FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Rachel Bosworth [email protected]

BAY TO SOUND TRAIL EXPLORATIONS AND CLEANUPS New Trails in Town of Southold Ready for the Public

(Southold, New York… October 2018) Group for the East End (groupfortheeastend.org) and Town of Southold are moving forward with the third phase of the Bay to Sound Project to cleanup a series of newly created trails connecting from Peconic Bay to the Long Island Sound in Southold and Greenport. Throughout the month of October, the Group, the Town, and fellow Southold citizens will lead volunteer efforts and explorations. Below is the schedule for the next month:

Explore Arshamomaque Preserve Sunday, October 7, 2018 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. Join one of the Group’s naturalists as we wander through the newest section of Arshamomaque Preserve. We will be looking for animals of all sizes and the evidence they leave behind – including the resident River Otters. Footprints, nests, burrows, scrapings and animal signs will be our targets during this nature walk, while we also learn about native and invasive plants, vernal pools, and future plans for the Bay to Sound Project. This is a family-friendly exploration.

For reservations and meeting location, please contact Christine at 631-765-6450 ext. 215 or [email protected].

Trail Cleanups Throughout the Bay to Sound Trail System Saturday, October 13, 2018 (Arshamomaque Preserve – meet at Main and Pipes Neck Roads) Saturday, October 20, 2018 (Pipes Neck Road – 1/8 South of Main Road) Sunday, October 28, 2018 (Arshamomaque Preserve – meet at Chapel Lane parking area) *All are 8 to 10:30 a.m. Take pride in your town by joining one or more (or even all three!) trail cleanups this fall in one of the many preserves that make up the Bay to Sound Trail System. Activities include: trail clearing, raking/spreading wood chips, and garbage removal from legacy dumping. Gloves, bags and necessary equipment will be provided, as well as water and snacks. Perfect feel good activity for the soul or if you have community volunteer service requirements.

For more information, please contact Aaron at 631-765-6450 x218 or [email protected]

The Town of Southold had received a grant from the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation to add to existing trails, connecting them to create trails that would go from Long Island Sound to Peconic Bay. The Town then contracted Group for the East End to lead the volunteer effort to get this project started, which began in April 2018 and involved removing brush, trash, and clearing paths for people to walk/hike, etc. In this next phase, nature outings led by the Group invite locals and visitors alike to help make a different from bay to sound. Future events in the works include the exploration of new preserves, breeding bird surveys, river otter monitoring, dragonfly workshops, and more.

For more information about Group for the East End, visit groupfortheeastend.org or call 631.765.6450. Find them online at Facebook/groupeastend, Instagram/@groupfortheeastend, and Twitter/@g4ee. For media inquiries, contact Rachel Bosworth at [email protected] or 631.220.1220.