The Setauket to Port Jefferson Station Greenway Newsletter
Volume 2, Issue 10
December 2022
The Trail Mix is the monthly newsletter of The Friends of the Greenway. We established this bulletin to keep the Friends and users of the Greenway current on some of the “goings- on” regarding our Trail and to dispense a mix of bits and bytes of flavorful information. Hopefully, The Trail Mix will help to enlighten, inform, and entertain our readers. The Friends of the Greenway is a committee of our parent organization – The Three Village Community Trust.
Happy Holidays
Save the Date – Monday, December 5th, 7:30pm
It may be of interest to you to attend the upcoming meeting of the Three Village Civic Association on Monday, December 5th at 7:30pm. This meeting will focus of traffic safety – a topic often visited in this newsletter. As you know, our roads are becoming more and more dangerous for pedestrians and bicyclists. There will be a number of speakers, including Suffolk County police officers. Come to learn, and speak, to help make our roads safer. The meeting is at the Setauket Firehouse on NYS Route 25A.
Take me Away, Part II
We all know the Greenway. It is a remarkable recreational space that is widely used throughout the year. But sometimes you want to break out and visit another place to get your exercise and a bit of fresh air. So, we thought we would review some of the other bike and pedestrian friendly venues in the community in the next few issues.
The Nora Bredes Preserve at Forsythe Meadows – This is one of our newer, and most unique walks in the Three Villages! Also known as Stony Brook’s Last Forest and renamed in honor of the late Suffolk County Legislator Nora Bredes, this 36 acre park sits in the heart of Stony Brook. Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn worked tirelessly to see this area open to the public. Now, it is available to the public! You can walk a variety of terrains – meadows, hills, and valleys – and get an unrivaled elevated view of Stony Brook Harbor and Stony Brook Village. At this time of the year with the leaves gone from the trees, the views of the harbor are unrivaled. Since this preserver is not heavily used, you can almost guarantee a quite walk any time of the year. Access can be found on Hollow Road in Stony Brook. Look for the Suffolk County Park’s sign near a stone wall entry way on Hollow Road. Drive up the unmarked road and at the top you will find several parking spots.
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Remember – the Trail Mix hibernates in January and February but will be returning in the Spring with a new, different look! Can’t wait!!
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Thank you, Scout Leader Rob DeStefano for sharing this wonderful story –
“I’m proud to confirm to you that Cub Scout Pack 354 continues to pitch in our support, completing our fall cleanup on our respective section of the Greenway Trail yesterday, November 19th. We found the half-moon section looping from just south of the train bridge on Gnarled Hollow Road up to the top of the hill on the same side of Gnarled Hollow to be in generally good condition. Our scouts and parents spent our time widening the Trail by clearing leaves off the edges. Eleven Scouts (about one-quarter of our Pack) and their parents completed this work in roughly 75 minutes.
As always, several Trail users saw our Scouts in action, with some stopping to thank us for the work. On behalf of our Scouts, I can say it is an honor and with pride that we volunteer in service to our community.
Attached are photos for your reference, and please feel welcome to share as you desire – in the Trail Mix newsletter and any other outlets you wish.
Yours in Scouting,
Rob DeStefano”
A happy Pack 354!
These Cubs are Champs!
Working hard! Thank you, Scouts, parents and Scout leaders!
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Want to become a Trail Steward?
Why not join the Greenway Team? Email Herb or Charlie:
HJMones@gmail.com
cfmcateer@gmail.com
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Missed an issue of the Trail Mix? Check out threevillagecommunitytrust.org to view past issues!
Remember This: The Three Village Community Trust is our parent organization and is now holding its Annual Membership Drive! Without the Trust, the Friends of the Greenway would not have the needed financial support and the organizational capacity to effectively maintain our stewardship of the trail.
So, if you are a Greenway user, a trail advocate, or simply someone committed to the community, please consider joining the Trust today to “Protect the Places You Love.”
Didn’t join in 2022, well here is your opportunity to sign-up for the new year- 2023!!!
Membership Form for 2023 – Click Here to Join!
Wow, it was a great idea!
If you remember, back in the Fall of 2021, we announced we are running advertisements and messages to fund Greenway projects. We wrote:
Want to advertise your business or service, and at the same time help the Greenway?
With the wild popularity of The Trail Mix (or at least we’d like to think so), we have decided to give businesses and individuals an opportunity to advertise in our newsletter. At the end of The Trail Mix, we’ll post advertisements and personal messages for the whooping sum of $25 per issue. All proceeds will go to the care and maintenance of the Greenway – gloves, tools, trash bags, cleaning supplies, and other basic necessities for the Trail Stewards and volunteers.
Interested in advertising: Contact hjmones@gmail.com with your content, and the payment method and other details will be emailed back to you!
Well, here are some of our advertisements:
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Bagel Express at 15-5 Bennetts Road in Setauket. Owned and operated by David Prestia, Bagel Express generously donates the catering of our Trail Steward breakfasts. Delicious bagels, hot, steaming coffee – sooo good! For the second year in a row, The Trail Mix has voted Bagel Express #1 for breakfast and lunch, and all of your catering needs. Thanks, Dave.
Also – Dave was THE generous sponsor for the Chicken Hill BBQ. He provided the food and refreshments, as well as the wait staff! We appreciate all of his contributions to the Trust!
A Big Friend of the Trust is Swan Cove Landscaping (631-689-8089). Swan Cove does a whole line of services – lawn maintenance, pruning, stone walls, firewood. Dave Fortuna, owner/operator, donates many, many of his services to the Trust. The result – our properties always look great! Thank you, Dave!
And of note: Not only did Dave get the lawn mowed and looking great for the recent Chicken Hill event. He also took down a dangerous, leaning tree on the property. We are highly appreciative of his generous work for the Friends of the Greenway and the Trust!
Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn is our Trail booster! Kara can be found running on the Greenway, picking up litter on the Greenway, and ‘talking up’ the Greenway with her constituents. We thank Kara for her support!
And, we would like to recognize a special donor to the Greenway:
Emerald Magic Lawn Care’s horticultural consultant, Craig den Hartog has been providing flower bulbs for the Greenway over many years at “no cost.” We planted a big bulk of these bulbs at the kiosk on Gnarled Hollow Road, Setauket.
Craig generosity is part of his beautification effort known as Old Town Blooms. And, Craig was a driving force behind the recent Great Daffodil Dash benefiting the Port Jefferson Station-Terryville community! Why not support Emerald Magic who supports us!
www.EmeraldMagic.com
631-286-4600
631-804-9205
194-4 Morris Ave
Holtsville, NY 11742
Want to help the Friends of the Greenway? Here are three ways:
- Become a member of the Three Village Community Trust!
- Donate during our parent organization’s $50,000 Maria Hoffman Challenge Grant. The kick off for the matching challenge was in October 2022, and will continue until October 2023. As of November 2022, we have already raised $30,000 towards the $50,000 matching challenge. Wow!
- This really Helps: Please consider the “Care to Share Program” at Investors Bank on Route 25A in Setauket. If you have an existing or newly established account at Investors Bank, simply by designating the Three Village Community Trust as your favorite not-for-profit, we will receive regular donations by Investors Bank to our organization!
Editor-in-Chief: Herb Mones
