Avalon Nature Reserve to reopen for first time since August downpour

After weeks of closure due to historic storms last month, Avalon Nature Preserve in Stony Brook announced it will reopen its trails to the public on Tuesday.

Executive director Katherine Griffiths said the reserve would be open as usual during the autumn, from 7am to 7pm, and visitors could park in designated car parks along Shep Jones Lane.

Griffiths said the reserve experienced mostly water damage and trail erosion, pushing sediment and soil into other areas. The storm also knocked down several trees.

Reserve staff used the storm’s aftermath as an opportunity to revisit trails that had long been in need of renovation, Griffiths said.

“We’ve been open since 2001, so we’ve had a lot of foot traffic here,” she said.

Several trails, such as the area near the reserve’s yellow trail, have been rerouted due to erosion. But because there was no physical damage to the buildings, everything will look the same, Griffiths said.

“Other than changing trail routes, people shouldn’t notice any difference here,” she said.

After obtaining consent from the Village Mayor... — After receiving approval from the Village of Head of the Harbor earlier this month, Avalon Nature Preserve is in the process of converting Birdsfoot Farm into a working farm. It would be one of the few working farms in western Suffolk County. Kathy Griffiths, executive director of Avalon Nature Preserve, is shown at the farm Wednesday, May 3, 2023. Source: Newsday/John Paraskevas

There are also conservation programs in operation, such as the monthly Avalon Observatory program.

The reserve was closed on August 19 after the North Shore was hit by heavy rains that caused major damage to homes, roads and businesses.

Harbor Road, which leads to one of the entrances to the preserve and is a thoroughfare connecting Stony Brook Village with the preserve, collapsed during the storm, draining Mill Pond, damaging several homes and killing wildlife.

Even though Avalon does not manage Mill Pond, dozens of people came to the site the day after the storms to express their concerns about the condition of the preserve.

The reserve has suffered major damage in recent years due to hurricanes and Winter Storm Nemo in 2013.

Griffiths said the community should continue to support the Ward Melville Heritage Organization, which manages the pond.

“There’s a lot of sentimentality around the pond. People can’t wait to get back,” Griffiths said. “It’s good to be able to give people access again.”

Maureen Mullarkey is a current affairs reporter for Newsday. She previously worked as a reporter at Patch, where she covered a variety of Long Island stories on topics including the bankruptcy of the Rockville Centre diocese and the abuse scandals at the Babylon School District.