Crab Meadow Watershed Hydrology Study Meeting 2/26/14

Thanks to a Federal grant that was awarded to the Town of Huntington in December of 2012, one of Northport’s most fragile environmental habitats will soon become the focus of an extensive study to help support the development of a management plan in furthering to protect and enhance the Crab Meadow Watershed area and the Long Island Sound. “Our aim is to start with science, to study and identify how this elaborate and complex system really works,” stated Councilman Mark Cuthbertson, sponsor of the project.

Councilman Mark Cuthbertson would like to invite local residents to attend the first Crab Meadow Watershed community meeting on February 26, 2014 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm at the Northport Public Library on Laurel Avenue in Northport. The town’s contractor, GEI Consultants, Inc., will lead the public meeting, supported by Town staff and members from the Crab Meadow Watershed Advisory Committee.

The Town of Huntington requested and received a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation / Long Island Sound Futures Fund in 2012 to study how water flows through and is impacted within the extensive Crab Meadow Watershed system and to derive planning goals to maintain and enhance its environmental quality.

“This first gathering will serve as a starting point – to inform the community of what the project entails, to educate about watershed values, to listen to ideas and concerns relating to the proposed plan’s topic areas, and to open a portal for community input,” remarked Mr. Cuthbertson. “Community involvement is vital for this effort,” added Cuthbertson.

The Stewardship Plan will have five major topics – access and recreation; community involvement and education; habitat, plants and wildlife; infrastructure and restoration; and water resources and quality. Future goals will be identified for the primary area with greatest influence to Long Island Sound and a secondary contributing area. The watershed area encompasses just over 3,500 acres (5.6 square miles) and extends south from the Long Island Sound in Northport to Bellerose Avenue in East Northport.

For more information or to participate in this environmental endeavor, please contact Councilman Mark Cuthbertson at 351-3171 or via email to: MCuthbertson@HuntingtonNY.gov