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Home My WebLink AboutMK-78HISTORIC AND NATURAL DISTRICTS INVENTORY FORM DIVISION FOR HISTORIC PRESERVATION NEW YORK STATE PARKS AND RECREATION ALBANY, NEW YORK 1518) 474-0479 FOR OFFICE USE ONLY UNIQUE SITE NO. QUAD. SERIES NEG. NO._ YOUR NAME:Town of $outhold/SPLIA DATE:Sept. 24, 1985 YOUR ADDRESS: Town Hall, Main Road TELEPHONE: 516/765-1892 $outhold, l..I., N.Y. 1197± ORGANIZATION(if any): Southold Town Commnnity Dev. Of£ice 1. NAME OF DISTRICT: 2. COUNTY: Suffolk Husin_~ Pond Preserve TOWN/CITY: Southold VILLAGE: Laurel - Mattituck 3. DESCRIPTION: Husing Pond Preserve~ consists of 21 acres including a freshwater pon Has three diverse communities including of freshwater lake, wetland and a woodland. A trail system traverses the area. A osprey platfor is set directly in the pond. Site attracts many species of birds, small mammals, fish/insects and amphibians. 4. SIGNIFICANCE: Originally the Corchaug Indians camped nearby to hunt and fish. Duri the Colonial period the creek was dammed creating a freshwater pond n known as Husing Pond. At one time the pond was used for fishing and get ice. ~he preserve~ was aquired by The Nature Conservancy in thre parcels; two gifts from Martha Husing $n. 1972 and 1976, and the third by purchase from katherine Tuthill. 5. M)2: NYS DOT Mattituck Quad HP-2 k % 6. SOURCES: Interview ~ Miss Martha Husing 7. THREATS TO AREA: L BY ZONING [] BY ROADS [] BY DEVELOPERS [] BY DETERIORATION [] OTHER ADDITIONAL COMMENTS: 8. LOCAL ATTITUDES TOWARD THE AREA: This pond~as given to the Nature who still resides nearby Conservancy by Miss Martha Husing 9. 'PHOTOS: LLH 1/18 Fa¢ing.North/Eas Form prepared by Linda L. Harvey, Research Assistant HUSING POND PRESERVE Mattltuck ' ' Suffotk County 21 Acres Including ~Freshweter Pond Of Interest This preserve is characterized by its diverse communities which consist of a freshwater take, a wetland, and a woodland. A trail system traverses the upland woods to the east, through the wetlands to the north of the pond with a few spurs -' ' to the Rend itself. As a visitor approaches the pond ~~~~ from the northwest corner of tho preserve, he or she will encounter an oak/hickory woodedge, a red -" maple swamp, and a stand of phragmites. Continu- ing around the pond the visitor will encounter cat- Because of the variety of habitats, numerous · species of birds may be found in the preserve. Most notable are ospreys. A platform was set up in the pond and ospreys have nested there in recent ,*~l=~u.~.o~,. years. The freshwater pond attracts great blue herons, green herons, black-crowned night herons and a good variety of ducks. Typical woodland birds may be seen in the drier parts of the preserv6. Small mammals such as red foxes, squirrels, raccoons, and cottontail rabbits have been observed. Small fish, insects and amphibians are to be found in the pond and marsh areas. History Originally, the Corchaug Indians camped nearby to hunt and fish. However, at that time there was no pond, but a creek with its headwaters in nearby Laurel Lake. In colonial' times the creek was dammed creating a freshwater pond now known as Husing Pond. At one time the pond was used for fishing and to obtain ice. The preserve was acquired by The Nature Conservancy in three parcels; two gifts from Martha Husing in 1972 and 1976, and the third by purchase from Katherine Tuthill. Admleelon to I~reeerve Like other preserves, this area is open to individuals and groups who obtain prior permission from the conservancy and who abide by th~ conservancy's .policies on preserve use. Directions Take the Long Island Expressway to Exit 73, and follow County Road (Route 58) east. In approximately four miles, Route 58 merges with Route 25. Follow Route 25 east to Bay Avenue in Mattituck. turn right on Say Avenue and continue south to Great Peconic Bay Blvd. Turn right and proceed west. The preserve is on the right hand side of the street op- posite the Mattituck Yacht Club and Town beach. To the right of the entrance is a new large, wood shingled house. Husing Pond Preserve /V/ Scale 0 300 Legend ~Cattails ~ Red Maple swami) ~ Oak/HiCkory woods ~ Phragmites communis ~ Pitch Pine community ~ Elevation in feet (approx) FEET How to Move an Osprey's Nest [3 THERE'S 4 LITTLE LEAGUE FIELD just down the road from our town beach. It's a