The Town of Oyster Bay’s survey of Stillwell Woods Park and Preserve is still underway months after the town announced it, leading one Syosset resident to question the town’s commitment to protecting the 287-acre property.
Ron Ganz, a Syosset resident who said he has advocated for the Stillwell Park and Preserve for 25 years and began the “Save Our Stillwell Woods Preserve” petition, pressed the Oyster Bay Town board during the public comment period of its Tuesday, March 10 meeting, saying that he is concerned about the property’s future and that he wants the survey of the preserve to be completed.
More than 3,300 people have signed a petition in support of the Stillwell Woods Preserve, seeking to keep the 287-acre area as it is and prevent future development. The petition says the transfer of the property from the county to the town will “open an unprecedented door to decimating wildlife habitat and picturesque trail vistas in a perpetual preserve that rests atop a special groundwater protection area.”
During the interaction on Tuesday, Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said the survey of the property, which was announced in September, is still being worked on.
Ganz read a message he brought with him from a town resident who said that “undeveloped woodland is becoming exceedingly rare as more land is converted to housing, commercial uses and infrastructure.”
Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino said the town board agreed with Ganz and that their focus has been on protecting the Stillwell Woods Park and Preserve. He said the town has taken steps to protect and clean up the property.
”We’re not looking to develop, we’re not looking to change, we’re looking to preserve,” Saladino said.
But Ganz pushed back, saying the town has done little for garbage cleanup on the property and that a section of woods, which was supposed to be protected land, was cleared.
Saladino immediately denied that the town had cleared any wooded land.
Ganz also said the town’s survey has taken months longer than expected and he said no definitive markings separate the sports fields and the preserve.
The Nassau County Legislature unanimously approved the transfer of the preserve to the town earlier in 2025. As part of the agreement, Stillwell Park and Preserve would receive $12 million in upgrades.
Ganz previously said that, despite the agreement stating that a survey of the land was needed, town officials initially told him there would be no survey.
He said that in July, he met with legal representatives from the Town of Oyster Bay to discuss the future of the preserve and said he was told by the town that the county did not want to invest more money into the athletic fields, leading to the transfer.
The town announced in September that it was hiring GdB Geospatial of Melville to survey Stillwell Woods Park and Preserve for roughly $97,000. The town initially said it would take five to six weeks to complete the survey, but months later, the survey is still incomplete.
Town officials previously cited accuracy assurance and compliance with protective covenants as the cause of the delay. Saladino said on Tuesday that the survey was initially delayed by its high cost, and he said the town’s financial commitment shows the board wants it done properly.
“Your financial commitment was a requirement,” Ganz said back to Saladino.
Ganz also said on Tuesday that the town has tried to push through the transfer of the property from the county as a Type 2 SEQRA, rather than a Type 1 significant impact SEQRA, as determined by the Nassau County Planning Commission during a 2024 meeting for the Nassau County Open Space and Parks Advisory Committee.
The committee, at the time, had said there weren’t enough protections in place to prevent future development on the open space at the time of the vote before the transfer.
Saladino said multiple times during the exchange that the town has committed to protecting the preserve’s environment and that it was “his understanding” that there will be a delineation between the preserve and the sports field on the property, something that Ganz has long pushed for.
Ganz said he is also concerned about the preservation of the land during future administrations, saying there will come a time when he is unable to advocate for its protection.
“We are looking for the absolute guarantee of the protection of the wooded portion of the preserve,” Ganz said.
He also said he is worried about the property’s future and wants the town to enact legislation to protect the preserve from development.
“It’s five years, it’s ten years from now. That’s what I’m worried about,” he said.
