Visiting Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island

If you are looking to go for a hike, go to camp over the summer or do lots of fun outdoor activities, Mashomack Preserve on Shelter Island is the place to be.

You can go for a hike on a bunch of different trails: the blue trail, red trail, green trail and yellow trail. These trails are all different lengths. The blue trail is the longest, the green trail is the second longest, the yellow trail is the third and the red is the shortest. As you are walking the trails, bird watching is a very popular thing to do. There is also a big open field with about 10 to 15 bird houses that attract all kinds of small birds.

Mashomack has a lot of other things to see and do. There is a visitor’s center museum. In the museum, you can see a turntable with a spinning stick on top. As it spins, it shows what nature looks like during different seasons. There is a spot on the wall where you can move from side to side to see what high tide would look like in the marshes of Mashomack and what low tide would be like in the marshes. Another really cool part of the museum is the bird viewing. You can use binoculars to see them, and there is a speaker that you can turn up to hear them.

Mashomack is a vast part of our small community. It is approximately 2,000 acres of land and 12 miles of shoreline. That is about a quarter of our whole island. Mashomack is owned by the Nature Conservancy. It used to be hunting grounds where endangered animals were getting hunted. People still hunt, but not as much. Now the animals, including the osprey, bald eagle and fox are seen here.

We sat down with Cindy Belt, who runs Mashomack, to get more information. She told us that in the future they want to fix up the big old manor house. This house is part of Mashomack’s history. People volunteer to help out with tours around Mashomack and questions from visitors.

From the beautiful shoreline to the wooded forest, Mashomack is a must-see for anyone who visits Shelter Island. It is full of nature, adventure and fresh air. For more information, you should visit nwsdy.li/mash