fine ball field, built for night games, with powerful lamp clusters mounted atop tall poles commanding a view of the diamond, the adjacent bay, and the nearby pond. A year ago last March a brace of ospreys, those magnificent fish hawks, decided they'd found their dream building lot -- and constructed their massive nest right on top of the third- base lamps. The local members of the Nature Con- servancy saw nothing but trouble in the offing. Just about the time we'd bo dust- ing off our air conditioners, those high- wattage lamps would start broiling the nest each time a night game was played. Clearly relocation was imperative -- b_e ~ r_ e_.t_h e~_e gg~_h at ched. Would mom and pop stay with the nest if it was moved from the lamp pole? There was only one way to find out. A wooden ~hipping pallet was spiked. to the top ora utility pole on the road be- -r tween the ball park and the pond across the way. Serving only as a brace for nearby poles, the utility pole didn't carry electrical wires, so it posed no obvious threat to the birds' well-being. While the parents-to-be were fishing on the bay, members of the Conser- vancy, with the loan o£ a cherry picker, transferred the nest to the pallet. The ospreys seemed to take their forced house-moving in stride, merely fussing with a few misplaced twigs that might have obscured their view of home plate. All went well as spring grew into sum- mer. The blessed event took place with- out incident, and mom and pop fished nearly constantly to sate their fledglings' voracious appetites. But then it was time to make plans to provide a more secure sanctuary for the birds for the next year. The pond wore 10 inches of ice in early March of last year, but the second Satur- day dawned with a breath of spring. At eight o'clock Jim Murray. a lighting company foreman, and fetIow lineman The female osprey, in a rare appearance, looks out from the secure nest on Husin,~; Pond in Mattituck, New York, oft' Long Jack Tandy were at the pond with a pole and end disc from a broken wire reel which had been donated by their employer. George Husing (whose Aunt Martha had donated the pond and sur- ~ro6ndi~--land t~o the ~ature Conser2- vancy in~lg?~-hain-sawed a poin[ on- the ce-d~r sh~while Barry Benjamin and Paul Stoutenburgh chopped a hole through the ice near the middle of the pond. The disc was attached to the blunt end of the pole to serve as a nesting plat- form. It was then daubed with a green- tinted preservative and some dead branches were nailed to the platform to form an anchorage for the nest. Ropes were secured to the pole on each side, anchored by two-man teams. The rest of the crew heaved the pole upward until it was finally possible to pull it upright with the ropes. An underwater pump was used to wash the pond's bottom from beneath the pole until finally the point was buried 1 1 feet beneath the pond's surface. The platform was 18 feet above the ice, pro- viding an isolated sanctuary for the returning ospreys. Next the town highway department came with a cherry picker to remove last year's nest and pallet from the utility pole, to prevent the birds_ from resuming housekeeping at the old stand. Jim called on April 3. "They're back," he announced with relief and obvious satisfaction. "You can bet they're scout- ing the area right now. A little longer and they should start nesting. Then we'll know." Where do you suppose the ospreys decided to build? Right on top of that third-base lamp pole! The battle of per- suasion lasted a week. Three times a lighting company truck tore down the embryonic nest, and three times the ospreys started anew. Then finally they saw the merits of that choice property standing in the pond and built a beautiful nest. Mom is sitting on the nest now, vir- tually indiscernible to the inattentive eye. The eggs should hatch about the first of June, and soon after the proud parents can begin teaching the fledglings about flying -- and fly balls. · · The SAFE :Two-Way PET DOOR Much $1fer than aAy tooted. He cannot be FlexPorf Why be a doorman for your pet? Flexport ends scratched'doors and whining Xeeps out flies. wind. rain. Gives you and pet c0mDlete freedom Soft plastic triangles close pently and hpntly. Easily ~nstalled. Send, for free folder. Or phone f- 603-448-2990 Turen, Inc., Dept. 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