Ninety miles east of New York City, where the north & south forks of Long Island separate, is a body of water. Actually,three bodies of water; Gardiners Bay, Little Peconic and the Great Peconic Bay. Nestled in the crook of the forks is Shelter Island. It’s accessible by either train or bus from New York City and has ferry connections at either the north fork, from the town of Greenport or from the south fork, from the town of North Haven. The ferries take less than ten minutes to cross and run frequently.
It has a summer population that swells to over 8000 people and in the winter is around 2500. Of the 27 sq miles of island, one third of it is occupied by the nature conservancy area of the Mashomak Preserve. Given the small amount of real estate that’s left, imagine how the island swells in the summer to accommodate 8000 people. Needless to say it’s crowded. Space is at such a premium that when selling a property, rather than listing the land in acres, it’s listed by square footage. Most houses sit on a postage stamp piece of property. People that summer there either own their homes, or rent them seasonally for exorbitant rates. Consider the great fortune of a person who lives on Manhattan most of the time and has inherited a cottage on Shelter Island. The dream of every urban dweller is a house in the country! For those “less fortunate” reservations can be made for one of the top New York hotels. If traveling between the months of May and September, be certain to make reservations well in advance because space is limited.
During the off season from October to March, its possible to visit the Mashomak Preserve. The preserve was acquired because of the ecological significance. Most important was to stop the development of the island and to protect the population and breeding of ospreys. This is a beautiful, peaceful & fully alive sanctuary – it’s no museum. The woods, fields, coastline, salt marshes and tidal creeks make it the perfect wildlife habitat.
The smell of fresh salty air permeates the forest. The visual contrasts are amazing, one minute you’re looking at the bay from the vantage point of a deep forest. Then, just a short walk away on a sandy trail the woods open up to a swaying meadow. Beyond the meadow is another forest. It’s quiet except for the sound of birds and other little critters. And all of this is less than a mile from the crowded villages of the island. You can walk for hours and not see another person.
The preserve is manned by volunteers and there’s a small donation for the privilege of walking through this eden. There are a few rules to follow. Only hiking allowed, stay on the trails, no collecting, no pets, and if you carry it in, carry it out. And check yourself for ticks.
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