partners and fundraising, we’ll lose this.”
Founded in 1924, Dorothy P. Flint 4-H Camp is the first and oldest 4-H camp in the state. It celebrated its centennial in 2024. It began as a small tent program along Lake Panamoka in Ridge. In 1928, the program expanded and moved to Wildwood State Park in Wading River.
When the Long Island State Park Commission banned organized camps at Wildwood, the committee was in desperate need of a new site for its program. Ms. Flint’s mother, Margaret Powell, purchased the 35-acres on Sound Avenue the camp permanently called home in 1939, and leased the property to Nassau County until the county bought it from her in 1949.
Because the property currently receives a nonprofit tax exemption, officials said the town would not lose significant tax revenue. Councilman Kenneth Rothwell estimated that amount at about $1,500 annually.
Councilman Bob Kern raised the possibility of revenue-generating uses, such as camping, if the town were to acquire the parcel.
“This is a very, extremely valuable piece of land, and I want to make sure that Riverhead can benefit from any moves that we make financially,” Mr. Kern said at the April 9 work session.
Mr. Doroski acknowledged that “stewardship of open space is expensive,” but cautioned that pursuing active uses like a campground could complicate or jeopardize the preservation effort.
“The risk of development of this overall parcel is really paramount to me,” he said. “Even though there is potential tax revenue here, the cost of that development, both in a sensitive Sound-front bluff area, but also in a historic agricultural corridor, really outweighs that.”
