Dan's Papers - August 22, 2008 - With 77 More Acres, Montauk Is 40% Preserved

Since 1980, thousands of acres of Montauk land have been purchased by New York State, Suffolk County and the Town of East Hampton. We can now add to that number 77 acres that the state, county and town are about to purchase for a reported $18 million from former TV talk show host and humorist, Dick Cavett. Cavett, 71, will retain 19.8 acres and his two Stanford White homes.

According to East Hampton Town Natural Resources Director Larry Penny, by 1980 protected lands in Montauk included Theodore Roosevelt Park (864 acres), Montauk Point State Park (200 acres), Montauk Downs (160 acres, purchased in 1978) and Hither Hills (570 acres). Penny puts the pre-1980 number of acres saved somewhere around 1,500. Since then, over 2,600 total acres have been acquired.

Using Community Preservation Funds (CPF) the town preserved Shadmoor State Park (98.9 acres), Navy Road (22.4 acres), Koppelman Nature Preserve (770 acres), Culloden Point (174.1 acres), Westlake Hills (188 acres) and Amsterdam Beach (122 acres). Other purchases by the town, state or county (or all three) since 1980 include Camp Hero (414 acres), the Sanctuary (339 acres) and Hither Woods (540 acres).

With a square mile equaling 640 acres, Montauk has almost eight square miles of preserved state and county parks, and open land. Considering Montauk consists of 17.5 square miles of land, and 19.8 square miles of land and water, somewhere in the vicinity of 40 percent of Montauk is now preserved land, not to be developed.

The Cavett property is located just north of Ditch Plains, and adjacent to Amsterdam Beach. The town plans to build trails on the newly acquired property. Purchases such as this one ensure that properties in the area will remain very private, very exclusive and very valuable. (The Warhol estate went for somewhere between $30-40 million, give or take a few dollars.) These purchases also ensure that the pristine shoreline will never be built up like Big Sur in California, with gaudy new homes. To many who love Montauk the way it is, this is great news.

Scott Wilson, the town's land acquisition director, reportedly claimed that no parking lots will be constructed on the lands. He also expressed relief that the property, which was on the private market for as much as $30 million, was secured by the town. Cavett accepted the town offer for substantially less money, but now won't have any neighbors building homes near his for the rest of his life. A town official unofficially said a few years back that Cavett reportedly was ready to donate the property to the town for nothing, but something went awry in the negotiations. Cavett, long active in Montauk preservation, played a role with Paul Simon, Billy Joel and others to help save the Montauk Lighthouse. He is often seen around town, especially at Martel's, where he sometimes goes to buy his morning paper.

It is not readily documented how Cavett came to own 100 acres of Montauk prime property, but always known as perhaps the "brightest" TV talk show host, he proved it by investing wisely. At Liar's Saloon, a popular establishment that still has $1 draft beers, a weathered fisherman summed it up best by saying, "Montauk is one big park, with some homes."

Penny, who almost single-handedly saved Camp Hero and its 414 oceanfront acres from already blueprinted development, believes that all of the preserved land will keep the wildlife and environment healthy, which will ensure both good tourism and a beautiful home for those who live in the town. Cavett gains the admiration of many future generations of people who may never have seen him on TV, but will know him for preserving perhaps the most beautiful coastline on the whole East Coast. The whole situation is a win-win deal for Cavett, the town and the future.