East Hampton looks to target invasive species in Montauk's Benson Reserve
East Hampton Town formed a public-private partnership to develop a plan to restore native maritime shrub land, grassland and dune habitats on the 40-acre Benson Reserve in Montauk that legislators could soon consider adopting. Credit: John Roca
Shrubs and vines of invasive plant species such as Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora rose sprout nearly 15 feet high along an oceanfront property in Montauk.
More than a dozen invasive species at the 40-acre Benson Reserve, an undeveloped, town-owned property with public hiking trails and paths leading to the ocean, have overwhelmed the area in recent years, town officials said.
To combat the problem, East Hampton Town formed a public-private partnership with the nonprofit Concerned Citizens of Montauk and landscape ecologist Rusty Schmidt to develop a three-phase, 10-year management plan to restore native maritime shrub land, grassland and dune habitats.
The East Hampton Town Board will consider adopting the privately-funded plan in early 2024, a measure that wouldn't include any town funding.
Town officials say the plan, which is on the town's website, addresses a problem that has become too large for municipal officials to handle on their own.
Schmidt said a group of local residents contacted him a few years ago and asked him to evaluate the Benson Reserve site to see if a project to address invasive species was warranted.
Schmidt said he uncovered a major problem, in part by comparing photographs from 2006 to the area's appearance years later. It showed the invasive species doubled and maybe even quadrupled in that time.
“It’s gotten worse and worse, faster and faster,” Schmidt added.
He said the plan's estimated cost is about $850,000. One Montauk resident will pay for a third of the project, with a group of others making up the rest, he said.
Schmidt said the public-private partnership applied for a marine habitat grant through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that could help cover some of the cost.
The plan says multiple benefits would come from eliminating the invasive species. It says it would help restore native species that bugs and insects such as monarch butterflies rely on, protect the dunes from erosion and open oceanfront views along Old Montauk Highway — which runs parallel to the reserve.
“It took years to make it bad, it’s going to take years to make it good,” Schmidt said.
The town, he said, has lacked equipment, funding and the staffing needed to manage the site.
Any equipment the town had “would have done more damage than good,” according to Kim Shaw, East Hampton Town's environmental protection director.
She said at a Dec. 19 town meeting that several attempts by the municipality over the years to address the problem stalled. Shaw called the proposed plan a “targeted approach” that will avoid disturbing the dunes closest to the water.
The plan also calls for bringing in four-legged recruits — goats — to munch on thorns and poison ivy in steep areas.
Crews would set up enclosure fences for the animals in four areas in the reserve so they can graze. A company called Green Goats would supply the animals and manage their care as they graze from May through October, according to the plan.
Schmidt said the goats would munch plants down to just inches, clearing paths for humans to pick up what's left.
The plan's second phase involves planting and seeding native plants before a third phase of long-term maintenance.
At a November public hearing, more than two dozen people weighed in on the proposal — offering mixed views.
David Freudenthal, chairman of the board of trustees for Concerned Citizens of Montauk, wrote in a letter to the town that the project “advances environmental sustainability goals.” He said in the 1990s, the nonprofit helped preserve the town-owned area for public use.
Montauk resident Sue Farnham, 65, questioned why the Benson Reserve was “so crucial and important when we have trails everywhere that need a lot of attention.”
Kevin McAllister, founder of the Sag Harbor-based nonprofit Defend H20, said he has concerns about how the native species could be impacted by the plan.
But representatives of other local organizations and environmental groups supported the plan.
Montauk resident Jim Grimes, 67, called it an opportunity to “basically right some wrongs.”
Shrubs and vines of invasive plant species such as Japanese honeysuckle and multiflora rose sprout nearly 15 feet high along an oceanfront property in Montauk.
More than a dozen invasive species at the 40-acre Benson Reserve, an undeveloped, town-owned property with public hiking trails and paths leading to the ocean, have overwhelmed the area in recent years, town officials said.
To combat the problem, East Hampton Town formed a public-private partnership with the nonprofit Concerned Citizens of Montauk and landscape ecologist Rusty Schmidt to develop a three-phase, 10-year management plan to restore native maritime shrub land, grassland and dune habitats.
The East Hampton Town Board will consider adopting the privately-funded plan in early 2024, a measure that wouldn't include any town funding.
Town officials say the plan, which is on the town's website, addresses a problem that has become too large for municipal officials to handle on their own.
Schmidt said a group of local residents contacted him a few years ago and asked him to evaluate the Benson Reserve site to see if a project to address invasive species was warranted.
Schmidt said he uncovered a major problem, in part by comparing photographs from 2006 to the area's appearance years later. It showed the invasive species doubled and maybe even quadrupled in that time.
“It’s gotten worse and worse, faster and faster,” Schmidt added.
He said the plan's estimated cost is about $850,000. One Montauk resident will pay for a third of the project, with a group of others making up the rest, he said.
Schmidt said the public-private partnership applied for a marine habitat grant through the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation that could help cover some of the cost.
The plan says multiple benefits would come from eliminating the invasive species. It says it would help restore native species that bugs and insects such as monarch butterflies rely on, protect the dunes from erosion and open oceanfront views along Old Montauk Highway — which runs parallel to the reserve.
“It took years to make it bad, it’s going to take years to make it good,” Schmidt said.
The town, he said, has lacked equipment, funding and the staffing needed to manage the site.
Any equipment the town had “would have done more damage than good,” according to Kim Shaw, East Hampton Town's environmental protection director.
She said at a Dec. 19 town meeting that several attempts by the municipality over the years to address the problem stalled. Shaw called the proposed plan a “targeted approach” that will avoid disturbing the dunes closest to the water.
Invasive species have become a problem on the 40-acre, municipal-owned Benson Reserve in Montauk, according to East Hampton Town officials, who soon could consider adopting a privately-funded plan aimed at fixing the issue.
Credit: John Roca
The plan also calls for bringing in four-legged recruits — goats — to munch on thorns and poison ivy in steep areas.
Crews would set up enclosure fences for the animals in four areas in the reserve so they can graze. A company called Green Goats would supply the animals and manage their care as they graze from May through October, according to the plan.
Schmidt said the goats would munch plants down to just inches, clearing paths for humans to pick up what's left.
The plan's second phase involves planting and seeding native plants before a third phase of long-term maintenance.
At a November public hearing, more than two dozen people weighed in on the proposal — offering mixed views.
David Freudenthal, chairman of the board of trustees for Concerned Citizens of Montauk, wrote in a letter to the town that the project “advances environmental sustainability goals.” He said in the 1990s, the nonprofit helped preserve the town-owned area for public use.
Montauk resident Sue Farnham, 65, questioned why the Benson Reserve was “so crucial and important when we have trails everywhere that need a lot of attention.”
Kevin McAllister, founder of the Sag Harbor-based nonprofit Defend H20, said he has concerns about how the native species could be impacted by the plan.
But representatives of other local organizations and environmental groups supported the plan.
Montauk resident Jim Grimes, 67, called it an opportunity to “basically right some wrongs.”
Restoring native plants
- The Benson Reserve is a 40-acre, town-owned property along the Atlantic Ocean in Montauk.
- Invasive plant species have taken over the area, according to town officials.
- Goats would be used to graze areas of the reserve to reduce invasive plants under a proposed plan.
Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.
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