Recently, you may have been among those who let their voices be heard in support of NYS Parks. Thank you for letting your political representatives know how much Connetquot River State Park Preserve and all NY parks contribute to the quality of life of our community.  Your support made all the difference in keeping our parks open.

Additionally, as a past supporter and Friend of Connetquot River Preserve you have demonstrated the importance of this special preserve to you and your family.  Again, thank you for your past gifts.  Direct community support is crucial for it does more than help maintain and enhance the Preserve, it shows elected officials and charitable institutions from whom we are soliciting grants that you care enough to invest in the Preserve's future.

Members' generosity has allowed us to offer a new benefit to you, the Friends' Lecture Series.  The first of these programs by Gary Lawton was very well received.  Not only did he give everyone in the audience a deeper appreciation of the uniqueness of Connetquot River Preserve, but reaffirmed our dedication to its preservation.  On June 19th, Harry W. Havemeyer spoke to a standing-room-only audience about the cultural history of the Southside Sportsmen’s Club. He related the founding of the Club and its prominent members, such as William K. Vanderbilt, into the wider context of national events.  The last lecture of this year's series, on September 25th, will present Linda Kasten, artist, past president of the now dissolved William K. Vanderbilt Historical Society and present educator in the Environmental Office of NY State Parks.  Ms. Kasten will further expand on the history of the site with her topic “From Sportsmen’s Club to Park Preserve.”  We hope you will take advantage of these informative lectures and join us.

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Your contributions are at work on the Oakdale Grist Mill. Unfortunately, greater than expected insect damage on the frame’s structural beams requires treatment with epoxy to strengthen the wood. Keeping the original fabric is paramount, but some beams may need to be replaced.

Help us attain our vision of a working mill that will be a tribute to the history of Long Island.

Your donations are still at work in the restoration of the Grist Mill, a process that is far from complete.  The final phases of construction have revealed substantial insect damage to the structural beams, so the Friends are seeking support to commission a report that, when complete, will give an accurate account of the Mill's current condition and will detail the scope-of-work remaining to complete the restoration and estimate the cost.  To partially fund this report, the Friends have applied for a Preserve NY grant from the Preservation League of NY State. We are actively reaching out to institutional grant makers to supplement the support we get from our members and to fund our organizational development.  In May of this year we were awarded a Get Set grant from the Upstate History Alliance.  This grant is to begin developing a strategic plan for both expanding our membership and for the future use of the restored Grist Mill, which we envision as a museum dedicated to Long Island history.  The plan will help guide us in making that vision a reality.

While there have been many successes, there is still much to do.  We hope you will continue to support the Friends' work by considering a gift to this midyear appeal.  Your donation will help leverage the grants for the Mill restoration and support our public programs.  Remember, that every cent of your gift goes to benefit the Connetquot River Preserve.

We cannot thank you enough for your support of the Friends of Connetquot.