Natural Areas of the South Shore of Long Island

Santapogue Creek Nature Trail
(West Babylon)

How to turn a barren, garbage-strewn site into a healthy and productive tidal wetland – that’s the environmental lesson demonstrated at the Santapogue Creek Wetland Restoration Site. It is an ideal place for educators and the public to learn how a destroyed wetland can be turned back into one that fully functions in ways that help the economy, the ecology, and neighborhood aesthetics.

The 3-acre site occupies a small peninsula on the west side of Santapogue Creek, just south of Montauk Highway in West Babylon. Two small islands, an osprey nest platform, a tidal pond and a stretch of the creek’s west shore surround the peninsula. A walk on two nature trails (half-mile round trip) allows you to examine the wetland restoration as it establishes itself from year to year.

A large area surrounding the site was healthy wetland before dredging spoils from the creek in the late 1930s destroyed it. The poor quality of the dredge spoil kept the site virtually barren for the next 60 years. With the loss of the wetland went the loss of its habitat, food source, and spawning area for finfish, shellfish, birds and other wildlife. Its role in stabilizing soil and preventing erosion and siltation disappeared, as did its benefits as a sponge and buffer against flooding. The community was left with an eyesore that attracted garbage dumping. A condominium development was proposed for the site in the mid nineteen eighties, but the site was acquired by Suffolk County in 1995.

In 1996, the Town of Babylon started restoring the wetland in cooperation with Suffolk County. A plan was carefully designed to ensure success. This included calculating elevations for various tidal levels. First, 12,000 cubic yards of sterile mud, gravel and sand (the dredge spoils), along with garbage, were removed. Town workers and numerous volunteers planted a total of 31,500 wetland plants and 164 wetland trees and shrubs.

Today, we have a normal-functioning tidal marsh of cord grasses and bulrush; an occasionally flooded marsh of high-marsh cord grass and black grass; and a storm tide wetland of switch grass, bayberry, high bush blueberry and sweet pepperbush. Trees such as American holly, silver maple, and red cedar grow can also be found.

The site has also attracted numerous wildlife. Great egret, great blue heron, and osprey have returned. Nest boxes for wood ducks encourage the return of this shy species. The new wetland now has a healthy spawning population of killifish, a promising sign for the commercial and recreational fisheries just downstream.

To arrange nature walks and guided tours of the site, contact Town of Babylon Department of Environmental Control, (631) 422-7640, 281 Phelps Lane, North Babylon, NY 11703. The area is county-owned, but operated by the town.

How to Get There: Take Sunrise Highway (Route 27) to exit 36. Head south on Wellwood Ave. to Montauk Highway (Route 27A). Turn left on Montauk Highway. In about 13 blocks, turn right on West Lake Drive (don’t cross the bridge over the creek). In a couple of blocks, look for the trail entrance on your left. The trail has a left and right fork, which when maintained, goes around two ends of the peninsula.

Currently the Town of Babylon has three other wetland restoration sites at Ketchams Creek in Copiague. One of these sites is a stormwater wetland designed to treat polluted runoff. Take Southern State Parkway to exit 32 and head south on Broadway. When you reach Merrick Road, turn left (east) and drive 0.75 mile to where it crosses Ketchams Creek.

Access Guide Introduction :: Map and Guide :: More Estuary Site Information
	Santapogue Creek Nature Trail (West Babylon) How to turn a barren, garbage-strewn site into a healthy and productive tidal wetland – that’s the environmental lesson demonstrated at the Santapogue Creek Wetland Restoration Site. It is an ideal place for educators and the public to learn how a destroyed wetland can be turned back into one that fully functions in ways that help the economy, the ecology, and neighborhood aesthetics. The 3-acre site occupies a small peninsula on the west side of Santapogue Creek, just south of Montauk Highway in West Babylon. Two small islands, an osprey nest platform, a tidal pond and a stretch of the creek’s west shore surround the peninsula. A walk on two nature trails (half-mile round trip) allows you to examine the wetland restoration as it establishes itself from year to year. A large area surrounding the site was healthy wetland before dredging spoils from the creek in the late 1930s destroyed it. The poor quality of the dredge spoil kept the site virtually barren for the next 60 years. With the loss of the wetland went the loss of its habitat, food source, and spawning area for finfish, shellfish, birds and other wildlife. Its role in stabilizing soil and preventing erosion and siltation disappeared, as did its benefits as a sponge and buffer against flooding. The community was left with an eyesore that attracted garbage dumping. A condominium development was proposed for the site in the mid nineteen eighties, but the site was acquired by Suffolk County in 1995. In 1996, the Town of Babylon started restoring the wetland in cooperation with Suffolk County. A plan was carefully designed to ensure success. This included calculating elevations for various tidal levels. First, 12,000 cubic yards of sterile mud, gravel and sand (the dredge spoils), along with garbage, were removed. Town workers and numerous volunteers planted a total of 31,500 wetland plants and 164 wetland trees and shrubs. Today, we have a normal-functioning tidal marsh of cord grasses and bulrush; an occasionally flooded marsh of high-marsh cord grass and black grass; and a storm tide wetland of switch grass, bayberry, high bush blueberry and sweet pepperbush. Trees such as American holly, silver maple, and red cedar grow can also be found. The site has also attracted numerous wildlife. Great egret, great blue heron, and osprey have returned. Nest boxes for wood ducks encourage the return of this shy species. The new wetland now has a healthy spawning population of killifish, a promising sign for the commercial and recreational fisheries just downstream. To arrange nature walks and guided tours of the site, contact Town of Babylon Department of Environmental Control, (631) 422-7640, 281 Phelps Lane, North Babylon, NY 11703. The area is county-owned, but operated by the town. How to Get There: Take Sunrise Highway (Route 27) to exit 36. Head south on Wellwood Ave. to Montauk Highway (Route 27A). Turn left on Montauk Highway. In about 13 blocks, turn right on West Lake Drive (don’t cross the bridge over the creek). In a couple of blocks, look for the trail entrance on your left. The trail has a left and right fork, which when maintained, goes around two ends of the peninsula. Currently the Town of Babylon has three other wetland restoration sites at Ketchams Creek in Copiague. One of these sites is a stormwater wetland designed to treat polluted runoff. Take Southern State Parkway to exit 32 and head south on Broadway. When you reach Merrick Road, turn left (east) and drive 0.75 mile to where it crosses Ketchams Creek.