North Fork Buzz
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🐝 Leave It Alone

🐝 Leave It Alone

Preservation Minded Buyers, Pipeline Gets a New Route, Meadow Mavens

Thomas Loncar
August 19, 2026

Together With

Good Morning, North Fork! We’re not saying you should abandon your responsibilities today. We’re just saying they’ll probably still be there tomorrow.

In today’s North Fork Buzz:

Preservation Minded Buyers
Pipeline Gets a New Route
Meadow Mavens

Ready, Set, Go!

The Lowdown

Preservation Minded Buyers 🌳

A nearly 40 acre slice of Cutchogue just changed hands for $9.8 million, and the new owners have a refreshingly simple plan for it: leave it alone.

Michael and Robin, a married couple with decades of North Fork ties, purchased four parcels along Oregon Road on the western side of an 88 acre conservation subdivision. The haul includes roughly 23 acres of vines currently leased by Wölffer Estate Vineyard, two 2.5 acre lots, and a 5 acre waterfront parcel with about 275 feet of beach.

And despite owning enough land to make a developer reach for a site plan, the couple says there are no houses or development projects coming. ($)

Get the full story 👉 Suffolk Times

Pipeline Gets a New Route 💧

The proposed North Fork Pipeline is back for another round of public hearings, but the plan looks a little different this time.

The Suffolk County Water Authority has shifted the route away from Sound Avenue. The pipeline would now run along Main Road from Route 105 to the Southold Town line in Laurel, shaving about a mile off the project, and potentially two years off construction.

SCWA says the urgency hasn't gone away. North Fork wells draw from the shallow Upper Glacial Aquifer, and officials say heavy pumping is contributing to rising chloride levels as saltwater creeps into the system. At peak times, roughly 70% of water use is for outdoor purposes like irrigation.

Then there's the question hanging over the whole project: Would more public water mean more development?

Residents will now get their say at three hearings: Aug. 19 in Westhampton Beach, Aug. 20 in Peconic and Aug. 26 in Riverhead.

Get the full story 👉 East End Beacon

Meadow Mavens 🌻

There are roughly three dozen septic tanks hiding beneath the New Suffolk waterfront, which is not exactly the opening line you'd expect for a gardening success story.

But six years after volunteers started battling a field overtaken by mugwort, the area outside Minnow at the Galley Ho has become a flourishing meadow filled with native plants, pollinators and plenty of butterflies.

Credit goes to the Meadow Mavens, a group of volunteers who show up nearly every Sunday from spring through fall to weed, plant, transplant and wage their never ending war against invasive plants.

The meadow was replanted with an emphasis on native species in 2021, and this weekend the group celebrated another milestone: a new plant guide showing visitors what's growing throughout the seasons, complete with QR codes for anyone who wants to dig a little deeper.

Get the full story 👉 North Fork Sun

Greenport Board Shakeup 🏛️

After more than a decade on the Greenport Village Board, Trustee Julia Robins is stepping down Sept. 1, not because she's leaving the North Fork, but because she's moving about a mile too far.

Robins, first elected in 2013, is moving from her rental in the village to a home she owns with her sister just outside village limits. That means she no longer meets Greenport's residency requirement.

During her tenure, Robins became known for speaking her mind and focusing on affordable housing, infrastructure, downtown Greenport and energy issues.

Now Mayor Kevin Stuessi needs to find her temporary replacement. He's accepting applications from village residents interested in serving on the board through the March 2027 election, with applications due Aug. 26.

Get the full story 👉 East End Beacon

Around the World on Main Street 🌎

Lido was supposed to be a three month pop up. Fourteen years later, it’s still taking Greenport shoppers around the world without requiring a passport.

Owners Heidi Kelso and Grant Cowell have built the Main Street shop around something they both love doing: traveling the world, finding beautiful things with a story and figuring out how to bring them home.

That means Lido's shelves and racks aren't exactly filled from a catalog. Kelso and Cowell travel through India, Morocco, Turkey, Bali, Italy, France and beyond, working with weavers, block printers, furniture makers, seamstresses and other craftspeople.

The whole thing started as a summer experiment called Eureka Beach. Three months became four, then six, then a write up in The New York Times' T Magazine helped turn the temporary shop into something considerably less temporary.

Get the full story 👉 Northforker

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Animal of The Week

Meet Dumpling 🐾

Meet Dumpling! Some dogs are built for long distance running. Others are built a little more like dumplings. Dumpling is proudly in the second category.

Dumpling is affectionate, energetic, and not particularly interested in keeping her opinions to herself. She’s got plenty to say, plenty of love to give, and a personality every bit as big as her current waistline.

She loves to run and play and is already working on her fitness journey, so she’d be thrilled to find someone who’ll keep her moving, laughing, and feeling loved along the way. If your household has room for a lovable little character who is affectionate, come meet Dumpling.

Questions? Call North Fork Animal Welfare League at 631-765-1811

If you are interested in volunteering and helping animals like Dumpling, contact Laura at [email protected]

Trivia Time 🧠

Your brain deserves more than scrolling and skimming. Each week we’ll hit you with one question designed to make you pause, scratch your head, and maybe argue with whoever’s sitting next to you. Think of it as a quick mental pit stop: a chance to flex your random knowledge, test your memory, or finally use that obscure fact you learned in 7th grade.

Just click one of the multiple choice answers to see if you got it right!

Find more info on the answer at the very end of the newsletter

What is the longest river in the United States?

Last Week’s Results

Last week we asked: On The Brady Bunch, which two characters are the middle children of the six Brady siblings?

Answer: Jan & Peter

71% of you got it right. The other 29% may need to stare at those nine squares in the opening credits a little longer.

Live Music + Fun Breakdown

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Tom Loncar- Publisher
Nicole Loncar- Editor + Partnerships

Longest River in the US