The Quogue Wildlife Refuge holds a special place in the heart of so many East Enders who have taken their children there to see the birds that seek refuge on the Old Ice Pond or to quietly walk or snowshoe through the seven miles of trails into the heart of the Dwarf Pine Plains, or to practice yoga or hear nature presentations in the Charles Banks Belt Nature Center overlooking the pond.
Pictured Above: An architectural rendering of the Nature Center Expansion.
This year, the Wildlife Refuge is embarking on a campaign to renovate and expand the Nature Center, which is now crammed with work spaces for its growing staff, for care of animals, a gift shop and a large, wood-paneled community gathering space that juts over the pond, where visitors feel like they’ve traveled not just to the center of an ecosystem, but also back in time.
The Nature Center was built in 1970. Aside from a 1979 update adding handicapped-access bathrooms, a kitchen and a classroom, little about the building has changed since the 1970s, as the Refuge’s staff has burgeoned to nine full-time, year-round people.
“Right now, we have desks in the hallway and in the kitchen, and then in the summer, we have three additional seasonal hires and six to seven interns,” said the Refuge’s Assistant Director, Marisa Nelson, as she gave The Beacon a mid-May tour. “We just cram ourselves in. It’s kind of wild. Everyone loves working here, but we need a lot of staff, and the space to accommodate everything so it functions well.”
The plans call for extending the building by 1,000 feet toward Old Country Road and putting dormers in the attic above the portion of the building that doesn’t overhang the pond. The staff offices will then move to the attic space, which will also include a conference room, while the first floor space will include enhanced exhibits and animal care space.
“Now, they’re preparing food for the snakes and all these indoor animals in a closet that also has all of our maintenance and office supplies,” said Ms. Nelson.
She said the refuge hopes to “honor the history and maintain the coziness” of the first floor gathering space. “It has the most beautiful view, and feels like a lodge, with a stone fireplace and the great views of the Old Ice Pond. This room will structurally stay the same, but we will be taking down the 1970s panelling and updating it.”
The building is expected to be LEED-certified, with a nitrogen-reducing septic system that makes use of constructed wetlands, solar panels and electric vehicle charging station in the parking lot. The shingles will be replaced with a fire-resistant metal roof.
During the construction, the staff will move into a former workshop on the property, and after they relocate back to the Nature Center, the workshop will become a dedicated nature classroom.
The Refuge has already raised or received pledges for more than $2.8 million toward the $3.5 million renovation, and is expecting to soon receive bids from local contractors, with the hopes of beginning construction this fall and finishing by the summer of 2026.
Charles Banks Belt, for whom the Nature Center is named, spearheaded the effort to found the Refuge in the early 1930s at a time when several extremely cold winters had caused local black duck populations to plummet. At a meeting at the Hampton Bays Firehouse, he implored the community to establish a waterfowl refuge, spurring the formation of the Southampton Township Wildfowl Association, which created the sanctuary at the former Quogue Ice Company.
His family today is still actively involved with the Wildlife Refuge, and with this campaign.
Anyone can visit the Wildlife Refuge, which is open 365 days a year, free of charge, and it receives about 150,000 visitors each year.
“We have regular volunteers who come weekly and help, and visitation is increasing. The population out here is increasing, and our educational programming is increasing,” said Ms. Nelson.“We have opened up the fundraising for all of the community to participate at any level. This place is so special to so many people. No gift is too small to be a part of this.”
For more information, visit quoguewildliferefuge.org. — BHY
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