Museum In Winery

Another piece of the jigsaw puzzle of parcels that make up Southampton Town's Long Pond Greenbelt has fallen into place. Andrew Sabin, president of the South Fork Natural History Society, announced last week that the group would buy the old Bridgehampton Winery building and convert it into a museum, educational center, and the society's headquarters.

Mr. Sabin said the society had agreed to pay $390,000 for the two-acre parcel, which includes the building and an adjoining barn, and invest another $500,000 into the project to get it ready for opening by next summer.

"We've always liked the place, but the problem was it was going to be a golf course and clubhouse," he said. "It seemed like one of those impossible dreams. Once it became available, we jumped at it."

Gave Up Montauk

Mr. Sabin had announced two weeks ago that the society's effort to put up its museum on state land near the Montauk Lighthouse was on the skids. SOFO had been discussing this with officials for some time, but "basically we just weren't getting enough enthusiasm out of the state," Mr. Sabin said. "It just wasn't moving along."

Mr. Sabin is the owner of the Sabin Metals Corporation in East Hampton. An amateur herpetologist, he is the society's founder and chief supporter and is known for efforts to save the habitats of tiger salamanders.

The museum will require a major fund-raising effort, he said. "I want to see the society go on long after I die."

Joint Purchase

Last summer, the town and Suffolk County teamed up to buy for just under $1.8 million the remaining 70 acres that make up the winery property on the Bridgehampton-Sag Harbor Turnpike, after JOG Associates, a real-estate development partnership, had proposed a nine-hole golf course and 14 houses for the property.

Although the eastern half of the property, which is home to the endangered tiger salamander, has been eyed for preservation since the early 1970s, the western half was not considered attractive, even though it includes a number of small ponds. It had been disturbed by agriculture and the vineyard.

The town and county are expecting to finalize the purchase early next year. "We want to close simultaneously," said Mr. Sabin.

Town Supportive

"The town has really been supportive," he said. "They see this as a real asset to the community, and, while it may take some time, it's going to be first class."

Besides displays of the society's collection of preserved and live animals, Mr. Sabin said he would like to see "national and global exhibits so it won't get stale" and a regular series of lectures by "local and outside naturalists."

"We've also been discussing ways of working jointly with the Children's Museum of the East End to see if there is any fit between the two groups," he said. The society now offers tours and lectures to school groups.

Interpretive Hikes

The society wants to start a botanical garden of native species at the site. Because the property "has access to probably the most diverse flora and fauna in the State of New York," which is found in the greenbelt, Mr. Sabin said it would like to offer interpretive hikes and, perhaps, canoe trips in Long and Crooked Ponds, if an agreement can be reached with the greenbelt management committee.

"We want it to be a place where people can spend a family day, have a nice hike, and eat lunch on our deck," he said.

The society now houses its collection in a small building on property owned by Mr. Sabin off the Montauk Highway in Amagansett.