The Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway Newsletter
Volume 1, Issue 9

December 2021

The Trail Mix is the monthly newsletter of The Friends of the Greenway. We established this bulletin to keep the Friends and users of the Greenway 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 help to enlighten, inform and entertain our readers. The Friends of the Greenway is a committee of our parent organization – The Three Village Community Trust.

The Greenway looks so very different at this time of the year. The trees have lost their leaves, and there are new views of the woodlands surrounding the trail. Everyone is bundled up, and there are fewer bicyclists. As the holidays approach we wish all of our Friends of the Greenway a wonderful season filled with joy and meaning.

*Keep in Mind: The Trail Mix goes to sleep during the Winter months – but we will be back in the Spring!! Enjoy this issue, and share it with friends and family!

Winter Monthly Cleanups

We do less monthly cleanups in the winter – the weather is often unpredictable, and there tends to be less of a need to do a ‘litter sweep.’ That doesn’t mean we can stop helping to keep the trail in tip-top shape! An easy way you can help is to carry a small trash bag on your daily or weekly walk on the Greenway and pick up any litter you find. Such great exercise bending and straightening during your brisk walk or run! Think of it – you benefit, the trail benefits, Everyone benefits.

Secrets of the Greenway #3

This is the third part of our series on some interesting facets of the Greenway.

Some call it white gold. It is the most consumed natural resource on earth, after water. And it is being mined at ever-increasing rates throughout the world.

What is it? – It’s sand.

Though we rarely think about it, sand is used for …everything. Concrete, cement, asphalt, roadbeds, glass, and silicon chips are just a few of hundreds of common uses of sand. As our cities expand, and the world’s population becomes increasingly urbanized, more and more sand needs to be mined.

Keep in mind, all sand is not made the same. Desert sand – think the Middle East and Sahara – while it is abundant, isn’t very valuable. These tiny sand particles tend to be too smooth from centuries of wind erosion to properly bind together in making cement and other sand-based products. Ahh, but beach sand, and river sand is jagged and rough edged – perfect for binding together in manufacturing products. And, if you really want great, great sand- think Long Island. We have the Particles!

As a result, Long Island has a storied history of providing sand to build the greatest city in the world – New York. It’s skyscrapers, bridges, sidewalks, and tunnels are made with Long Island sand! Next time you’re in the city just think – you are really touching on Long Island.

There are still about two dozen sand mines in operation in Suffolk County. These legal mines are often controversial in their impact on the natural environment. Essentially, they ‘strip mine’ the natural landscape, and as the ‘dig’ gets deeper and deeper, the mining operation can threaten our groundwater.

Sandmining is evident on the Greenway – the vast stretch of the trail at its center is the site of former sand mining operations. These operations created the hollowed out grounds east of Possum Lane and west of the Lawrence Aviation site. The sand mining in this area was notorious for the illegal practice of “Scoop and Fill.” The operators would haul off tons of sand to asphalt and cement producers, and often fill the vast voids left with… construction debris. The sand mining operators made money two ways – selling what they scooped and getting paid for dumping debris.

Eventually, the sandmining operations in Setauket were shut down, and back taxes on the property went unpaid. The County seized the property for the outstanding tax liens in a long draw out process, and today this land is part of Suffolk County’s undeveloped park system. The future development of this land – baseball fields, hiking and bicycling trails, etc. has been discussed for more than a decade.

For the Greenway, perhaps the most used recreational amenity in the area, the future of the “Sand Pits” is important. The illegal use of ATV and dirt bikes in the area is a continual problem for those enjoying the trail. The only way to end the illegal use of the parkland is for Suffolk County to find a constructive, community-based purpose for the public lands. As most of us know – good use drives out bad use

A New Hiking Trail That’s Out of This World !!!!!

Now this is interesting! The Vanderbilt Museum and Planetarium in Centerport recently opened a new hiking trail on its property. Well, it’s not really new since the trail once existed on the estate of Willian K. Vanderbilt II. Over the decades, the trail had become overgrown and disappeared into the acres and acres of woodlands. Through the efforts of some talented Vanderbilt staff and the support of the Vanderbilt’s Board, the trail has been reclaimed and reimagined as a Solar System Hiking Trail. The one mile trail features a series of strategically placed interpretive signs related to the Solar System – you have to experience it, to believe it. Strenuous, breathtaking views of the water, natural beauty everywhere, and EDUCATIONAL! Worth a trip!

Wow, it was a great idea!

If you remember, in the September issue of the Trail Mix, we announced we are running advertisements and messages to fund Greenway projects. We wrote:

Want to advertise your business or service, and at the same time help the Greenway?

With the wild popularity of The Trail Mix (or at least we’d like to think so), we have decided to give businesses and individuals an opportunity to advertise in our newsletter. At the end of The Trail Mix, we’ll post advertisements and personal messages for the whooping sum of $25 per issue. All proceeds will go to the care and maintenance of the Greenway – gloves, tools, trash bags, cleaning supplies, and other basic necessities for the Trail Stewards and volunteers.

Interested in advertising: Contact hjmones@gmail.com with your content, and the payment method and other details will be emailed back to you!

Well, here are some of our advertisements:
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Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn is our Trail booster! Kara can be found running on the Greenway, picking up litter on the Greenway, and ‘talking up’ the Greenway with her constituents. We thank Kara for her support!

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And, we would like to recognize a special donor to the Greenway:

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 just planted 200 bulbs that Craig recently donated. 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!
www.EmeraldMagic.com
631-286-4600
631-804-9205
194-4 Morris Ave
Holtsville, NY 11742

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Want to help the Friends of the Greenway. Here are three ways:

Become a member of the Three Village Community Trust! Join by visiting www.threevillagecommunitytrust.org,

Go to threevillagecommunitytrust.com and donate during our parent organization’s Holiday Appeal. All donations are doubled during our Challenge Grant, now in effect!

Please consider the “Care to Share Program” at Investors Bank on Route 25A in Setauket.  If you have an existing or newly established account at Investors Bank, simply by designating the Three Village Community Trust as your favorite not-for-profit, we will receive regular donations by Investors Bank to our organization!

Editor-in-Chief: Herb Mones