Northeast Coastal Areas Study
Significant Coastal Habitats
Site 7 (NY)
I. SITE NAME: Orient Point - Islands Complex
II. LOCATION: A diverse complex of land, turbulent passages of water and islands extending out from the extreme eastern end of the North Fork of Long Island to Fishers Island, off the coast of southeastern Connecticut.
TOWN: Southold
COUNTY: Suffolk
STATE: New York
USGS 7.5 MIN QUADS: Greenport, NY 41072-13;
Orient, NY 41072-23; Plum Island, NY 41072-22
USGS 30x60 MIN QUAD: New Haven 41072-A1
III. GENERAL BOUNDARY: This elongate, sinuous land and water complex extends from, and includes, Orient Harbor, an embayment of Gardiners Bay along the North Fork shores south of the villages of East Marion and Orient, northeastward to the western edge of Fishers Island, a linear distance of approximately 18.5 miles (30 km) and generally ranging from 1 to 2 miles (2-3 km) in width over the length of the complex. Included within this boundary, beginning with Gull Pond Beach and Orient Harbor and traveling northeastwards, are: Long Beach and Long Beach Bay, Orient Beach, Orient Point, Plum Gut, Plum Island, Great and Little Gull Islands, and The Race (to the western end of Fishers Island). The Long Island habitat units of this complex are referred to here collectively as Orient Point. Plum Gut is the deep open water channel between Orient Point to the west and Plum Island to the east that links the waters of Gardiners Bay with the waters of eastern Long Island Sound. East of Plum Gut are the small, rocky morainal islands of Plum Island, Great Gull Island and Little Gull Island, forming the Islands portion of the complex. Finally, in the open water area lying northeast of the tiny island of Little Gull Island and southwest of the much larger Fishers Island, is that turbulent passage of open water known as The Race, a deepwater channel which is the primary area of tidal exchange between the waters of Long Island Sound and Block Island Sound. Each of these areas, including the general boundary of the complex, are delineated on the accompanying map.
IV. OWNERSHIP/PROTECTED STATUS: Essentially all of the waters and islands and most of the lands included within this complex are public lands or waters (State and Federal). There are, however, a few significant areas on Long Island that are privately-owned.
V. GENERAL HABITAT DESCRIPTION: The major habitat types of regional significance to fish, wildlife and plants in the Orient Point and Orient Harbor area are barrier beaches, salt marshes, shallow water embayments and maritime forest communities. The low dunes and vegetated upper portions of the sand and gravel beaches of Long Beach and Orient Beach contain characteristic beach plants such as beach sandwort (Arenaria peploides), beach pea (Lathyrus japonicus), beachgrass (Ammophila breviligulata) and beach plum (Prunus maritima). Much of the area around Orient Point consists of sand and gravel ridges and morainal deposits. On the ridges are found dry woodlands of post oak (Quercus stellata), black oak (Q. velutina) and pitch pine (Pinus rigida), while the depressions are mostly salt marshes and salt ponds, dominated by saltmarsh cordgrass (Spartina alterniflora) and glasswort (Salicornia spp.). On ridges close to the shore are nearly pure stands of red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), often growing in association with prickly pear (Opuntia compressa). The harbor area is mostly moderately shallow bay water with adjoining tidal wetlands.
The vegetation and habitat diversity of the islands vary with the size of the island, ranging from Plum Island, the largest of the three islands, with its rocky shorelines, sandy beaches, extensive wetlands and various upland shrub, grassland and forest habitats, to Little and Great Gull Islands, which are mostly small rocky islets dominated by grassy and herbaceous vegetation. The two water passages - Plum Gut and The Race - are both deepwater channels rising up to relatively shallow water shoals on each side. These areas correspond to openings in underwater ridges separating Long Island Sound from Gardiners Bay and Block Island Sound. Tidal amplitude at Orient Point is about 2.5 feet (0.76 meters); at Plum Island, 2.6 ft (0.79 m); and at Little Gull Island, 2.2 feet (0.67 m).
VI. SIGNIFICANCE/UNIQUENESS OF AREA: The stretch of sand beach along the peninsula of Long Beach and Orient Beach is a relatively extensive, high value site for nesting colonies of piping plover (Charadrius melodus), a U.S. Threatened species, and least tern (Sterna antillarum). It is considered to be one of the best sites on Long Island for piping plover, and is certainly of regional significance as a colonial bird-nesting site. Gull Pond Beach also contains nesting piping plovers. With regard to nesting of Federally-protected birds, however, Great Gull Island must be viewed as being of national, if not international, significance. This island is colonized by over 6,000 pairs of common tern (Sterna hirundo) and approximately 1,200 pairs of roseate tern (Sterna dougallii), a U.S. Endangered species. The Great Gull Island roseate tern colony is perhaps one of the most studied colonies of its type anywhere, and is the second largest breeding population of this species in North America. Together with Bird Island in Buzzards Bay, Massachusetts, and Falkners Island in Long Island Sound off the central coast of Connecticut, the roseate tern colonies on these three islands constitute over 90% of the North American breeding population of this species. Plum Island contains a colonial wading bird rookery of black-crowned night-heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) and great egret (Casmerodius albus).
