History & Accomplishments

In 1970, a small group of concerned citizens organized themselves in order to block plans by developers to build 1,400 houses near Big Reed Pond in Montauk. Their success led to the creation of Theodore Roosevelt County Park. Since then, CCOM has grown to become one of the most effective environmental groups in Eastern Long Island, playing a major role in preserving State, County and local parks such as Camp Hero, Shadmoor, Hither Woods, Culloden Point, The Sanctuary and Amsterdam Beach, and helping to successfully protect more than 70% of Montauk’s land.

Today thousands of residents and tens of thousands of visitors enjoy the trails, beaches, scenic vistas, and unique rugged beauty of Montauk because of CCOM’s work.

LAND PRESERVATION

1975: Montauk County Park (formerly Theodore Roosevelt County Park) – 1,157 Acres
1983: Camp Hero – 278 Acres
1986: Hither Hills (North) – 557 Acres
1988: Hither Hills (South) – 777 Acres
1991: The Sanctuary – 340 Acres
1995: Culloden – 192 Acres
1999: The Benson Reservation – 43 Acres
2000: Shadmoor – 99 Acres
2005: Amsterdam Beach – 123 Acres
2014: Ft. Pond House @ Carol Morrison Park – 4 Acres
2016: Montauk Moorlands – 12 Acres

OTHER ACCOMPLISHMENTS:

1971 – 1978:  Protected Montauk from the threat of oil drilling off the Montauk coastline
1971 – 2001: Opposed marina development which threatened water quality in Lake Montauk and Fort Pond Bay
1984 – 2005: Led the coalition to stop high-speed ferries from docking in Montauk
1992: Worked for the inclusion of Peconic Bay into the National Estuary Program
1993 – 2004: Stopped the dumping of toxic dredge spoils in LI Sound and the NY Bight
1998: Joined forces to create the Community Preservation Fund (CPF), a land bank funded through a 2% real estate transfer tax
2014: Saved Ft. Pond House from public sale; renamed as Ft. Pond House at Carol Morrison Park in dedication to CCOM’s 1982-1991 President
2016: Advocated for referendum passage to extend the CPF through 2050 and to allow 20% of its proceeds to be used for water quality improvement
2016: Advocated for referendum passage to extend the CPF through 2050 and to allow 20% of its proceeds to be used for water quality improvement
2016: Fought to rezone ED40 from resort to residential, the 4-acre site of the former East Deck Motel, permanently eliminating the possibility of a restaurant or private club as was proposed in 2014.
2017: Launched public awareness campaign on the effects of septic tanks on water quality, facilitating homeowners to upgrade to new low-nitrogen, Innovative Alternative (I/A) systems.
2018: Launched Harmful Algal Bloom (HAB) testing in partnership with The Gobler Lab at Stony Brook Southampton.
2018: Partnered with Gurney’s Montauk Yacht Club, Cornell Cooperative Extension to bring shellfish nursery to Lake Montauk
2018: Contracted United States Geological Survey (USGS) for microbial source tracking project in Lake Montauk to identify sources of pollutants.
2020: Deployed new spat-on-shell oyster reef in Lake Montauk, partnering with Gurney’s Star Island Resort & Marina, Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program.
2020: Began a 3-year pilot program for innovative floating wetlands to help combat water quality issues in Ft. Pond.
2021: Launched “Save Montauk’s Waters” public awareness campaign, to increase understanding of the water quality issues in Montauk’s local waters.