South Shore Estuary News
Fall 2003

Along the Bayway

The Bayway Vision

Gardiner County Park, West Islip.

by Alan Svoboda
SSER Land Use Planning Specialist

Imagine... Envision.... Picture... These words open the introduction to A Vision for the South Shore Bayway, a report that establishes a unified vision of the natural, cultural, and historical assets of the South Shore Estuary Reserve and a strategy for the interpretation and promotion of these assets. The vision is a synthesis of the ideas contributed by participants of an SSER sponsored workshop and was guided by SSER Comprehensive Management Plan (CMP) objectives including "Increasing Public Use of the Estuary and Expanding Tourism," "Heightening Public Awareness of the Estuary" and more specifically the CMP recommendation for "Establishing a South Shore Estuary Reserve Coastal Heritage Trail". Representatives from across the Reserve participated in the visioning workshop.

Among the elements of the formulated vision thus far are: 1. An interwoven network of maritime centers, parks, historic and cultural sites community centers and waterfronts, collectively termed the "bayway"; 2. An internet based "virtual" interpretation of the bayway that can educate and prepare the potential visitor for their "real" experience; 3. Standardized signage that will interpret the local environment as well as convey the broader regional concept of the bayway; 4. An identified roadway spine that forms the primary physical connection of the bayway; and 5. Projects that will enhance pedestrian, biking, and boating routes at various locations throughout the bayway.

In developing an estuary-wide vision, the bayway will draw from current and future planning efforts of the individual partners of the SSER. Additionally, a Scenic Landscape Assessment will provide a comprehensive evaluation of the aesthetic qualities throughout the SSER, and will assist both in the placement of facilities and the focus of interpretive materials. Ongoing development of the bayway components will likely be an evolutionary process, and will depend to a large degree upon local initiative, as well as sources of funding. However it is accomplished, investment in a South Shore Estuary Bayway promises both economic and cultural returns that will complement efforts to protect the environmental quality of the SSER.