New Life For Fishing Station

What's so great about wetlands? Why do piping plovers build their nests on the beach? What is brown tide? How deep is Three Mile Harbor? Would a fish from the bay survive if it swam into a creek? How can you plant things that make the dunes stronger? What are the rules for operating a boat in the harbor?

Curious queries like these may soon be answered at a new center for environmental education, proposed for the site of the old Cox's Fishing Station near the mouth of Three Mile Harbor. East Hampton Town owns the property.

The center would be run jointly by the Natural Resources Department and the Parks and Recreation Department and would be the first of its kind in East Hampton, a place where the town's marine habitats and unique environment could be both celebrated and studied.

Water, Water All Around

"It's a perfect spot," said Town Councilman Len Bernard. Last week he introduced a resolution requesting the two town departments to work together on a plan for the center and additional uses of the parcel.

The idea has been discussed before, but not until the town purchased the fishing station at the mouth of the harbor from Harry Macklowe in 1995 did the plans begin to coalesce.

"We never really had such a wonderful location before," said Larry Penny, director of the Natural Resources Department.

Mr. Penny offered an ecological inventory of the property and surrounding area. The long-unused fishing station is on a sandy spit of land that is now part of Maidstone Park. It faces a small cove, known as Folkstone Cove, and contains wetlands, small creeks, and a channel, creating a range of marine environments and water types.

Piping plovers nest nearby in Maidstone Park.

Focus On Environment

The town spends "a lot of money on the environment and it's one of the things that attracts people to come here, but there's no place for people to come to learn about it," Mr. Bernard said this week.

Mr. Penny, Ken Scott, the director of the Parks Department, and private citizens who have been pushing the town to build such a center have no shortage of ideas for how the site might be improved. The old fishing station has not been used since the late 1970s and is in dire need of renovation.

Something For Everyone

Mr. Penny envisions a one-story building with a classroom, a "show and tell" area, live tanks for indigenous fish and invertebrates, and a lab.

The center might also be used for water-quality testing and aquaculture. It might include a concession for snacks and beverages, too.

Young people could press algae or measure and identify fish species. Biology teachers could take their classes to the center to do seining, and the town might offer workshops there in marine plantings for people who want to stabilize the dunes.

Some of the water quality testing and research now done at the offices of the Natural Resources Department could be moved to the Three Mile Harbor site.

Hands-On Activities

Mr. Scott and Mr. Penny have talked about running a summer program for children at the site, centering on the local environment and offering boating, marine collecting, and field trips. The spot would also be ideal for boating safety classes, both for adults and children.

Councilman Bernard sees a lot of hands-on activities at the center. Not only would children study models, maps, and charts of Three Mile Harbor and other marine habitats, they could take their education outside to see those habitats flourishing.

If the center becomes a reality the Trustees and the East Hampton Town Baymen's Association might hold their meetings there. Baymen might be called upon to give classes in bay fishing or the like to beginning mariners.

The center would also be open for programs of such groups as the South Fork Natural History Society, the Group for the South Fork, and the Nature Conservancy.

With a sizable wish list in mind, the task at hand is to draw up a plan showing exactly how the center will be used and managed, what the building and docks will look like, and how it will be funded. Money might come from foundations, private donors, and state or Federal grants, as well as town funds, Mr. Penny said.

He and Mr. Scott have been charged with putting together the nuts and bolts. They will consult with Richard Mendelman, the owner of the Three Mile Harbor Marina, Ross Perchik, an architect, and Rameshwar Das, the chairman of the Waterfront Advisory Committee, as well as the Town Board, the Trustees, the Planning and Highway Departments, the town's attorney and engineer, and the harbormasters.

By mid-June, it is hoped, a master plan will be ready. With the necessary funding, Mr. Penny hopes renovations can begin next year and that the center might open in 1998 or the year after.