Cupsogue Beach County Park
Cupsogue Beach County Park is a park at the west end of Westhampton Island,[1] known locally as Dune Road, one of Long Island's easternmost Barrier Islands. The park is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, Moriches Inlet and Moriches Bay.
The park was part of Fire Island until 1938 when Moriches Inlet was formed by a Nor'easter.[2]
Though the park exists on both sides of the Moriches Inlet and is located entirely within the Town of Brookhaven, it is only accessible from the western terminus of Dune Road, which itself is in the Town of Southampton. The closest bridge to the park is for Jessup Lane in Westhampton Beach between Moriches Bay and Moneybogue Bay. The park's eastern border is the Brookhaven/Southampton town line and the village of Westhampton Dunes, New York.
This 296-acre (1.20 km2) barrier beach park offers lifeguard-supervised swimming, sunbathing on Long Island's white sand beaches, a food concession, restrooms, first aid center (staffed by an EMT during the summer months), showers and changing rooms are all situated at Cupsogue's pavilion. Camping and recreational vehicles are permitted along the access road running parallel to the outer beach. Diving is permitted at slack tide on the bay side of the park only. Water depth is approximately 12 feet (3.7 m). Fishing, scuba diving, camping, outer beach access, and special events in season.[3]
Most facilities at the park can be found on the east side of Moriches Inlet. The segment of the park on the west side is preserved land that is divided by a strip of town parkland separating Cupsogue from Smith Point County Park.[4]
History
Dated from the 1690s, the Indian word "Cupsogue" means "a closed inlet". A 1931 Nor'easter created the Moriches Inlet, which enlarged between 1933 and 1938. In the 1950s the park was acquired by the Suffolk County Parks Department. By the 1970s Cupsogue Beach County Park was given a pavilion and boardwalk. This park is home to many piping plovers, a federally protected shorebird.
A breach connecting the Atlantic and Great South Bay occurred on the east end of the park as a result of high tides during Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The breach widened from 150 feet to 300 feet less than a week later when a Nor'easter hit. Officials then closed the breach in $6 million project that pumped in 200,000 cubic yards of sand.[5][6]
References
- ^ "GNIS Detail - Westhampton Island". Geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
- ^ Sunysuffolk.edu page - Retrieved November 2, 2007
- ^ Cupsogue Beach County Park (Suffolk County Government)
- ^ [Hagstroms Suffolk County Atlas(Various years)]
- ^ Wright, Michael. "Southampton News - Dune Road Breach Widens During Nor'easter". 27east. Retrieved 2013-04-06.
- ^ Jackson, Erica (2012-11-27). "DEC: Cupsogue Breach Filled In - Westhampton-Hampton Bays, NY Patch". Westhampton-hamptonbays.patch.com. Retrieved 2013-04-06.