This chapter shall be known and cited as the
"Town of East Hampton Nature Preserve."
A.
The purpose of this chapter is to establish a Town
Nature Preserve so that certain Town-owned properties can be protected.
B.
Due to the growth of the population and the development
of the economy in the Town, all Town-owned properties, except those
that are expressly designated by law for preservation and protection
in their natural condition, are subject to alteration by human activity.
It is necessary and desirable that portions of the Town's natural
diversity be set aside as natural areas for the benefit of present
and future generations in order to achieve the following objectives:
(1)
Heritage: to protect natural areas which provide living
museums of the original heritage of the Town and contribute to the
public health and welfare of the inhabitants. Rural ambiance and environmental
quality have traditionally contributed to the Town's economic base
and continue to provide economic opportunity to the residents of the
Town.
(2)
Environmental quality: to protect the existing and,
where desirable, to promote an improved environmental quality of natural
areas in the Town, including but not limited to critical environmental
areas, significant coastal fish and wildlife habitats and unique site
types.
(3)
Habitat for aquatic and upland ecological communities:
to preserve ecosystems and the rich diversity of flora and fauna living
thereon, including rare, threatened, endangered and protected species.
(4)
Unique geological features: to protect the diversity
of unique geological features found within the Town, including beaches,
dunes, bluffs, hoodoos, swales, kettleholes, kames, morainal highlands
and outwash plains.
(5)
Wetlands: to protect wetlands as a means of flood
control, water purification and breeding and nursery grounds for shellfish,
fin fish and other aquatic flora and fauna.
(6)
Recreational, educational and scientific opportunities:
to provide opportunities for wilderness-like experiences, diverse
recreational activities and environmental educational programs and
academic research programs.
(7)
Buffer areas: to provide buffer areas to existing
natural areas.
(8)
Watershed areas: to protect watershed areas critical
to recharging precipitation into the Town's sole-source aquifer or
maintaining surface water quality.
C.
It is, therefore, the public policy of the Town to
secure for the people of present and future generations the benefits
of an enduring resource of natural areas by establishing a Town Nature
Preserve and to provide for the protection of the Town-owned properties
placed within the Nature Preserve.
The following words and expressions, where used
in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them by this
section:
The process by which any Town-owned property shall be included within the Town of East Hampton Nature Preserve in accordance with the procedures set forth in § 182-11.
The Town of East Hampton Planning Department and/or the Town
of East Hampton Natural Resources Department.
[Added 2-4-2016 by L.L. No. 4-2016]
Garbage, refuse, rubbish, and handbills, as such are defined in Chapter 167, and any and all other waste materials which, if thrown or deposited as herein prohibited, tend to create a danger to public health, safety and welfare or render public places or private property unsightly, including newspapers, household waste, yard waste, and construction and demolition debris.
Illegal/unauthorized signs deemed litter. Any sign erected or
existing in violation of the East Hampton Town Code shall be deemed
"litter" and shall be subject to the provisions of this chapter relating
thereto.
Any area of land or water owned by the Town which is formally
dedicated to being maintained as nearly as possible in its natural
condition; said area either retains, to some degree, its primeval
character (though it need not be completely natural and undisturbed
at the time of its dedication) or has endangered, threatened, special
concern or rare species of flora or fauna, unique geological or hydrogeological
features, wetlands or features of scientific or educational value;
and which area is used in a manner and under limitations consistent
with its continued preservation, without impairment, disturbance or
artificial development, for the public purposes of scientific research,
watershed preservation, aquifer protection, education, aesthetic enjoyment
and providing habitat for plant and animal species and communities
and other natural objectives.
The official list of Town-owned properties that have been
dedicated to the Nature Preserve.
The Town of East Hampton located within the County of Suffolk,
State of New York.
The duly elected and constituted legislative body of the
Town of East Hampton.
