The Trail Mix

The Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway

Volume 6, Issue 9
September 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

America 250 is a celebration of all those aspects of our nation that makes it so special – its history, culture, its people! As the America 250 celebrations quickly come to an end, we thought it would be important to recognize the groups and individuals who have made the Greenway a popular, widely-used linear park.  Yes, the spirit of America 250 is evident in the abundant energy and sense of service of our volunteers- a team of true, modern day patriots!

Our Trail Stewards

Charlie McAteer – Chair of the Friends of the Greenway/Three Village Community Trust Board Member

Thank You – Greenway Trail Stewards 2026

Orientation/Direction: Setauket Trailhead to the Port Jefferson Station Trailhead
Setauket Trailhead Parking Area to Gnarled Hollow Road

Marty and Elyse Buchman
Cub Scout Pack 333

Setauket Trailhead to West Road –

Marty and Elyse Buchman

Gnarled Hollow Trailhead, Parking area –

Karen and Brian Cohen
Carey, Ron and Marlow Paniccia

Gnarled Hollow Trailhead to Gnarled Hollow Road –

Boy Scout Troop 354
Girl Scout Troop 833
Holden Cone and Family
Laura and Joe Rotondi
Gretchen Oldrin Mones
Charlie Kenny

Gnarled Hollow Road to Old Town Road –

Powelson Family
Susan Colatosti

Old Town Road to Possum Lane –

Laurel Martin
Possum Lane to Lawrence Aviation area
Flockhart Family

Bottom of hill approaching Lawrence Aviation to the top of the hill:

Norman Samuels

Top of the hill east of Lawrence Aviation to ¼ west of Clifton Place:

Charlie McAteer
Ben Brehl

¼ Mile West of Clifton Place to Clifton Place:

Charlie McAteer
Dianna Nielsen
Ben Brehl

Trailhead of the Port Jefferson Station area:

Ben Brehl
Dave Wang
Aaron Hoffman
Charlie McAteer

Thank You -Our Scouting Partners

Scouting Projects – Friends of The Greenway/Three Village Community Trust

Coordinators: Nick Koridis – Recruiter, Friends of Scouting, Friends of the Greenway,
Charlie McAteer – Chair of the Friends of the Greenway Trail and Herb Mones TVCT
Trustee. Eagle Scout Community Service Projects, Benjamin Tallmadge District, Suffolk
County Council, Scouting America: 5.9.2026

1. Sean Anderson, Troop 244 Rocky Point – 2010
Bench installed east off of Gnarled Hollow Road and thirty street name signs (provided by TVCT) installed as part of Eagle Scout Project.

2. Tyler Corsello, Troop 427 Setauket – 2010
Two benches installed as part of Eagle Scout Project.

3. Anthony Stella, Troop 427 Setauket – 2010
Bench and plantings installed as part of Eagle Scout Project.

4. Kenneth John Tant, Troop 117 Stony Brook – 2011
Bench and General Trail Clean-up as part of Eagle Scout Project.

5. Skyler Thayer, Troop 377 East Setauket – 2011
Mile Marker Posts for Mid-Trail at Gnarled Hollow Road parking lot. Handmade and installed. And General Trail Clean-up as part of Eagle Scout Project.

6. Nicholas Brigantino, Troop 229 Selden – 2012
Bench at the Gnarled Hollow Parking lot and several bat-houses installed as part of Eagle Scout Project.

7. David Argento, Troop 204 Miller Place – 2016
Bench installed at the Port Jefferson Station Trailhead and Brush/Tree Trimming Trail Clean-up as part of Eagle Scout Project.

8. Jake Linkletter, Troop 204 Miller Place – 2016
Kiosk at the Gnarled Hollow Road parking lot at Mid-Trail and Brush/Tree Trimming Trail Clean-up as part of Eagle Scout Project.

9. James Nielsen, Troop 454 Port Jefferson Station – 2017
Bench installed ¼ mile west from Port Jefferson Station trailhead and Brush/Tree Trimming Trail Clean-up as part of Eagle Scout Project.

10. Michael Furio, Troop 204 Miller Place – 2019
Bench Project by the Setauket Trailhead, road crossing Signage & Clean-up as part of Eagle Scout Project.

11. Jared Sayler, Troop 204 Miller Place – 2019
Bench Project & Clean-up as part of Eagle Scout Project.

12. Cole Swensen, Troop 204 Miller Place – 2020
Bench Project and three ADA accessible concrete pads for access to benches, Clean-up of the trail, as part of Eagle Scout Project.

13. Kyle Rosenzweig, Troop 204 Miller Place – 2020
Two benches installed with ADA accessible concrete pads as part of Eagle Scout Project.

14. John Heraghty, Troop 70 East Setauket – 2020
Handcrafted and installed six bat houses and one ADA accessible concrete pad for a bench as part of Eagle Scout Project.

