The Trail Mix
The Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway
Volume 6, Issue 6
June 2026
The Trail Mix is the monthly newsletter of The Friends of the Greenway. We established this bulletin to keep you current on some of the “goings-on” regarding our Trail and to dispense a mix of bits and bytes of flavorful information. Hopefully, The Trail Mix will enlighten, inform, and entertain our readers.
The Friends of the Greenway is part of The Three Village Community Trust. The Trust was established more than twenty-two years ago to “Protect the Places You Love.” Support the Greenway by joining the Trust today! Visit: threevillagecommunitytrust.org
There’s No Holden Him Back Eagle Scout Candidate Holden Cone’s Project Improves the Greenway
With the warmer weather, more and more children and families will be outside walking, running and bicycling on the Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway. A remarkable number of enhancements have been made to the trail through a comprehensive Eagle Scout service project led by Eagle Scout candidate Holden Cone of Troop 427. Holden, along with his team of Scouts, family and friends, has been planning and working over the past months to improve the recreational experience of trail users and expand the ecological value of the area.
Holden’s project includes a first of its kind installation on the Greenway: a public bicycle repair station at the kiosk area off Limeroy Lane in Setauket. Bicyclists now have a ‘state of the art’ tool stand to make brake adjustments, pump up tires, and adjust seat post heights. The station allows bicyclists to fix problems on the spot. The station, securely mounted into the existing concrete slab adjacent to the trailhead’s kiosk, promises to be an important ‘helping hand’ to young and old.
Improvements by Holden’s team addressed parts of the trail’s infrastructure and beautification. A concrete pad was poured beneath an existing wooden bench located approximately one mile west of the Port Jefferson Station trailhead, enhancing its stability, cleanliness, and accessibility. Another bench, located near the Old Town Road crossing, was repaired and restored to ensure its safety for visitors.
Visitors to the Greenway know of the bat houses that were installed years ago as part of another Eagle Scout’s project. Expanding on the need to support local wildlife and promote environmental awareness, three Eastern screech-owl nesting boxes were constructed by Holden. These new homes were installed at carefully selected locations: near the Renaissance Technologies entrance (close by the Setauket Trailhead), in the Gnarled Hollow Preserve section, and near the Old Town Road crossing. An educational flyer, posted in the Greenway’s three kiosks, informs trail users about the purpose of the owl boxes and the importance of protecting native species.
The Friends of the Greenway, along with its parent organization, the Three Village Community Trust hold the stewardship agreement overseeing the Greenway. Charlie McAteer, chairman of the Friends group, said of Holden, “The Greenway enhancements are a credit to your Scouting oath, your troop and your family. We are deeply appreciative of your hard work and efforts.” Herb Mones, Board member of the Trust, noted “Scouts continue to serve as an integral part of the Greenway. The many Eagle Scout projects now located along the trail, combined with their monthly cleanup activities, make the trail the ‘go to place’ for community members. Holden demonstrates the hope and promise of our younger generation.”
There is a great article about Holden and his projects in the May 16th issue of the Three Village Times Herald. We plan to feature it in our July’s Trail Mix!
Spread the word, write a letter, make a difference…
NYS Assemblywoman Rebecca Kassay is a good Friend of the Greenway. She’s a ‘regular’ at our cleanups and has been an important voice in preserving and protecting the Greenway from any possibility of development into a highway. Take a moment to read her message below and help the cause by writing a letter!
Dear colleagues and community partners,
I hope your spring is off to a great start. As the weather warms up, I continue to keep Greenway preservation as a top priority in the district and up in Albany.
We are grateful for County Executive Romaine’s letter of support for the legislation A10341, which would remove the possibility of a vehicular bypass by establishing a conservation easement over the DOT-owned corridor of land that we know as our Greenway. We also appreciate Suffolk County’s interest in holding the conservation easement, which would establish local control over the Greenway.
We are also grateful for our Senate sponsors, Senators Monica Martinez and Anthony Palumbo. We are all prioritizing this legislation, pressing our leadership to move this bill of great local importance.
As our coalition discussed at the roundtable earlier in the year, letters of support from your respective organizations and roles can be very helpful in demonstrating strong local support to get this legislation over the line. I am now asking for your individual chambers of commerce, civic groups, nonprofit organizations, and government offices to write a letter of support. This letter can focus on any one or combination of reasons why bill A10341 must be passed by the Assembly and Senate before the legislation session concludes this year. To help with your drafting, I have attached to this email a thorough document outlining the many reasons why we need a conservation easement over this DOT-owned land to preserve its status as a non-vehicular transit corridor.
Please see this link or the attached PDF for suggested letter formatting. Once complete, please send letters to my office at kassayr@nyassembly.gov.
As soon as we receive each the letter, we will send it along to our leadership, so please send them at your earliest convenience. If you have previously sent a letter, please update the date and any additional thoughts before re-sending in the requested formatting. There are only 12 more session days to get this done (final day is June 4th), and those days will go quickly, so I thank you in advance for your prompt submission of these letters. These will join the 100+ submissions of feedback by individual community members received through our online form and via emails and calls.
I will keep everyone in the loop over the coming weeks. Let’s keep the energy up– and keep the Greenway green!
