Riverhead explores preserving 145-acre Baiting Hollow 4-H camp site

A 145.53-acre stretch in Baiting Hollow tied to a long-running 4-H camp has emerged as one of Riverhead’s most consequential land-use tests, with officials weighing whether to preserve the property or allow it to move toward redevelopment.

County Legislator Greg Doroski and Peconic Land Trust representative Julie Wesnofske met with the Riverhead Town Board on April 9 to discuss a possible acquisition of the parcel, which has been owned and operated by Nassau County as a camp for more than a century. The talks put the town, Suffolk County and the land trust into the same conversation around a site that is large enough to shape the future of a coastal section of eastern Suffolk.

The land-status map identifies the property at 145.53 acres, a size that makes it especially significant in a region where open land is increasingly scarce. In Baiting Hollow, a parcel that broad is not just a local holding; it is an environmental and planning asset, with implications for conservation, recreation and the character of the North Fork corridor.

The preservation effort now appears to be at an early stage. Riverhead’s discussion was framed as a first step, not a completed deal, which means the next phase will likely involve negotiations over price, timing and whether a package can be assembled before Nassau County decides to sell. That makes the land trust’s role, along with possible county and town participation, central to whether the property remains protected or becomes available for another use.

For Riverhead, the choice is larger than one parcel. Preserving the camp site would secure one of the town’s bigger open-space opportunities and keep a century-old coastal tract out of the redevelopment market. Losing it would mean another large piece of Baiting Hollow could be absorbed by development pressure, narrowing the range of options for future conservation on the East End.