Beaches and sand ridges in the Orient Point area contain populations of at least three regionally rare plant species, and historical records for several others: Scotch lovage (Ligusticum scothicum), slender knotweed (Polygonum tenue) and sea-beach knotweed (Polygonum glaucum). The latter is also found on Plum Island. Of special significance in this same area are stands of an unusual type of maritime red cedar forest, in which the individual trees are low-growing (3-6 feet in height; 1-2 meters) and circular in form, many of which are quite old. There is also an interesting stand of blackjack oak (Quercus marilandica) on Orient Point, the northern limit for this species.
The shallow waters of Orient Harbor provide important habitat for a variety of fish and wildlife species of special emphasis in the region, and are especially significant as wintering waterfowl concentration areas. These waters contain substantial winter populations of scoter (Melanitta spp.), greater and lesser scaup (Aythya marila and A. affinis), American black duck (Anas rubripes), common goldeneye (Bucephala clangula), bufflehead (Bucephala albeola), red-breasted merganser (Mergus serrator), oldsquaw (Clangula hyemalis), canvasback (Aythya valisineria), mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) and Canada goose (Branta canadensis). Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) nest and feed in the marshes around the Orient area, and also on Plum Island. Northern diamondback terrapin (Malaclemys t. terrapin) are found in this area and may breed here. Orient Harbor is considered to be one of the top bay scallop (Aequipecten irradians) producing areas in the region, supporting a significant commercial shellfishery. This area is also an important spawning, nursery and feeding area for weakfish (Cynoscion regalis), winter flounder (Pseudopleuronectes americanus) and scup (Stenotomus chrysops). Recent studies indicate that the waters of Gardiners Bay, the Peconic Bays and other bodies of water in this general area may serve as important summer feeding and nursery areas for juvenile Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii), one of the rarest sea turtles and a U.S. Endangered species, and for other Federally-protected sea turtle species. These waters are also important feeding areas for terns breeding on Great Gull Island.
The deep turbulent waters and shallow shoals of Plum Gut and The Race provide significant and diverse habitat for marine fishes of special emphasis in the region including large concentrations of striped bass (Morone saxatilis), bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), tautog (Tautoga onitis), summer flounder (Paralichthys dentatus) and scup, and are regionally important recreational fishing areas. These passages are the two primary migration corridors for striped bass as they move into Long Island Sound in spring to their breeding grounds and return to southern wintering areas during the fall. Plum Gut is thought to be the major migration corridor for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) returning to the Connecticut and Pawcatuck Rivers in the early spring. The Race supports a regionally significant commercial lobster (Homarus americanus) fishery.
VII. THREATS: As is the case with many, if not most, of the sandy beach areas in the Northeast that have nesting populations of colonial terns and piping plovers, the nesting beaches in the Orient Point area are threatened by human disturbances including beach-walking, boat landings, picnicking, deliberate vandalism, off-road vehicle use, unregulated dredging disposal and predation by pets and other species whose populations may have increased as a result of human activities. Plant successional changes, gull predation and prey availability are of particular concern as regards the roseate tern colony on Great Gull Island. Increased development of the shoreline in the Orient Harbor area could degrade water quality and the suitability of these waters and coastal habitats for fish and wildlife populations that depend upon these areas for feeding and nesting. Both The Race and Plum Gut are under heavy fishing pressure by charterboats and recreational fishermen.
VIII. CONSERVATION CONSIDERATIONS: Intensive management efforts are needed to eliminate or minimize human disturbances and intrusions into nesting colonies of terns and piping plovers at Orient Point during the critical nesting season (mid-April to August), utilizing all available means to accomplish this, including fencing, beach closures, posting, beach warden patrols and public education. In those colonies where predation is a significant problem, whether from pets, feral animals or certain problem native species such as raccoons or gulls, removal programs should be undertaken. Applicable tasks and objectives of the piping plover and roseate tern recovery plans should be implemented wherever possible, including the enhancement or restoration of degraded habitat sites. Identification, delineation and protection of main feeding areas should be given high priority for colonial waterbirds nesting in the general area. Management plans should be developed and implemented between the State, Town and conservation organizations to protect and manage the unique and rare plant communities and plant species on Orient Point. While much of the area is publicly owned and primarily in need of active resource management rather than acquisition, opportunities should be sought to protect or manage significant sites under private ownership through a variety of land protection mechanisms, including cooperative agreements, conservation easements, zoning and land-use regulations, enforcement of existing environmental statutes, land exchanges and acquisition, among other options. Commercially and recreationally harvested species of waterfowl and fish, especially at Plum Gut and The Race, need to be closely and scientifically monitored to ensure that optimum sustainable populations of these species are maintained over the area for the long term. Of particular concern are Atlantic salmon and striped bass migration concentrations passing through these areas in spring and fall and the heavy fishing pressures to which they are subjected.
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