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Hallock State Park Preserve (formerly Jamesport State Park)[3] is a 225-acre (0.91 km2) state park and nature preserve located in the towns of Riverhead and Southold in Suffolk County, New York.[1][2] The park is situated on Long Island's north shore, with nearly one mile (1.6 km) of beachfront facing Long Island Sound.[4]
| Hallock State Park Preserve | |
|---|---|
  Location of Hallock State Park Preserve within New York State | |
| Type | State park, nature preserve |
| Location | Riverhead and Southold Suffolk County, New York |
| Coordinates | 40°58′59″N 72°35′20″W |
| Area | 225 acres (0.91 km2)[1] |
| Created | 2005[2] |
| Operated by | New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation |
| Website | Hallock State Park Preserve |
The property that was to become Hallock State Park Preserve was formerly used for illegal sand mining during the 1960s, and was once intended to host a nuclear power plant planned by the Long Island Lighting Company during the 1970s. KeySpan Energy took ownership of the land in 1998.[5]
It was purchased by New York State from KeySpan Energy in 2002 for $16 million; the purchase also included an additional 300 acres (1.2 km2) adjacent to the future park land.[6][7] Although the park officially opened as Jamesport State Park in 2005,[2] legal access to the undeveloped park was restricted until official trails and a welcome center could be constructed.[5][7]
A master plan was adopted for the park in 2010, at which time the park's name was changed from Jamesport State Park to Hallock State Park Preserve.[3] The name change was intended to address the fact that the park was not located in nearby Jamesport; instead the park was named after a pond on the property.[8]
Impending development of the park's facilities was announced in 2014 after $3 million in funding was secured in the state's budget. The state funds joined an additional $3.9 million of development money that was received from selling the adjacent 300 acres (1.2 km2) parcel as protected farmland.[7]
The 225-acre (0.91 km2)[1] park contains woodlands, open areas and a rare coastal perched pond, in addition to a one-mile-long (1.6 km) beach along Long Island Sound.[7] It is intended to serve as a nature preserve in addition to allowing passive recreation such as hiking, fishing, non-motorized boating, and seasonal horse-riding and scuba diving. There is a park office and nature center, trails, and a road that passes farmland leading to an upper parking lot and trails to Hallock Pond and the Sound.[3] The park boasts commanding views of the Long Island Sound.
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