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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMarratooka Lake Preserve Adopted 1997 � R MARRATOOKA LAKE PR SE,RR E MANAGEMENT PLAN r ADOPTED 0CTOBER 2 1997 S O THOLD TOWNS B 0 RD � G JUDITH T.TERRY y1 Town Hall, 53095 Main Road TOWN CLERK CC13 2 P.O. Box 1179 v' Southold,New York 11971 REGISTRAR OF VITAL STATISTICS Fax (516) 765-1823 MARRIAGE OFFICER O RECORDS MANAGEMENT OFFICER �l �a Telephone(516) 765-1800 FREEDOM OF INFORMATION OFFICER OFFICE OF THE TOWN CLERK TOWN OF SOUTHOLD THIS IS TO CERTIFY THAT THE FOLLOWING RESOLUTION WAS ADOPTED BY THE SOUTHOLD TOWN BOARD AT A REGULAR MEETING HELD ON OCTOBER 28, 1997: RESOLVED that the Town Board of the Town of Southold hereby authorizes and directs Supervisor Jean W. Cochran to execute the Management Plan for the Marratooka Lake Preserve, as prepared by The Nature Conservancy., Long Island Chapter, for the 11-acre Preserve which has been conveyed to the Town of Southold subject to the express condition that it shall forever be held as a nature preserve for scientific, educational, ecological, and aesthetic purposes; said plan all in accordance with the approval of the Town Attorney. Judith T. Ter ry Southold Town Clerk October 29, 1997 V Management Plan for the Marratooka Lake Preserve Jean Cochran, Supervisor Town of Southold 53095 Town Hall P.O. Box 1179 Southold, New York 11971 INTRODUCTION The Marratooka Lake Preserve, Mattituck, New York , was donated to the Town of Southold in 1997 by The Nature Conservancy, Long Island Chapter, located at 250 Lawrence Hill Road, Cold Spring Harbor, New York 11724. The approximately 11-acre Preserve was originally donated to The Nature Conservancy in 1973 by Mr. & Mrs. Willard J. Heggen. The Preserve was conveyed to the Town of Southold subject to the express condition that it shall forever be held as a nature preserve for scientific, educational, ecological, and aesthetic purposes. DESCRIPTION The Marratooka Lake Preserve consists of 10.7 acres on the north shore of Marratooka Lake. Approximately 8 acres, or 80% of the Preserve, is successional shrubland. Most of this area is former pasture, hayfield, and cropland. Approximately 2 acres, or 20% of the Preserve, consists of freshwater wetland and black cherry, black locust, and Norway maple woodland and hedgerows. The pond shore is rich in aquatic plants, wildflowers, and ferns such as pickerelweed, swamp loosestrife, jewelweed, iris, marsh St. John's-wort, and marsh and royal ferns. Further back from the water, red maples shade the shoreline and its rich shrub zone of highbush blueberry, sweet pepperbush, and white swamp azalea. The shore contains significant amounts of phragmites, an invasive non-native species. The Preserve has approximately 790' of frontage on Marratooka Lake. The lake is a "kettle hole" pond, originally formed by a leftover large chunk of ice from the Pleistocene glaciers. The lake is fed by groundwater and runoff from the uplands of the surrounding area. t More than 190 species of plants, 86 species of birds, 8 species of reptiles and amphibians, and 12 mammals have been observed at the Preserve. The Preserve contains no foot trails or parking for visitors. CULTURAL HISTORY The area around Marratooka Lake was first inhabited by the Corchaug Indians. This tribe, one of the thirteen tribes on Long Island that made up the Alogonquin family of the great Delaware Indian Band, is believed to have settled in the area in about 5,000 B.C.. In the 1600's, the Corchaugs sold the area designated as Mattituck to the New Haven Colony in Connecticut. The Colony later sold the land to the people of Southold. For a number of years, the land was held in common. It was eventually divided and sold to the inhabitants. One of these early landowners was William Purrier. His land contained Mattituck Lake, now known as Marratooka Lake. When William died, the property was passed to his grandson, Thomas Reeves. In the 1800's, the land and lake were acquired by Joseph Parker Wickham, a New York City merchant. The land passed into the hands of Joseph's son, Charles, who established a farm. Charles named the lake "Marratooka" meaning "place where the deer come to drink." Charles' farm became well known for its butter and ice. In the early 1900's, the area of the Marratooka Lake Preserve was sold to Preston Ruland. Preston lived there for twenty-six years.. In 1947, the property was sold to Willard J. and Loma E. Heggen. The Heggens donated the property to The Nature Conservancy in 1973 so that it would be maintained as a nature preserve in perpetuity. MANAGEMENT GOALS In keeping with the conveyance language of the deed, the Town will maintain the property as a nature preserve for scientific, educational, ecological, and aesthetic purposes. The long-term management goals are as follows: 1. Maintain the Preserve in its natural state, except for such foot trails and property maintenance activities as may be appropriate without impairing the Preserve's natural character. 