Amsterdam Beach State Park is a undeveloped

state park State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the sub-national level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural ...

on the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

in the Town of East Hampton just east of Montauk,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. The land is also known as the Amsterdam Beach Preserve.

History

The area is referred to locally as the Montauk Moorlands, and was privately owned prior to the state's initial purchase of in 2005. The land was acquired for a total of $16.5 million, of which the Town of East Hampton paid $6 million, Suffolk County paid $5.5 million, New York State paid $4 million, and $1 million was paid from a federal grant. At the time of its purchase, the property represented one of the largest unprotected continuous tracts of undeveloped land in Montauk. An additional of adjacent property was acquired in 2008, increasing the park's size to nearly . The property is owned jointly by New York State, the Town of East Hampton and Suffolk County.

Park description

The park, located between

Shadmoor State Park Shadmoor State Park is a state park located in Suffolk County, New York in the United States. Created in 2000, the park is located in Town of East Hampton on the South Fork of Long Island, east of the hamlet of Montauk. History Prior to be ...

and the

Nature Conservancy The Nature Conservancy (TNC) is a global environmental organization headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. it works via affiliates or branches in 79 countries and territories, as well as across every state in the US. Founded in 1951, The Nat ...

's Andy Warhol Preserve, is largely undeveloped and is maintained with the intention of preserving its value as natural habitat. It includes of ocean frontage, several ponds and of tidal and freshwater wetlands. Woody vegetation at Amsterdam Beach consists mainly of shadbush (''

Amelanchier ''Amelanchier'' ( ), also known as shadbush, shadwood or shadblow, serviceberry or sarvisberry (or just sarvis), juneberry, saskatoon, sugarplum, wild-plum or chuckley pear,A Digital Flora of Newfoundland and Labrador Vascular Plants/ref> is a g ...

''), highbush blueberry (''

Vaccinium corymbosum ''Vaccinium corymbosum'', the northern highbush blueberry, is a North American species of blueberry which has become a food crop of significant economic importance. It is native to eastern Canada and the eastern and southern United States, from O ...

''), black cherry ('' Prunus serotina''), arrowwood (''

Viburnum dentatum ''Viburnum dentatum'', southern arrowwood or arrowwood viburnum or roughish arrowwood, is a small shrub, native to the eastern United States and Canada from Maine south to northern Florida and eastern Texas. Like most '' Viburnum'', it has oppos ...

''), and several species of holly ('' Ilex''). The land hosts several regionally threatened species, including

northern harrier The northern harrier (''Circus hudsonius''), or ring-tailed hawk, is a bird of prey. It breeds throughout the northern parts of the northern hemisphere in Canada and the northernmost USA. The northern harrier migrates to more southerly areas ...

s, spotted turtles and

Cooper's hawk Cooper's hawk (''Accipiter cooperii'') is a medium-sized hawk native to the North American continent and found from southern Canada to Mexico. This species is a member of the genus ''Accipiter'', sometimes referred to as true hawks, which are f ...

s, and is additionally utilized by shorebirds and migratory bird species following the Atlantic Flyway. A number of

amphibian Amphibians are four-limbed and ectothermic vertebrates of the class Amphibia. All living amphibians belong to the group Lissamphibia. They inhabit a wide variety of habitats, with most species living within terrestrial, fossorial, arbo ...

s, including the protected

blue-spotted salamander The blue-spotted salamander (''Ambystoma laterale'') is a mole salamander native to the Great Lakes states and northeastern United States, and parts of Ontario and Quebec in Canada. Their range is known to extend to James Bay to the north, and ...

, have been observed at Amsterdam Beach. A network of trails was completed on the property in 2011.

References

{{authority control East Hampton (town), New York State parks of New York (state) Parks in Suffolk County, New York Protected areas established in 2005 2005 establishments in New York (state)

History

Park description

See also

References