15. Jonathan Furio, Troop 204 Miller Place – 2022
Handcrafted and installed 8 bat houses and Trail Clean-up as part of Eagle Scout Project.

16. Dylan Fagan, Troop 70 East Setauket – 2022
Handcrafted and installed 5 bat houses and one ADA accessible concrete pad for a bench as part of Eagle Scout Project.

17. Matthew Petrie, Troop 204 Miller Place – 2023
Handcrafted and installed 8 bat houses and one ADA accessible concrete pad for a bench as part of Eagle Scout Project.

18. Joseph Sciotto, Troop 70 East Setauket – 2023
Mid Trailhead Replaced two cracked Bench Slats, Cleanup Storm Drains, create Rain Garden with planting, removed old wood mile marker post and added an ADA concrete slab for an existing bench as part of Eagle Scout Project.

19. Nicholas Comito, Troop 204 Miller Place – 2024
Eagle Scout has earned his recognition working on the trail installing reflectors on posts at road crossings, added a concrete pad for benches and Trail clean up.

20. Holden Cone, Troop 427 Setauket – 2026
PJ Trailhead 2.75 miles west installed a new bench and concrete slab that was donated by the Suffolk County Landbank for the Greenway Trail, assemble and install 3 Screech Owl Boxes, repair an existing bench with new slats, install a new concrete slab in front of an existing bench to make it accessible and install a new bike repair stand at the Setauket Trail Head as part of Eagle Scout Project.

21. Katie Nielsen, Girl Scout Award Project – 2025
Katie Nielsen completed her Girl Scouts of the USA, Gold Award Project on the Greenway. She developed an interactive scavenger hunt along the Trail, created a series of educational websites, each accessible via QR codes placed on metal signs attached to trees along the trail with websites to provide information about the local ecosystem, including the various plant species found in the area.

22. Recruiting Future Eagle Scouts (Open Projects they are interested in – Troop TBD
Install new Benches for rest stops along the trail, Cleanup Storm Drains, Create Rain Garden with planting, Add New Bat Houses along the trail, etc… as part of Eagle Scout Project.

The Greenway Trail as of October 2025 now has 13 DOT approved benches installed. Total of 8 Scout Troops in the BT District have donated and a total of 20 Eagle Scouts have done many projects on the Trail. The tally of each Troop Eagle Scout goes by their Troop Number.

Troop – 244 Rocky Point/Sound Beach, 1 Eagle Scout
Troop – 427 Setauket, 3 Eagle Scouts
Troop – 117 Stony Brook, 1 Eagle Scout
Troop – 377 East Setauket, 1 Eagle Scout
Troop – 229 Selden, 1 Eagle Scout
Troop – 204 Miller Place, 9 Eagle Scouts
Troop – 454 Port Jefferson, 1 Eagle Scout
Troop – 70 East Setauket, 3 Eagle Scouts
Girl Scouts – Scavenger Hunt/QR code, 1 Scout

Village Community Trust – planted the cherry tree located at the Setauket

Thank You Our Monthly Clean Up Volunteers

Our monthly cleanups demonstrate the power of community! Here are some photos from August’s cleanup!!

Our August Cleaanup Team

Charlie McAteer
Michael John Hall
Susan Colatosti
David Wang
Ben Brehl
Larry Dregn
Luke Roth-Mendelsohn
Aaron Roth-Mendelsohn

Mr. & Mrs. Roth-Mendelsohn

Herb Mones
Norm Samuels

And Jacob Velasquez – Chief of Staff – NYS Assembly District
#2/ Assemblywoman Giglio

Here’s a Shout Out to Assemblywoman Giglio

A big thank you to Assemblywoman Giglio for her help in having the NYS-DOT remove a very, very large tree at the Port Jefferson Station Trail Head. This dead tree presented a danger to trail users – and Assemblywoman Giglio and her Chief-of-Staff Jacob Velasquez were fantastic in getting quick results! The NYS-DOT was also able to haul away the accumulated debris for our August cleanup and remove a damaged bike rack.

Charlie McAteer wrote to the assemblywoman to say –“Thanks so much for your help with the NYS-DOT to help move the issue – the Greenway is safer with that big dead tree removed and everything looks a whole lot better.”

You can get a sense of the size of the once mighty oak by its footprint – now a neatly pile of woodchips – ready for replanting.

Cleanup Schedule – Spring/Summer/Fall 2026

Spring

  • Saturday, April 18th at 9am, As part of the Earth Day Celebrations- Starting location: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead.
  • Saturday, Tentatively May 16th at 9am , To be held in conjunction with the Town of Brookhaven’s 2022 Great Annual Clean Up – Starting location: The Port Jefferson Station Trailhead. Refreshments will be served.

Summer/Fall

  • 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

Thank You 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!

Maeder Landscaping and Snow, Ltd. is a really great choice for your all of your yard’s needs. Rest your back, spend more time with your friends and family – give them a call at 631-988-9211.

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