Dan's Papers - May 15, 2009

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation parking area is located on CR 104, two miles south of the Riverhead roundabout, between CR 105 and CR 31. This is an excellent place to access the trails that run through the Pine Barrens. You may wish to visit the parking area to view the excellent interpretive kiosks in the Bird Conservation Area.

The 2,749-acre Sarnoff Preserve in Riverhead straddles County Road 104 north of Sunrise Highway. Hampton Hills and Manorville Hills County Parks extend to the west of the preserve, the Flanders section to the east, and to its south, lies a large tract of dwarf pines. In all, it totals over 17,000 acres of contiguous natural open space. An access permit is required for activities on NYSDEC-managed lands on Long Island. If you wish to take this six-mile Pine Barrens hike on your own, call for a free permit (631-444-0273).

The vegetation impinging on the trails in this hike has recently been cut back, but it's a heavily infested tick area, so stay to the center of the trails and take precautions. For the first three-mile loop, follow the yellow painted rectangles from the south side of the parking lot south. Continuing south, the trail veers away from CR 104. Charred tree trunks hearken back to the catastrophic wildfire of 1995.

Veering west, the trail takes you along a ridge, and slowly gains height as the ground drops away into a deep kettle hole. Note how the trail weaves between closely spaced trees, making the path more picturesque and at the same time unfriendly to motor vehicles. The climbing turns drop water off the trail at the apex of each turn, keeping the duff-covered trail tread stable, even after two decades of use. When you reach the Paumanok Path, with its white-painted rectangles, turn right. At the next Y intersection, again bear right; continue following the white rectangles, now accompanied by the round yellow plastic State DEC Foot Trail markers back to where you started. Turn left and follow the perimeter of the parking area. After a brief excursion back into the woods, cross CR 104 and enter the trail through a snow fence kissing gate. This is part of the All Terrain Vehicle (ATV) Damage Mitigation Project in Flanders; it protects 5,700 acres of public land. N.Y. State heads a multilateral initiative working to repair ATV damage and eliminate illegal access points for ATVs and dumping.

ATVs are one of the greatest threats to the ecology of our natural open spaces. They scare wildlife, spread invasive plants, destroy nature trails, disrupt the ecology that assures clean drinking water, and increase the risk of wildfires. They are illegal on public lands and roads. Riders face heavy penalties, impoundment and even forfeiture of their ATVs. If you witness this illegal activity, do not intervene personally; call the Pine Barrens Commission's Law Enforcement Council hotline for non-emergency situations: 1-877-BARRENS. In an emergency, when an immediate response is needed to protect nature, call 911 and follow up with a call to 1-877-BARRENS.

Continue following a trail marked by both the DEC yellow disks and white Paumanok Path markers. This trail is used as a fire control line for the DEC and Nature Conservancy "Long Island Central Pine Barrens Forest Fuel Reduction Demonstration Site." These lines have been cleared of tree and leaf debris, creating 15-foot-wide firebreaks. The Central Pine Barrens is a fire dependent ecosystem. Wildland fuels have built up over time, due to aggressive fire suppression. One of the goals of this project is to reduce fuels near homes, businesses and other development. This protects people's lives and property from intense wildfire. Prescribed fire also helps restore globally rare, fire-dependent ecosystems. Resource managers, under carefully controlled conditions, intentionally set prescribed fires. These fires maintain fire dependent plants, keep grasslands open, reduce invasive plants, maintain Pine Barrens habitats, and return nutrients to the soil.

Be alert for a left turn, leaving the Paumanok Path; follow the yellow disks a short distance to the blue loop.

When you reach a Y intersection, follow the blue disks to the right for an excursion of the two-mile loop trail. At first, you'll travel a fire control line, but soon it turns into a narrow winding, duff-covered trail. The trail passes several vernal ponds, a vital habitat for a number of endangered species. Two disks, one above the other indicates a turn. As you approach a straight woods road, look to the left to find the next blue disk, and then cross a wider access road. The next section of woods on this trail widens into a fire control line. After returning to the yellow trail, follow it back to the white trail. Turn right on the white trail and follow that across CR 104 back to the parking area.