Flax Pond lies at the very heart of Old Field Village, Setauket, one hundred and thirty-five acres of salt marsh, a place of great biodiversity and natural beauty. It is an ecosystem which includes all of us. Her tides mirror the tides of our lives; her crabs and birds flit in rhythms of foraging and mating that we recognize. Her waters hide treasures of shellfish and finfish, of myriad life forms whose secrets we seek. Her serene beauty beckons us to renewal and reflection within her.
We neighbors, who are The Friends of Flax Pond, gather throughout the year to celebrate this natural resource and explore her mysteries. Our mission is to foster a sense of community stewardship for the preservation of Flax Pond and her natural ecosystem. To learn more about what the nature of this stewardship should be, we work closely with environmental scientists, many from Stony Brook University and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), as well as from other environmental groups in our neighborhood and region. Together, we have developed a partnership of organizations and individuals committed to Flax Pond and its preservation.
In 2004, this collaboration of Flax Pond stewards found common cause through sponsorship of a Winter Lectures Series on the ecology and management of Flax Pond. In July 2004 came the Flax Pond Summer Institute, a cooperative effort that initiated a series of habitat monitoring projects within the Pond with the help of local high school students. These projects are scientifically designed and supervised to gather data on different organisms and aspects of the ecology of Flax Pond. The goal is to bring citizens to an awareness of the pond that is both scientific and aesthetic, and also to collect data that, over time, can inform and guide the protection of its natural ecosystem.
We invite you to join our stewardship effort and become a member of the Friends of Flax Pond. Help us to learn about this salt marsh and guard its vitality for future generations. Come to our lectures, participate in our Flax Pond Summer Institute, or join us as we help the DEC in its spring horseshoe crab count.
Be sure to attend the Friends of Flax Pond Winter Lecture Series.
For information on the Friends of Flax Pond, or its lecture series:
Email: flaxpondfriends@earthlink.net
Phone: (631) 941-9404
To join the Friends of Flax Pond, please print, complete, and send the membership form.
Modified January 6, 2006