2 i 2. Provide opportunities for the public to enjoy passive recreation such as walking, photography, bird watching, and the quiet contemplation of nature, being careful to prevent degradation of natural communities and wetland areas, including the shoreline. 3. Restore and maintain the former agricultural fields (now shrublands) as meadows for native wildflowers, grasses, birds, butterflies, and other native plants and animals (if the Town determines such restoration and/or maintenance to be feasible). 4. Strive to work cooperatively with the Mattituck School District and the Mattituck Park District to protect, manage, and use the three adjoining properties. Determine the feasibility of restoring the former scenic views of the lake on the School and/or Park District property. 5. Protect the shoreline and water quality of Marratooka Lake. MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES In order to achieve the above management goals, the Town, at its discretion, may implement some or all of the following management strategies: 1. Determine the feasibility of restoring the former agricultural fields currently in shrubland to meadows with mowing and brush cutting. Maintain the meadows with periodic mowing every 1 - 3 years. Mow after November 1 to allow the development of late-blooming wildflowers, grasses, and butterflies. 2. Develop and maintain a public foot-trail system to provide.opportunities for passive recreation such as walking, bird watching, and educational activities. Give special attention to: 1) preventing degradation of wetlands, including the shoreline; 2) minimizing human disturbance of native plants and animals; 3) controlling unauthorized uses such as mountain bikes, horses, off-road vehicles, and dumping; 4) controlling erosion; and 5) minimizing disturbance to neighbors. 3. Use the AMC Field Guide to Trail Building and Maintenance, by Robert D. Proudman and Reuben Rajala (Boston, MA, Appalachian Mountain Club, 1981) as a guide for trail maintenance. 4. Meet with the Mattituck School District and Mattituck Park District to discuss the access, use, and maintenance of the three adjoining properties. Seek to develop and implement a memorandum of understanding (M.O.U.) or cooperative management agreement for the three properties. 3 ,f. 5. Determine the feasibility of developing and implementing a plan to control phragmites in an ecologically-sensitive manner. Obtain required wetlands permits from the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. 6. Discuss with the Mattituck School District and the Mattituck Park District the restoration of the former scenic views of the lake from the Main Road to the west of the Preserve on Park and/or School District property. 7. Erect and maintain a sign in a prominent location stating "This area was protected with the assistance of The Nature Conservancy." CONCLUSION If carefully protected and maintained, the Marratooka Lake Preserve has the potential to provide a high-quality scientific, educational, ecological, and aesthetic resource for the citizens of the Town of Southold. THE TOWN OF SOUTHOLD W CtCA11/13/97 Signatur Date Jean W. Cochran Print name Supervisor, Southold Town Title 4 Marratooka Lake Preserve Sunset Lon° 11 2.00 ft. Rcu1 .... . .. • .• . .. .. . Irl NSty°°I } • ' • • ' • ` • • • ` • •• • • • `•• 'I I I 1 Moan 444f4�4 II � .` .., ,,.'" `�.�`..,;:mac ��..�•-•::':+.` Q PRIVATE ix X 30 ��'`ham.. .:.'''ry.;•�:;1.�:.�•i>'^.°...`' �: c,•' .: =�::^n`-A�.-. ,�:: MARRATOOKA LAKE SCALE' LEGEND: 0 ISO OPEN FIELD TIMOTHY I I FEET (APPROX.) El RED MAPLE LOW DECIDUOUS GROWTH (MIXED) } MIXED CONIFERS %�i''• PICK ERE LWEED/LOOSESTRIFE ELEVATION IN FEET (APPROX) 1982 , MARRATOOKA LAKE PRESERVE Suffolk County ..11 Acres Of Interest An outstanding 11-acre parcel of land, i Marratooka is'one of the'few undisturbed ket- tlehole areas on Long Island. It borders on Mar- 'ratooka Lake of 22 acres.A great variety of vegeta- tion is found here because of the differing habitats i -- _ of the Sanctuary.The shores of.the Lake are rich in —_.aquatic plants such as pickereiweed,water milfoil, and swamp loosestrife.The two major fields on the eastern portion of the Sanctuary are mowed and _ -— consist mainly