Mashomack Preserve hosts a Celebration Picnic giving nature lovers an opportunity to meet the behind-the-scenes team that runs the place as the summer season begins.
The Celebration Picnic is Sunday, May 29, from 4 to 6 PM on the Manor House lawn in the heart of the 2,350-acre Preserve known as “The Jewel of the Peconic.”
On behalf of The Nature Conservancy, which owns and operates Mashomack, Manor House Manager Rebecca Mundy invites guests to bring their own picnic meal and a blanket to spread on the Manor House lawn or beach chairs. Preserve staff will coordinate lawn games, hand seining at Bass Creek, and other activities fun for the whole family.
Tom Hashagen and Friends will perform, and the Top Hops Beach Shop Vintage Tap Truck will provide beer and wine (please note, no outside alcoholic beverages are permitted).
Meet the team,
newcomer Cody-Marie Miller
Mundy says the event is a chance for Preserve fans to meet newcomer Cody-Marie Miller. TNC recently hired Miller as Conservation and Stewardship Manager for Mashomack, replacing Alex Novarro, who was promoted to a TNC position in Connecticut.
Before arriving at Mashomack, Miller worked at The Nature Conservancy in Florida, where she served as land conservation coordinator and was part of a land management team responsible for 23,000 acres in central Florida. Her responsibilities included oversight of two flagship preserves, The Disney Wilderness Preserve and Tiger Creek Preserve.
She recently settled on the Island, enrolling her daughter in first grade at the Shelter Island School.
And you can also get to know the rest of the Preserve team:
- Cindy Belt, Education and Outreach Coordinator
- Clarissa Tybaert, Office Manager
- Rebecca Kusa, Outreach Program Coordinator
- Doug Bellomo, Building and Grounds Manager
- Dan Ritzler, Mashomack Preserve Steward
- Deb Bellomo, Guest Relations Assistant
- Sarah Lewis, seasonal Conservation Education Assistant
- Elizabeth Cummings, seasonal Conservation Steward
- Jacob Bradway, seasonal Conservation Steward
While pandemic restrictions on gathering initially prompted TNC to scale back some in-person programming, trails remained open, and Mashomack saw greater attendance than ever, Mundy said. “It’s a quiet, safe place for everyone to come.”
She credits Mashomack’s supporters, its staff, and large, active volunteer corps for using the time productively to maintain and enhance the Preserve. Recent projects include expanding and improving parking at the main entrance, upgrading trails, and adding picnic tables and benches at key locations.
“We’ve been working all this time and making all of this happen,” Mundy said.
Celebration Picnic for a very special place
The popular Environmental Explorers summer youth program is back for three sessions in July and August (find details on the Environmental Explorers webpage). And the Visitor Center is open again on weekends and organized activities have resumed.
For example, you can participate in a Summer Solstice Paddle at Mashomack on Tuesday, June 21 at 6 PM. Follow this link to sign up for the paddle no later than June 19.
“Mashomack is a very special place, and everyone holds it very close in their hearts,” Mundy said.
If that description fits, join the Celebration Picnic on Sunday, May 29, and help Mashomack Preserve and TNC kick off another season of advancing science, fostering collaboration, making a global impact, shaping practical policies, and safeguarding nature.
To learn more about Mashomack Preserve, visit www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/places-we-protect/long-island-mashomack/.
