I meet up with Felicity in her studio in Chelsea, New York. She talks about dismay of daily news of Trump reversing previous pro-ecological measures. She is keen for us to meet up with people in the Montauk area who are involved at a local level in environmental concerns. We have managed to contact a few people before our visit and hopefully this will lead to further discussion.
After a day in New York trying to get over jet lag, we drive out to Noyak, in Suffolk County, where we will be based for the next week. We are not alone escaping the summer heat of the city. The Hamptons have long been a get-away for New Yorkers and has a predominantly seasonal economy.
We head east out of New York on the Northern State Parkway. The Parkway’s symbol is Montauk Point Lighthouse.
Suffolk County is a couple of hours drive (traffic permitting) from New York City, a similar distance that coastal Suffolk lies from London in the UK. Similar, inflationary pressures in the local economy are evident here. Second home ownership and the ubiquitous modernist domestic dwelling developments can be seen here, but on a much larger scale.
The main areas of coast that have not been developed in the Hamptons are privately owned reserves, including large areas of managed land owned and run by The Nature Conservancy. Some areas are open to the public with marked trails and public parking. Whilst other parts of the coast are inaccessible, either due to nature conservancy, or as they are owned by private landowners for their exclusive use.