of timothy grass. The woodlands -vary from black cherries and black locusts sur- rounding the Lake, to Norway maples and black locusts surrounding the.open fields. The Lake attracts osprey, heron, and a variety of ducks. Small mammals, 'such as op- j posums, masked shrews, eastern cottontails,white-footed mice, red foxes and gray squir- rels may be found, as well as a variety of amphibians and reptiles. History The preserve was donated to'The' Nature Conservancy in 1972 by,Mr. & Mrs. I Willard J. Heggen. The area was originally inhabited by the Corchaug Indians. The word, "Marratooka"is Indian for"where the deer come to drink".After sale by the Indians the land was held in common for a number.of years. Later the area was subdivided and sold to private interests..lt was then used to pasture farm animals and, later, for potatoes, sweet. corn and alfalfa. Admission to Preserve Like other preserves, this area is open,to individuals and groups who obtain prior permission from-the Conservancy and who abide by the Conservancy's policies on preserve use. Directions .Take the Long Island.Expressway to the end (Ex.It 73)and then"follow.County; Road 58 east. In approximately 4 miles;Route 58_merges with Route 25. Follow Rou#e 25: , . . . east to Mattituck.Approximately one-half mile pasf:Mattit' kis Mattituok High School on the north side of the road.*The preserve is Just past the high school on the south side of the ,; ' road.Just before reaching Sunset Lane there is a dirt road leading to the south.'Turn Into this road and park along the'edge of,the field- , ri}+ L vt - V 4D O tir•: r r� ;tiu ?.4 Ki - -s:'r"�,,:..a<.a xa'p=z-}.r ' '.�t:.;"-�->'d:r, -.�.�-- -.=<r:.-..'�A. ;-.�'`_-�'°,�}.•�,'„c,�alr,,v _ 3-;,t.. ..'sc' _ .,:i" � '�., "F'4 %;% :a,. -':n; �:s:..,,'-`'-`r.' ,r 'i,. .r r.4:4_a ,5a..7.r;o.-�s'-"«-s '�,«:z f;•: '�tv.,:.t _ _ �Y - •<�v,;;5>: r��,�r�.-.�-:- *:.:'�;'t�:is,^�^�,'�� �.;<-'� .�. �,'rh '�a�,"t��`-'�.'}''� '';`. �',. "`;a u- �-` Y:."c�> `x: '-.;t`,;. ��'y:pa.c�� r;��� �.t'-Px-,,',.cy,.' N`f;�?'i=� �a' ;�i:�t"l ��`.;, ,t1: x'Yea � �r.•_J 9� .k�,' .:4< :,;�,.nf,:. ..•: a ':�•, 4yk4 ,.�-i,'.x'_,�K '..:.{.-; ';1- . x ✓f."•,.r •�.,5',.. 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District UARRArooKA 2 A(0 77 ac 0 Mattituck Park.- 2 2.1-111 YD J< W 'A District 0- H1r WN ac SOUT.C-0 SO 21 Z3 %,0 0 A Town of Southold 9 ac 0 N, d 10,0E SPACE) 13 Ild 20 NEWS 1.0. 14.T .10 xs 0", N. rS.1 FOR I RCE1. FOR PARCEL 10. ,1 REEL IS. SEE SEC..;O. r R PARECL NO W Cc CC - ME ISCE SSC C. SEE SEC NO 127-03-001.4 -C,-. SEC 10 23.0--OCI z raK[L NO ..TC. ­C _COZ SEE SC..w 122SEE St.C K. :4. A 11 3.7 I,% C2.5AIII ...... C­ Ey." COUNTY OF SUFFOLK S ou T H�LL_Q Legend %fCTIC"NOw To-0` U THOLD• 1x1Real Properfy.Tax ServiceAgency LI cou�ly Co.— wren w. 1000 15 tti�*A­ ,L.L.N"Y' IS • J�C­,OISTRICTRO. 1000 PROPERTY MA Sample Statement Regarding Minimal Deed Restrictions "This conveyance is made subject to the express condition and limitation that the premises conveyed shall forever be held as a nature preserve for scientific, educational, and aesthetic purposes, and shall be kept entirely in its natural state, excepting only such fences, foot trails, improvements, and property maintenance activities as may be appropriate to effectuate the foregoing purpose without impairing the essential natural character of the premises. Should the premises cease to be used solely as provided herein, then the estate hereby granted to the Grantee shall cease to exist and shall revert to and vest in The Nature Conservancy, 1815 North Lynn Street, Arlington, VA 22209. Said reversion shall not be automatic, but in the nature of a right of entry for condition broken or executory interest, which right, if exercised by The Nature Conservancy upon violation of the above conditions, is exercised by mailing a notice of violation by certified mail to the Grantee. Said notice shall describe the breach and shall declare that the power of termination will be exercised if the breach is not corrected within a period of ninety days. A copy of the notice shall simultaneously be recorded on the appropriate land records. The Nature Conservancy shall have the right to enforce this restriction by an action in law or in equity before a court of competent jurisdiction. As part of the consideration for this Deed, and by acceptance thereof, the Grantee agrees to erect and maintain a permanent plaque or other appropriate record at a prominent location on the within described premises bearing the following statement: `This area was acquired with the assistance of The Nature Conservancy."' TASTEWARD\BJ\DEEDRES 1.DOC