May’s Greenway Team – Making A Difference
In conjunction with the Great Brookhaven Town Cleanup, the Friends of the Greenway were out on the trail in May making a difference! The participants at the cleanup included:
Pat and Charlie McAteer
David Wang
The Gasior Family
Ben Brehl
Susan Colatosti
Charlotte Plaganinos
Rebecca Kassay
Rebecca Plagainos
Rob DeStefani
Andrew DeStefani
Leo Giannone
Holden Cone
Christina Cone
Our monthly cleanups go a long way making the trail a source of community pride! Thank you to all Trail Stewards and Community volunteers in creating a special place for Everyone!
For those who didn’t get a chance to see it – here is the editorial that appeared in Newsday regarding the protection of the Greenway:
Also – Here is a recent letter, written by County Executive Edward Romaine about the issues surrounding the protection of the Greenway:
Cleanup Schedule
Summer/Fall 2026
- Saturday, June 20th at 9am, Starting Location: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead. (Trail Stewards Breakfast Meet Up at 8:30pm)
- Saturday, July 18th at 8:30am, Starting location: The Port Jefferson Trailhead
- Saturday, August 15th at 8:30am, Starting locations: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead.
- Saturday, September 19th at 9am, Starting location: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead. (Trail Stewards Breakfast Meet Up at 8:30pm)
Need more information? Want to become a Trail Steward? Wish to Donate to the Greenway? Want to be on the Friends of the Greenway’s email list?
Email Herb at HJMones@gmail.com or Charlie at cfmcateer@gmail.com
Holden Cone’s new screech owl nesting boxes along the Greenway are amazing – as well as his fun and educational poster:
Our Special Friends
Keep in mind, these special friends of the Greenway who support our efforts throughout the year! Please consider giving them your business, and mention you saw them in The Trail Mix.
Shown above is Dave Prestia, owner/operator, of Bagel Express
Bagel Express at 15-5 Bennetts Road in Setauket. Owned and operated by David Prestia, Bagel Express generously donates the catering of our Trail Steward breakfasts. Delicious bagels, hot, steaming coffee – sooo good! For the third year in a row, The Trail Mix has voted Bagel Express #1 for breakfast and lunch, and all of your catering needs. Call 631-675-2770 or check website at Bagel Express – New York | View our menu, reviews & Order food online (bagelexpressli.com)
Emily Riley Design631-512-3330 emilyrileydesign.com
Emily Riley of Emily Riley Design knows plants and landscaping. Using the latest understanding of natural, native and sustainable landscaping methods, Emily can transform your yard into a magical setting that lasts for years and years. As a landscape designer, Emily has been a generous donor of both time, energy and materials to a host of Trust projects!
A Big Friend of the Trust is Swan Cove Landscaping. Swan Cove does a whole line of services – lawn maintenance, pruning, stone walls, firewood. Dave Fortuna has recently retired, but his longtime employee Wander Aleman is now the new and capable owner/operator. Swan Cove donates many, many of services to the Trust. The result – our properties always look great! Thank you, Dave! Call 631-689-8089.
Emerald Magic Lawn Care’s horticultural consultant, Craig den Hartog has been providing flower bulbs for the Greenway over many years at “no cost.” We planted a big bulk of these bulbs at the kiosk on Gnarled Hollow Road, Setauket. Craig generosity is part of his beautification effort known as Old Town Blooms.Why not support Emerald Magic, who supports us! Call 631-286-4600, 631-804-9205.
Steve Antos – He can do it all!
For your yard’s beautification look to Setauket Landscape and Design. Steve Antos can help you plan and design the unique surroundings to make your property the envy of your neighborhood. His company has helped us with many large and small projects on the Trust’s historic properties. Call 631-882-7190.
And lots of thanks to Bove Industries and Skyline Industries for their generous support of the Trust’s projects – they have been instrumental in our grounds restorations at the Smith/deZafra House! Bove Industries and Skyline Industries are leaders in producing materials for roads and construction products.
Randall Brothers Tree Service is always a big help and big hearted in helping the Trust! Call 631-862-9291. Marty is the Man!
Northville Industries
We are appreciative of Northville Industries’ big, big help in mowing the Greenway throughout the past year. Their partnership with the Three Village community helps make the Greenway a special place for all!
Jos. M. Troffa Materials Corporation at 70 Comsewogue Road in Setauket is a very special friend. The company has every conceivable item to beautify your yard. Mulch – they got it. Grass seed – yes! Soil, gravel, shovel, – everything. Forget the big box stores – You gotta go to Troffa!
The Three Village Community Trust
A community of volunteers working to “Protect the Places You Love.”
Trust properties and stewardships include: The Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway, Patriots Rock Historic Site, The Immigrant Factory Worker Houses, the Hawkins Homestead, the Smith/de Zafra House, the Bruce House, the Steven D. Mathews Preserve, The Little Red House, the Dr. Robert and Julia de Zafra Estate, and the Tyler House.
Trust programs and outreaches include: The Trail Steward Program, The Little Food Pantry, Chicken Hill Country Picnic, Annual Winter Coat Drive, Annual Thanksgiving Food Drive, Patriots Rock Program – Culper Spy Day, Maria’s No Mow May, Simply De-Vine Awareness Program, Annual Ukrainian Relief Drive, The Trail Mix Newsletter, monthly Greenway Cleanups, Earth Day Celebration, The Trust’s Photo Letter, and the Stony Brook Train Station Beautification Project.
The Trust is a 501(c) (3) not-for-profit organization of all volunteers dedicated to Protecting the Places You Love.
PO Box 2596, Setauket, New York 11733
