A sacred Shinnecock Nation burial site will be preserved in perpetuity.
Developers were going to turn the land into housing, but Southampton Town bought the land instead. The Southampton Town Board used more than $2 million from its Community Preservation Fund to buy the Shinnecock Hills property, which will be put under stewardship of the fund.
Shinnecock Leader Lance Gumbs, speaking at a board meeting, said the purchase is a first step, but more land needs to be protected.
“Because it is not just here. Our aboriginal territory, our roaming territory was from the Brookhaven Town line to the Easthampton Town line, from the Peconic to the Shinnecock.”
The town plans to hold a public hearing next month to set up regulations to prevent homeowners and developers from disturbing burial sites or face severe penalties.
