Big changes at Mashomack — officials deny any plan to privatize the site

Mashomack converted to a private club for wealthy donors of The Nature Conservancy (TNC)?

No way, said TNC Executive Director Bill Ulfelder and Mashomack Manor House Manager Rebecca Mundy.

But with a popular director’s resignation, coupled with Mashomack’s Board of Trustees “dissolved” and plans to replace it with a new advisory group, some serious charges have been leveled.

Mr. Ulfelder and Ms. Mundy said Mashomack will re-open to the public and expand programs and add new trails. With 45,000 visitors to the site and recognition of its importance to the community, Mr. Ulfelder and Ms. Mundy denied the rumors of Mashomack going private.

They think that concern resulted from the decision to close down during the COVID-19 pandemic, while other organizations continued outdoor activities. Mr. Ulfelder, based in New York City, said it was a global TNC decision.

He described Mashomack as “one of the crown jewels” among TNC properties, which are active in 70 countries. Ms. Mundy recalls how excited her father and former town supervisor Alfred Kilb was when TNC purchased Mashomack to preserve it from development.

A former member of the Board of Trustees, who asked not to be identified out of respect for some former trustees not yet notified, said Mr. Ulfelder made a similar promise about TNC’s Long Island Chapter was dissolved in late-October 2020 — something Mr. Ulfelder confirmed. An advisory board was to have been created there, but that has not yet happened, Mr. Ulfelder said. Time was needed to bring in a new manager and the COVID-19 pandemic further hampered the effort, he said.

“Bill fired everybody on the spot” following a discussion about how to increase financial support and he did so without thanking Board members, the former trustee said. That didn’t sit well with those who had served Mashomack Preserve for so long, the former trustee added.

The Board of Trustees included members representing a large cross section of Islanders with everyone contributing to the success of the organization — some with financial support — but all volunteering to coordinate activities and special events.

“The Nature Conservancy is deeply appreciative of the service of all the trustees who served on the Mashomack Board,” Mr. Ulfelder said, noting their volunteer service. They were “motivated by their love of Mashomack and their Shelter Island community,” he said. The decision to dissolve the board was not taken lightly, he said, maintaining that a new advisory group would result in greater engagement with the community.

“It is our sincere hope that former trustees will participate in the new advisory group that is open to all Shelter Island community members, so that their voices and perspectives can continue to be heard,” he said.

Former Mashomack Preserve Director Jeremy Samuelson has left and declined to comment for this story. Instead of appointing a new director, TNC will hire a “Preserve Conservation and Stewardship Manager ” this spring. TNC is reviewing applications for the new position.

TNC has no plan to sell any part of the property or convert the site to a private club, Mr. Ulfelder reiterated. He speculated that negotiations with the Town to buy land TNC was gifted at 69 North Ferry Road, outside of the Preserve, may have given rise to rumors about selling off Mashomack property.

TNC reached out to Town officials offering to sell that site and make the proceeds available only to Mashomack Preserve. The Town is eyeing the less than one-acre site for possible affordable housing, while preserving an access road leading to trails.

With the Board of Trustees gone, a new advisory group, “very different” from the Board, will be created, Mr. Ulfelder said. He called the transition from the Trustees Board — Islanders who were appointed and charged with policy decisions and fundraising in conjunction with TNC — to the advisory group as having “perfect timing.”

When Mashomack opens this spring, advisory group membership will be open to anyone, rather than just to a limited number of appointees, Mr. Ulfelder said.

When national TNC Chief Executive Officer Jennifer Morris visited the site during the summer, the existing Board of Trustees sought a meeting to discuss ideas for new trails. But Mr. Ulfelder said her visit was brief and she had “a pretty tight agenda,” leaving no time to add another meeting. He also cited public health issues, despite the Board of Trustees offer of an outdoor session.

Mr. Ulfelder said he wants to see Mashomack, which has taken successful steps to protect its water, get involved in efforts to improve water quality throughout the Island.